The Old Moor wetlands nature reserve in Dearne Valley has reported a record breeding season for one of Britain’s rarest and most elusive breeding birds, the bittern, with three active nests and eleven chicks recorded. The RSPB reserve has been developed as a wetlands habitat over the last fifteen years in a location that was once a post-mining wasteland. Bitterns first nested at the reserve in 2010. Steve Buckley, for Sheffield Live!, spoke to visitor experience manager Danielle Meyer.
A new smartphone app developed by the University of Sheffield and the University of Derby is helping residents determine how city living affects our health and well being. ‘Shmapped’ invites users to record good things they see around them, and the information provided will be used by town planners to design better spaces in the future. It may also help people better enjoy their surroundings. Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust are using the app to engage communities throughout the summer in free guided walks around Sheffield’s parks, nature reserves and canals. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
The RSPB’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch takes place in the first half of the spring term and pupils from St Theresa’s Primary School, Prince of Wales Road have been getting involved. The Big Schools’ Birdwatch is an annual educational activity which encourages children to discover the wildlife to be found in their school grounds and to get closer to nature. Sham Powell reports for Sheffield Live!