Pull on your wellies and grab a pencil – it’s time to get involved in the Clyde and Avon Valley Wildlife Challenge and 500 Words Competition 2017.

Great spotted woodpecker.

Running for the full calendar year, the campaign includes wildlife spotting events and two children’s competitions. It focusses on one species per month that can be found throughout the year in local woodlands such as Chatelherault Country Park, RSPB Scotland Baron’s Haugh, Dalzell Estate and Scottish Wildlife Trust Falls of Clyde. The species are goosander, otter, great spotted woodpecker, kingfisher, badger, blue tailed damselfly, bats, candlesnuff fungus, comma butterfly, nuthatch, roe deer and salmon.

Waterfalls at the Falls of Clyde, near New Lanark. ©Lorne Gill/SNH

“The Clyde and Avon Valley is home to a fascinating array of wildlife as well as other spectacular woodlands and Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve is one of the ecologically richest areas of Scotland,” says Donna Marshall, CAVLP Programme Manager. “The woodlands are often hidden in dramatic river gorges, creating ribbons of wild land that lace the local landscape where nature thrives. We’re urging people to get to know this amazing landscape and the wildlife that can be found within it through this campaign.”

Everyone is encouraged to get involved to find out more about local wildlife, visit local nature reserves, take part in wildlife spotting events and help contribute to the iRecord wildlife database.

Otter.

Clyde and Avon Valley Wildlife Challenge #CAVWChallenge
Complete the 12 species checklist to be awarded with a certificate and be entered into a special prize draw.  Join in with wildlife-spotting events, download your own spotting guides and enter your findings to iRecord, to tick off the 12 species that you are challenged to find on the checklist. Download spotting guides and the checklist, and link to iRecord at here. Join in the conversation on social media using #CAVWChallenge.

Clyde and Avon Valley 500 Words Competition
(Open to children ages 5 – 9 and 10 – 12) Children are invited to pick one of the 12 species (listed above) and write a fictional story or poem about in under 500 words. Each entrant will be awarded with a certificate and be entered into a special prize draw. Entries will be judged on originality, plot, characterisation, language and enjoyment by a panel of expert judges: Cherry Bowen (author of the New Lanark trilogy), the Lanark Writers Group and South Lanarkshire Countryside Rangers. Download the 500 Words Competition full guidelines and submission form here.

Female goosander.

#CAVWChallenge spotting events in January and early February

• Feed the Birds in Strathclyde Country Park: Saturday 21 January, 1.30 – 2.30pm
• Get Ready for the Big Garden Birdwatch at RSPB Baron’s Haugh, Motherwell, Sunday 22 January, 10am – 12 noon
• World Wetlands Day Guided Walk at RSPB Baron’s Haugh, Motherwell, Sunday 5 February, 10am – 12 noon

You can find full details of the events here.

The campaign is a partnership project between Heritage Lottery Fund supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership, North Lanarkshire Council,  RSPB Baron’s Haugh, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Wildlife Trust Falls of Clyde and South Lanarkshire Countryside Rangers. Find out all about the campaign at www.clydeandavonvalley.org.

All species images copyright Davie Abraham.