Tag: conservation

How To Make A Curlew Chick Puppet

Posted on | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | Leave a Comment on How To Make A Curlew Chick Puppet

The Eurasian curlew is one of the UK’s most rapidly declining breeding birds. Numbers have fallen by more than 65% since the 1970s, placing it on the Red List of birds of conservation concern. The species requires an estimated 10,000 additional chicks to fledge each year simply to stabilise the UK population.

https://www.justgiving.com/team/curlew3peaks

You will need:

1 big pompom
1 small pompom
1 piece of fluffy fabric
2 googly eyes
2 lolly sticks glued together in a cross shape
String
1 pair of scissors
1 piece of card
Craft glue or hot glue

What to do:

  1. Glue the small pompom (head), fluffy fabric (neck) and big pompom (body) together.
  2. On your card, draw 2 feet, a beak and 2 wings for your chick.
  3. Carefully cut out your drawings.
  4. Glue your feet onto some pieces of string and tie them round the body.
  5. Glue the google eyes and beak onto the head. Glue the wings onto the body.
  6. Cut four pieces of string measuring about 30 cm each. You will need to trim these to the right lengths as you attach them to your puppet in steps 7 and 8. Glue a piece of string onto each end of the lolly stick cross.
  7. Glue one string to the top of the head and the opposite string to the back of the body.
  8. Glue one of the other strings to one foot, and the final string to the other foot.
  9. All done! Your curlew chick puppet is ready to creep, stalk and dance!

Help protect real curlews

Curlews are disappearing from the UK countryside, but families and children can help. Find out why these amazing birds are in danger, meet the giant curlews taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks and discover simple ways to help protect them.

FIND OUT HOW TO HELP CURLEWS →


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National Hedgehog Day – 2nd February

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on National Hedgehog Day – 2nd February

Calling all hedgehog fans, every year on the 2nd February we celebrate National Hedgehog Day! Celebrate these spikey critters by checking how hog-friendly your garden is. Hedgehog populations are sadly declining, therefore it’s critical that we do everything we can to protect them.

Here are some pointers on how to make your garden a hog’s paradise:

🦔 Shrubs or woody plants provide much-needed cover.

🦔 Native fruit trees, as well as hazel and hawthorn, will attract insects an important food source.

🦔 Wildflowers will also attract insects providing additional seasonal food.

🦔 Ditch the pesticides, unfortunately, toxic pesticides can kill hedgehogs, therefore organic gardening is the best option.

🦔 If you’re looking for a project, why not make a hedgehog house or a hedgehog highway (just a hole in your fence will do!).

It’s important that we protect the hedgehogs of Britain because not only are they adorable, but they help maintain the balance in the ecosystem. Conservationists refer to Hedgehogs as indicator species. This is because the numbers and behaviour of hedgehogs can tell us a lot about the health of their surrounding areas. Hedgehogs eat soil invertebrates, so a fall in hedgehog numbers can signify a decline in the quality of the surrounding environment. Their main source of food is insects which helps to keep insect population levels manageable, if hedgehog populations drop, insect numbers may rise posing unknown threats to the delicate balance of the ecosystem.

If your young ecologist is a subscriber to Whizz Pop Bang and would like to do more to help wildlife in your local area why not encourage them to complete our Wildlife Watcher badge.


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