Every year, a campaign is run by The Wildlife Trusts, called 30 Days Wild. The aim of this campaign is to encourage people to get out and explore, to see if they can experience the natural world around them. This is done by challenging those who take part, to complete one random act of wildness every day. I have heard of this campaign for a few years, so this time I decided to go for it and see if I could complete the challenge.
I wasn’t sure how easy I was going to find this challenge – on one hand I am used to exploring, and wildlife watching is one of my main hobbies; on the other, I am the first to give in to the easier option when it comes to feeling tired or having a busy day! What I found out, was that giving myself chance to complete a moment of wildness, didn’t actually take up any of my time at all – it simply meant I was using the time more effectively. Throughout the month I saw wildlife that I wouldn’t otherwise have seen; got more exercise during my working week; felt more of the sunshine; and generally felt my day to day mood improve!
Overall I felt a sense of achievement when I completed the month, but also a sense of sadness that it was finished. Although I might not continue to achieve this challenge every day, I will definitely try to make a habit of weaving in the wildness throughout my week!
So, here is the full list of my random acts of wildness – I also took lots of pictures, which you can see on the Facebook or Twitter accounts. I won’t include them here, because I’d like the 30 Days Wild to speak for themselves:
Day 1: I saw orcas on the last day of my holiday to Caithness in Scotland for Seawatch Foundation’s “Orca Watch”.
Day 2: Listened to the beautiful song of a skylark as it flew.
Day 3: Exhausted after my holiday, I caught up on Springwatch and made a list of everything I had seen on my trip.
Day 4: Did some opportunistic bird watching by taking the time to notice the sparrows chirping outside Asda.
Day 5: Escaped the office for a lunchtime walk, and saw my first ducklings of 2018!
Day 6: Joined Ullapool Wildlife Watch group for a pond dipping session (as part of my work – Wildlife Watch is a children’s club!)
Day 7: I was joined by a beautiful juvenile herring gull for lunch (he wanted my chips) and then did a Shorewatch for Whale and Dolphin Conservation, from Stoer Head which I had never been to before.
Day 8: I became a wild bookworm and read some of my current wildlife book- “The Peregrine”.
Day 9: Wrote the wildlife crossword for WOW.
Day 10: I went down to my local park to see if the cygnets had hatched yet – they had indeed, and I got some lovely photos!
Day 11: Made a daisy chain during my lunch break.
Day 12: Took the time to enjoy the warmth of the sun, to actively take notice of it, as I travelled from a to b on foot and by bus.
Day 13: I thought of, and hummed, songs with wildlife in the lyrics – like bare necessities!
Day 14: I could feel the force of the wind from Storm Hector, as I took a short walk.
Day 15: Spotted some urban wildlife in the form of poppies growing by the roadside, next to a building site.
Day 16: Took a detour through a cemetery (during the day!) and noticed facts that people had put out there, about the wildflowers.
Day 17: Explored Callander and Loch Lomond with my family, ending the day by watching red squirrels at Aberfoyle.
Day 18: Took five minutes to explore the nature area which is literally 2 minutes from my office, yet I’d never been before!
Day 19: Got woken in the middle of the night by a terrifying screeching sound. Did some research during the day to confirm my suspicions that it was a fox!
Day 20: I wrote a little wildlife poem.
Day 21: Had a go at identifying some leaves I found (they were from whitebeam).
Day 22: I wrote the Orca Week entry into my wildlife diary (scroll down to read!).
Day 23: Woke up to the sound of chirping sparrows, so feeling inspired decided to draw one.
Day 24: Took a stroll in the sun to soak up some vitamin D!
Day 25: Counted the buzzards during a journey I made for work – I got two this time, often get five or six!
Day 26: Had a cup of tea and listened to the birds from the comfort of my room.
Day 27: After a mindfulness session at work, I went outside in the sunshine and made shadow shapes, making sure I lived in the moment!
Day 28: Saw a creche of Eider ducklings during my lunchtime walk.
Day 29: I had a go at a lunchtime litterpick – just took a bin bag, and wore gloves, and spent twenty minutes tidying the area around my workplace.
Day 30: While in town, I took a diversion through the park and walked under the trees – appreciating their shade on a hot day! Then I watched as bubbles made by a street performer floated and glistened in the sun.
I will be doing this challenge again next year, and I would definitely recommend you give it a go. In the meantime, if you love a challenge why not head to the See and Share section of this site and have a go at Charlie’s Challenges – have fun!