Go Wild Nature Camp 2018

Day 1

Hazel Morrison-Pagett

Day 1 of Go Wild Nature Camp

What a busy first day of camp with such a lovely group of engaging children – lots of nature questions both asked and answered.

Thanks to camp leaders John, Susan (BirdWatch Ireland), Ruth and Heather (The Vincent Wildlife Trust), with the assistance of Síle and Paddy, for all their organising. We started with a get to know each other game (aka pass the hedgehog!) and then some rounds of true or false outside, where we learned Dragonfly Nymphs breathe through their bum! Lots of excitement when Denis and Rosie arrived all the way from Animal Magic in Kilmallock with their birds of prey – and everyone got to hold either Oliver the Owl, Emma the Kestrel, Katie the Peregrine Falcon or Leah the Long Eared Owl. Denis held on to Hannah the Golden Eagle as she was HUGE! This camp were given the honour of releasing a kestrel back into the wild after being nursed back to health by Animal Magic. And after all that, it was time for lunch……

After lunch the camp divided into teams of 5 and trekked along the golden mile of Moycullen’s ‘Rocks Road’ on a nature hunt, each team having an identical list of items they had to identify. All managed the task easily and then it was off with petrie dishes, brushes and spoons to look for bugs in the wood!

Lots more interesting stuff planned for tomorrow…….