There has been a lot happening over here at Wild Hamatethy lately and we wanted to share some of our positive news with you. Follow us on instagram for more regular updates plus adorable beaver and inspiring wild Stork content @wildhamatethy.
Making Cornish History – our Storks have flown the nest!
This month The Cornwall Stork Project released 21 young White Storks into the wild from Wild Hamatethy in an important milestone for nature recovery in Kernow. It was an incredible day attended by 50+ guests including our valued supporters and collaborators plus national and local media. Find out what the Guardian and BBC had to say about the event and watch the viral social media video of our Storks’ first moments of freedom and this short film about the day. Thank you to our event sponsors Yallah coffee and the wonderful team of volunteers who helped make the day so wonderful. Special mention to Robert Scott, Hamatethy stockman for more than 40 years, who cared for the birds from birth and ultimately set them free. Thank you to Rewilding Britain for the Rewilding Win.
Bookings are Live!
After months of hard work the beautiful estate house, Hamatethy, is now ready to welcome guests! The whole house can be booked for exclusive stays of 3, 4 or 7 nights and for team retreats through our website www.wildhamatethy.com/stays. We include a bespoke series of guided experiences across the estate; beaver watching, rewilding walking tours, bird watching and foraging; plus yoga lessons, mindfulness, and an outdoor spa with sauna and cold plunge. Revenue from our first eco-tourism offering will fund more nature restoration across the estate. A special thank you to the very talented Sarah Fortescue for the exquisite interiors.
Beavers, Bats, Hedgehogs and Birds
Beavers: Screening ‘Water Guardians’ and Cornwall the Bigger Picture
Throughout June and July, along with Chris Jones (Kernow Beaver Project), Kernow Conservation and Cheryl Marriot of Cornwall Wildlife Trust we screened the wonderful short film ‘Water Guardians’ by Zac Lazarou at multiple locations across the county. The film tells the story of the return of the superstar keystone species, the Beaver, in Kernow so far through interviews with Toby (Heligan), Yan (Wild Hamatethy) and Chris (Woodland Valley Farm). During lively post-screening Q+A sessions Chris, Yan, Cheryl, Zac and Toby answered questions such as ‘do Beavers boost Salmon populations?’ and ‘can Beavers reduce river pollution, drought and flooding?’. Find answers to these questions, learn more about the mighty Beaver and the initiative to secure a county-wide Beaver release license (a UK first!) here.
Bats
We adventured deep into the stunning ancient woodland on the western side of the estate with bat ecologist Chole to kick off our bat survey, which has already identified rare Greater Horseshoe and Barbastelles living here at Wild Hamatethy. Stay tuned for the complete results!
Birds
It has been another successful breeding year for Barn Owls, Cuckoos, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks, Tawny Owls, Skylarks, Starlings, Swallows, Buzzards and Meadow Pipits here at Wild Hamatethy – not to mention the fledging of our 21 white storks. We continue to regularly spot or hear Dippers, Goldcrests, King Fishers, Herons, Treecreepers, Siskins, Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and Nuthatches, especially in the Beaver wetland.
Hedgehogs
Shockingly, the beloved hedgehog has now joined 46 other species of principal importance on the list of species vulnerable to extinction in Kernow which also includes Curlews, Adders, Whales, Dolphins, Native Oysters, Nightjars, Water Voles and Doormice. For the third year, a team of volunteers organised by Cornwall Wildlife Trust deployed 30 camera traps across Wild Hamatethy as part of the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme which collates data from across the country to build a better understanding of hedgehog populations. More information about the scheme and cute hedgehog footage can be found here.
Read more about our rewilding and nature recovery work at www.wildhamatethy.com/rewilding.
Growing our Community
We are incredibly grateful for everyone who has volunteered their time and energy at Wild Hamatethy over the past months – it has made all the difference. Thank you! This summer volunteers got stuck in with a huge range of things from ecological surveying, film making, camera trapping, the Beaver and Stork species reintroductions programmes, log splitting, clearing non-native invasive species, work in the kitchen garden, monitoring and protecting trees and more. Want to get involved with the project? We would love to hear from you! Email hannah@wildhamatethy.com for more information.
