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12 Days Wild

Brent geese - Terry Whittaker / 2020Vision

12 Days Wild is a festive nature challenge from the Wildlife Trusts, encouraging you to do one wild thing a day from the 25th December to the 5th January each year.

Winter wildlife is just waiting to be explored and enjoyed in those days when we can hopefully recharge after the frenetic festivities, and lose track of a little time.
Blue tit on a frosty branch with red berries

Blue tit (Parus caeruleus) adult perched in winter, Scotland, UK - Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

25th December

Feast-time leaves little room for too much adventure – why not take a glass of mulled wine or hot chocolate into the garden and see what birds you can spot collecting their own winter feast?

View from a high hilltop nature reserve looking down onto the lake below. It's a sunny day with little cloud in a blue sky.

26th December

Boxing Day is the best day to walk off the indulgence of Christmas – and with over 100 nature reserves across Yorkshire we have something to suit everyone.

Take a short stroll around Moorlands woodland, brace yourself against the sea air of Flamborough Cliffs, or take a hike – Broadhead Clough and Garbutt Wood are famed for their views!

Christmas crafts

(C) Elena Ferrer Unsplash

27th December

There is a surprising amount of colour to be found in the winter! If there are little ones at home, try making a leaf mandala or finding all of the colours of the rainbow outside.

Image showing a couple in silhouette under the stars. They are just off-centre and there is a tree to their left and one to their right.

Photo by Ryan Jacobson on Unsplash

28th December

Our night sky is gorgeous, so spend the evening admiring the stars on a clear night. Yorkshire is home to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors Dark Sky Reserves, collectively one of the most significant dark sky areas in Europe.

Robin singing with wide open beak

29th December

Did you know robins are often found on Christmas cards in homage to the red coats of Victorian postmen? See how many robins you can hear singing their hearts out!

Close up of a pixie cup lichen in the frost

(c) Martin Warne - pixie cup lichen in the frost

30th December

Take part in the New Year Plant Hunt! Organised by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, join thousands of plant-lovers from the 30th December to 2nd January recording what plants are blooming in the deepest winter.

Starling Murmation - Phil Selby

Starling Murmation (c) Phil Selby

31st December

As you build up to a New Year’s Eve spectacle, enjoy a wildlife spectacle to start your celebrations. Starling murmurations, seal pups and masses of waders are all amazing wild experiences you can enjoy in Yorkshire.

Image showing a litter picker up close picking up a ball of foil from a pebble beach

O'Hara Photography

1st January

New year – new adventure! You could turn over a new leaf and see what wildlife you can discover in your local area – or take part in a turnaround on a greater scale by joining our New Year’s Day beach clean at Spurn Point nature reserve.

The Wildlife Gardening Award plaque being proudly displayed in someone's garden.

2nd January

Look forward to spring – what wild space can you create for wildlife in your garden? Yorkshire Wildlife Trust offer a Wildlife Gardening Award for those gardeners who really go above and beyond.

A close up of a common frog and its reflection as it pokes it's head out of a pond

(C) Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

3rd January

Make sure to spread the festive cheer to your local and garden wildlife. You could top up your bird feeders and bird baths, check your pond hasn’t frozen over, and give your bird boxes a clean ahead of the new year.

Barn owl

©Andy Rouse/2020VISION

4th January

Look out for barn owls who might be extending their hunting hours into daylight, so you have a higher chance of spotting one.

A puffin with a bill full of sandeels

puffin - Adam Jones

5th January

Our New Year’s resolution is to do even more to help wildlife. We achieved a lot in 2023, from drystone walling and tree planting in the Dales, to helping to prevent marine pollution on the coast.

You can help us secure even more big wins for wildlife in 2024 by becoming a member or donating to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Get involved

Join #12DaysWild

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