Platform has teamed up with iSpot – the OU’s award-winning social networking site for anyone interested in nature – to offer you the chance to win one of 25 Samsung digital cameras with accessory kit and a signed copy of Fragile Web: What Next For Nature, by OU ecologist Professor Jonathan Silvertown.
All you have to do is tell us in no more than 50 words what you’re doing to encourage wildlife to thrive in your local area. Perhaps you’re improving a local park or even your own back garden for wildlife? If so, tell us how. The 25 most original entries (judged by Professor Silvertown) will win:
Samsung ES17 digital camera (RRP £89)
- 12.2 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom
- Brilliant 2.5” intelligent LCD screen
- Self portrait and beauty shot features
- Movie recordings at 30 frames per second
- Photo help guide and function description
Accessory kit
- Camera case
- Battery charger
- SD memory card (1GB)
- Ni-MH batteries
Professor Jonathan Silvertown’s Fragile Web: What Next For Nature?
- Published by the Natural History Museum in association with the OU (RRP £14.99)
- Fragile Web describes the importance of life on Earth, how it has evolved and how, directly or indirectly, humans are responsible for the fate of nature.
Post your entries in the comments box below this competition by midday on Monday 14 March to be in with a chance of winning.
www.iSpot.org.uk is open to anyone interested in wildlife and the environment, whether you’re a science student, a casual observer or an experienced wildlife watcher. Developed as part of the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) project, iSpot is funded by the Big Lottery Fund for England. On iSpot, users can upload pictures and share observations from their local areas, join discussion forums, and learn from others willing to impart their expertise and knowledge on the site.
Terms and conditions
This competition opens on 22/02/11 and closes on 21/03/2011. Prizes must be taken as offered and are not transferable or exchangeable for a cash equivalent. Only one entry per competition per person. This competition is open to all except employees of The Open University. Entries must be received by 21 March 2011. The promoter accepts no responsibility for any entries that are incomplete, illegible, corrupted or fail to reach the promoter by the relevant closing date for any reason. The 25 winners will be chosen by Professor Jonathan Silvertown and notified within 28 days by email to arrange delivery of the prizes. The name and home town of the winner will be published on Platform. The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Comments
I have a nature pond with various depths to encourage different species. Pond and surrounding plants are specifically chosen to encourage all wildlife to visit and currently have birds, hedgehogs, bats, insects, foxes, frogs, toads and newts. In addition I have a decaying woodpile, compost heap, stonepile and batboxes.
I am teaching my daughter about the wildlife in our garden and encouraging her to respect and enjoy the areas of nature in the city. We regularly visit the nature reserve with gloves and bags to pick up litter too!
I am feeding different birds on my working place, and once there flew waxwings, my collegue made a foto with them. Also I member of WWF, and sign different petition to protect nature of Russia.
Please look at the News page on the website that I developed for my wooded local green space Three Cornered Copse, Hove. Look at the clearing and planting and discovering our volunteers have been doing! The photos are not mine though. If I had a camera ...
David Botibol
Nice one David!
Rather than dispose of a fallen Silver Birch tree, I chopped and stacked it unevenly in a quiet corner of the garden. The decaying woodpile has become a source of food and refuge for numerous plants, fungi and wildlife as well as fostering an interest for nature in our children.
Living next to a forest, I'm encouraging the birds and deers to eat from my garden by adding special food to it and by sharing food spill. This will finally result in a better ecosystem, albeit that my attachment is just basically...
Our garden is the greatest invitation for environmental learning, for pondering our place in the world in relationship to nature and constantly inspires my son and I. Bug hotels, feeders, water, shrubs, flowers, encouragingly pamper an array of birds and a full spectrum of creatures in our natural animal ark!
The creatures, from the red bricks box, cut the grass, so we can roam in our garden; leave walnuts in the winter to help us feed; provide apples and grapes for the hedgehog sharing our tree and spread sees for our bird friends. Very useful creatures indeed! The squirrel family.
At home, we've sectioned off an area of the garden, near the pond, and just let it grow naturally and wild. It has trees, shrubs, rocks, water. We figured that it would be natural like their own environment and just leave it as nature intended.
To Encourage WildLife here's what I do
provide nuts and seeds, even water too
This attracts lots of fauna - even the odd squirrel
And down by the river, planted trees in fields
With all i've done, here's what we've seen
finches, newts, waterboatmen & foxes
It's good to be green.
My dad and me used to plant vegetables and fruit trees in our back garden in every summer. I think this really helps the ecosystem and make the environment friendly. I have seen a lot of insects and birds coming to our back to eat the fruits.
I keep a small concrete insect house at the back of the garden for wild insects; and I leave breadcrumbs and seed for the local birds. I like to think it keeps them coming back to my garden - often I'll see repeat visitors.
-Kev
I have a brand new balcony. There I will plant only (native) wild flowers and herbes.
Hello! I live in Russia, it`s very cold here now and I feed every morning wild pigeons, sparrows and ravens with my small son (2,5 years old). Under heavy snow there is nothing to eat for them, so they know time and come to my banlcony waiting for us!
Always keeping in mind that "Humans aren't the only thing, you'll find in the Nature"
Working with our local conservation group to reinvigorate a neglected small lake, I'm responsible for co-ordinating our angling clubs' contribution. This includes reed bed management, excess weed control and offering advice from an anglers perspective, in order to maintain a healther lake for both visting bird and resident fish populations.
I dump leftovers and meat carcasses in badly-tied carrier bags on a patch of lovely green grass in the village. A whole array of rats, foxes and wild birds love to feast on these delicacies and flock there in their droves. What a treat!
I feed the little birdies in my garden with bread and fresh water and quite often the squirrels come out to scoff some nuts too. I've got a little bird stand type thing and it's great to watch them feast from the window. I'm not sure they're all that keen on my dog though!