From the Siberian Arctic to South Swale, Kent... these Brent geese have undertaken an incredible journey to get here! ❄️ Brent geese fly around 6000 miles to spend the winter with us (from October onwards), feeding on seagrass and sometimes agricultural land near the coast.

This week, our Planning Officer, Emma Waller, spoke at both the Issue-specific and Open Floor hearings for National Grid's Sea Link project. CPRE Kent and Save Minster Marshes also made impassioned & heartening statements. 👏 Find out more of the latest here: kwtg.uk/rtsl

Nature has always had its own way of balancing carbon... ⚖️ and us humans have a way of throwing it out of whack! We dive into everything you need to know about carbon sequestration in this blog: kwtg.uk/carbon-blog 📷©️ Greg Hitchcock

Another term of Nature Tots is underway in Maidstone - Tuesday and Friday morning slots still available! 🙌 Book now: www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on/nat...

The proposed Sea Link is in the examination stage of the DCO process. This week, our Planning Officer Emma Waller is speaking at both the Issue-specific and Open Floor hearings to make our concerns heard and to urge National Grid to Rethink. kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/campaigns/rethink-sea-link

As is our seasonal right, we've been absolutely obsessing over fungi this autumn... and so have our followers! 😁🍄 Here are some of their wonderful photos. Credits & thanks to: Oliver Settle (1 of 6)

In the 2024 Wilder Kent Awards, Hextable Parish Council received a commendation for their work for wildlife...⭐ They restored & transformed the historic Hextable House Gardens into a haven for wildlife and people... (1/3)

This once-overshadowed pond at Hothfield Heathlands - kwtg.uk/hothfield - had been struggling with lack of light & build-up of leaf litter.  Ashford Area Warden, Will, and the volunteers have broken through the canopy to let light back in. Now to reconnect it to the rest of the heath and bog! 💪

Area Warden, Max, took this fabulous picture at Heather Corrie Vale. Did you know... highland cattle can be many different colours but, due to Queen Victoria's preference of red cattle, this is now the most common colour! More about Wilder Grazing here: kwtg.uk/grazing

Learning outside is fun because... Check out these adorable answers from students from Chislet Primary, Herne Junior and Hoath Primary school!

Win a signed copy of Lone Wolf! We've partnered with author Adam Weymouth to give you the chance to win one of three signed copies of the book, shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford prize (the leading non-fiction prize in the UK). 🐺 Enter here: kwtg.uk/book-comp

Today we remember our Blean bison matriarch who passed aged 21, days before her herd welcomed a new calf. Her legacy: a wilder, richer woodland & a blueprint for UK wilding. 🦬💚 Part of Blean Bison Project with Wildwood Trust 🔗 kwtg.uk/bisonlegacy 📷 Hannah Mackins

Remember remember... the hedgehogs that might be hiding in your bonfire! Hedgehogs love to hide in the cool dark shelter of twigs and leaves. Read our action page on four simple steps you can take to check your bonfire. 👉 kwtg.uk/check-bonfire 📷©️ Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

The mushroom chronicles continue... Ranger Heidi found these beauties at The Blean: 🍄 A matured fly agaric 🧠 A cauliflower fungus What fungi have you spotted this year? Tag us in your finds! 🔍

3 months left to take part in the Wilder Kent Awards! 🏆✨ Our Wilder Kent Awards - running January to January - is a scheme set up to recognise, reward, and encourage actions taken for nature in the county. Join here: kwtg.uk/wka 📷©️ GRASS Cliftonville CIC, 2024 silver award winners

At Oare Marshes, our Swale volunteers have started their epic annual winter task, cutting reeds and bramble across the reserve. Fancy getting out and about this winter across our reserves? Check out our current volunteering opportunities at kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/volunteering-opportunities

🎄 Get your Christmas shopping done and enjoy nature! Join us at Tyland Barn on Thu 20 Nov for our pop-up shop - gifts from chocolates to bamboo socks. Spend £40+ & get a free tea/coffee at the Pond Café ☕

In this weeks' nature reflections, students from Chislet Primary, Herne Junior and Hoath Primary schools ponder: what's your favourite thing to do outside? What's your favourite thing to do outside? Let us know in the comments 👇

Here's a spooky specimen for you... the gory beefsteak fungus in all its glory. You can see where it gets its name from! 😶 Plus, a reminder to not dump pumpkins in the woods - they can pose a risk to animals (particularly if decorated!). 🎃 📷©️ Rob P #HappyHalloween

Nature is at risk, but your voice can help. The Planning Bill is nearly law. An amendment passed by the Lords yesterday offers vital protection - but it needs MP support to stay in. 📢 Tell your MP: please back Amendment 130 at action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/180301/action/1

Our new term of Home Educated Forest School starts NEXT WEEK! For young adventurers aged 11+, Forest School is all about hands-on learning, outdoor skills, and reconnecting with nature. Book now 👉kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/education/forest-school/home-education

🍁 Boost your wellbeing this autumn with our Weekend Wellness events! Enjoy forest bathing at Hothfield (9 Nov) or The Blean (29 Nov), or join a mindful walk & autumn crafts at Tyland Barn (15 Nov). 👉 kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wellness-events

Nature Tots starts in ONE WEEK at Maidstone! ✨🌿 Tailored especially for little explorers aged 2–5, Nature Tots is Forest School fun designed to spark a love of nature that lasts a lifetime. Don’t miss out - book now! 👉 kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on/nature-tots

Reminder that you can claim your free Will via Octopus Legacy 👇

Have you heard of ecosystem services? In short, they're the benefits that us humans gain from a healthy environment - from things as simple as clean water to more complex processes like the formation of soil and nutrient cycling...👉 kwtg.uk/eco-services 📷©️ Rosie Bleet

A brief gap in the rain at Oare Marshes captured by Area Manager, Steve, who says, "Snipe numbers are starting to build on the west. Bearded tits and marsh harriers are around - but we still need loads more rain!" What do you hope is at the end of the rainbow? 🌈

A break-in at Oare Marshes. Fires and smashed plates at Blue Bell Hill. Our reserves are under threat - and it’s costing wildlife. Help us fight these Nature Nightmares 👉 kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/appeals/nature-nightmares

Check out these ivy mining bees at Heather Corrie Vale, busy making their homes for hibernation! "One bee was making the finishing touches before his friend could enter," says Ranger Jess. Happy hibernating! 🐝🥹

We’ve partnered with expert estate planners, Octopus Legacy, to offer you the chance to write or update your will for free either online, over the phone, or in person with a professional will writer. 💚 Claim your free will online today: www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/support/dona...

Volunteer Barrie found this ghostly-looking fungus while checking on our Iron Age pigs. We think it’s porcelain fungus - that glistening goop is its own fungicide to ward off rivals! 🍄 What do you think?

Thanks to @HeritageFundUK, three schools: Chislet Primary, Herne Junior & Hoath Primary - joined our Wilder Schools Programme as part of #WilderBlean! 🌿 Hear what the children had to say about protecting nature 👇

When our Ham Fen team isn't hard at work at Kent's last remaining fenland, they're getting creative! Bill Shaw has created a number of lovely paintings of the volunteers team at work - like this one, held up by its subject, Kerry Thorpe.

Don't forget, holiday club is coming up this half-term!

Breathe in autumn 🍂 Breathe out stress 🧘♀️ Join our Forest Bathing sessions at Hothfield Heathlands & West Blean, or enjoy a Mindful Walk & Craft at Tyland Barn, Maidstone. Relax, reconnect & create. 🌳 Sessions from £16 - kwtg.uk/wellness-events

What is habitat fragmentation & why does it actually matter? We explore here: kwtg.uk/fragmentation 💪Our belief in a connected future is a huge part of why we launched the Nature Restoration Fund, our most ambitious appeal yet: kwtg.uk/nature-resto... 📷©️Barry Cook

Join us for Halloween Fun this October! 🎃 At West Blean and Tyland Barn on the 24th of October, we'll be running family events with some seasonal wildlife crafting, a spooky trail, and a warming campfire (with marshmallows, of course). Book your spot: kwtg.uk/halloween-events

The turquoise spots on the wood behind the fly agaric are green elf cup fungi! The mycelium of green elf cup fungi often 'stains' its host wood turquoise - a fascinating species: kwtg.uk/green-elf-cup 📷 by Apprentice Ranger, Martin, at Kiln Wood

Wilder Kent Awards 2024 winner spotlight: 8th Deal (Wingham) Scouts won BRONZE for their work transforming their grounds into a haven for wildlife, including leaving grass to grow, putting up bird boxes, campaigning for the environment & more. 🏆 Take part this year: kwtg.uk/wka

In light of launching our most ambitious fundraising appeal yet (the KWT Nature Restoration Fund), we asked our staff... 🌿 What does nature (and its restoration) mean to you? 🌿 Why do you care about wildlife in Kent? We got some really passionate responses🥹: kwtg.uk/nature-restoration-important

🌿 Big news for Home Ed families! 👉 Forest School for 11–16 yr olds! 📅 Tue 4 Nov | Tyland Barn, Maidstone 🔥 Fires, 🏕️ den building, 🎨 crafts & wildlife exploring! Drop off kids or relax in our café. 👉 Book now: kwtg.uk/home-ed-11-16

🍂 October half-term is nearly here! 🌳 Give your child a wild adventure at our Wilder Holiday Club - packed with pond dipping, bug hunts, crafts, campfires & den building. 📍 Tyland Barn (Maidstone) & Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve 👉 kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on/holiday-club

Yet another toxic and eye-catching species, the fly agaric (amanita muscaria) is arguably the most (in)famous mushroom in the world. 🍄 Here it is looking majestic at West Blean! Learn more: kwtg.uk/fly-agaric 📷 Photos by Ranger, Hannah Mackins

Our first pop-up shop lands at the Pond Cafe at Tyland Barn on Sat 11 Oct! Explore the gardens, grab a treat from the cafe and browse gifts for you and nature. Perfect for early Christmas shopping!

🐂 Born to be wild! Our pioneering Blean Bison Project in partnership with Wildwood Trust has welcomed a new calf – the herd’s 3rd generation 🎉 Read more 👉 kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/new-bison-calf-2025 youtu.be/-puZTjLLBkg?...

Make birthdays wildly unforgettable! 🌳🎉 Swap soft play for muddy knees & fresh air—because the best parties happen outdoors at Tyland Barn, Maidstone! Crafts, games + party bags included. Book now 👉 kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/visit-us/birthday-parties

We're spotlighting another previous Wilder Kent Awards winner: Shoreham Village School! 🏆 They won BRONZE in 2024 for their work on habitat creation within their school grounds, including revamping their pond & planting areas of wildflowers. Take part this year: kwtg.uk/wka

🌱 @kentwildlife.bsky.social has purchased Hoathly Farm in Lamberhurst. The Trust has called it “one of its most ambitious wilding projects”, with plans to create wood pasture, species-rich meadows, hedgerows and woodland, as well as re-wet parts of the land. 🧵5/6

Join us for some Halloween family fun on the 24th of October from 10-11:30 at either West Blean (Canterbury) or Tyland Barn (Maidstone). 🎃🌳 Book for West Blean: kwtg.uk/halloween-blean Book for Tyland Barn: kwtg.uk/halloween-tyland #SpookySeason #FamilyActivitiesKent

Do you know your perennial fruit & veg? In this blog, our Wild About Gardens Officer, Ellen, explains why it's a good idea to grow them & shares some species you can try for a more creative and sustainable garden. 🧑‍🌾🏡 Check it out 👉 www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/benefits-of-perennial-vegetables

We're in awe of this marvellous magpie ink cap mushroom, spotted by Bison Ranger Heidi at West Blean. Isn't it fantastic?! This ❌ toxic ❌ mushroom is easily identified by its magpie-like black-and-white markings (the white spots being fragments of its original velum or veil).