HOOKY IN HARMONY WITH NATURE
A local wildlife group set up to protect and promote ecosystems and
biodiversity in Hook Norton and the surrounding area.
We are a nature depleted nation & what we have left are remnants of what was once here. Tony Juniper, Chairman of Natural England
A warm welcome to "Hooky in Harmony". We hope that you will be inspired to join us to engage with nature and help to protect our local wildlife and its habitat.
To enable everyone to get involved, there is no group membership fee. Many of the events organised are free to attend, but occasionally a small charge may be made to cover costs.
5
of the UKs Statutory nature agencies call for greater action & investment in nature
41%
of all UK species studied have declined since the 1970s
97%
of the UKs wildflower meadows have been lost in the last century
15%
of species within the UK are said to be threatened with extinction
Hooky in Harmony News
We have recently been asked for advice about helping injured wildllife. Calling a local veterinary surgery is a good place to start, but we also have a great Wildlife Rescue Centre covering our area, Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue based in Blewbury. Their Wildlife Casualty Centre is open from 9am until 10pm, but they also have a 24 hour manned helpline and run a wildlife ambulance for larger casuaties that are unable to be taken by members of the public to the centre. Their Wildlife Helpline number is: 07549 322464
Hooky in Harmony Diary Dates
Please remember to email us: Hookyinharmony@btinternet.com if you are planning to attend an event, so that we can forward you all necessary details and location. For events that require payment, tickets can be purchased with credit/debit cards using the "Click to purchase" buttons. You will receive an email receipt, which is your ticket. Please remember to bring it with you! You can also pay by bank transfer - please email for bank details. Tickets are on a first come, first served basis, and once tickets are fully allocated, the purchase buttons will be removed from the website.
Barnie needs a Box
Wildlife emergency? Call your local Vet for advice (you won't be expected to pay for treatment) or Oxfordshire Wildllfe Rescue: Wildlife Helpline. 07549 322464
Over recent decades, availability of suitable Barn Owl nesting cavities has reduced, primarily due to loss of large trees with hollows, modernisation and enclosure of farm buildings and loss of habitat due to housing developments. Providing nest boxes within or near to suitable habitat can help to increase breeding success and support local Barn Owl populations. With this in mind, we are currently fund-raising to purchase some Barn Owl nest boxes to put up in the countryside surrounding our village. If you see our stand at a village event, please come over to support us by taking part in our "Guess the Barn Owl's Name" competition. £1 a ticket, with the winner taking half the takings and the rest of the proceeds going towards purchasing nest boxes. If you would like to make a donation now by card, please click on the link buttons.
We are indebted to the Community FUND by vegware for their support donating sustainably-sourced birchwood cutlery and bagasse plates for our teas
at Chastleton Church in August. Bagasse is made from reclaimed natural materials such as bamboo, sugarcane or wood pulp and both the cutlery and plates can be composted after use.
Friday 17th April 7.30pm
“Otters - Coming to a River Near You!” Talk with Stephen Powles
Formerly a Vet, Stephen changed career to pursue a lifelong passion for wildlife, wildlife photography, filming and conservation.
Stephen will give an insight into the secretive lives of otters, the signs to look out for and then go on to discuss their decline and subsequent recovery. He will also introduce “Hammer Scar”, a female that lived on the stream below his home in Tiverton. He observed, photographed and filmed her life in remarkable detail over five years and will share some of the highlights. Stephen’s material has made a number of TV appearances, featured in the national press and won major awards. It is sure to be an interesting and enjoyable evening! The Talk will take place in the back room of The Sun Inn, High Street, Hook Norton. OX15 5NH.
Tickets in advance, £7.50 each including tea/coffee.
Photographs by Jules Howard
Our grateful thanks to the photographers who have provided photographs for our website:
Leslie Bowman, Diana Bunyon, Gemma Evans
Mark Hunter (mark@mfhunterphoto.com),
David McGill (www.davidmcgill.co.uk),
VersatileUAS, Catherine Wright
Various evenings, from the end of February to mid-March.
Meet at 7pm in Hooky to car share.
The Common Toad - a wonderfully charming amphibian with ‘warty’ skin and waddling gait- is thought to be experiencing declines in the UK, in some cases caused by the effect of road traffic as toads travel slowly back to breeding ponds, often used for generations. Would you like to volunteer to do something to help?
As a "Toads on Roads" volunteer, you will be part of a national campaign coordinated by the national wildlife charity Froglife, and supported by ARG UK, a national network of volunteer groups concerned with amphibian and reptile conservation. Over the coming weeks, thousands of volunteers across the country will be preparing to help Toads across roads in a coordinated effort to help save the Common Toad from further declines. Could you spare the odd evening at the end of February/beginning of March to volunteer to help Toads cross a road? Even a single evening will help!
Volunteers will be added to an email list, which, a few days before an anticipated Toad crossing evening (Toads start migrating when weather conditions are suitable for them) will be used to see who is available to help. The road we are patrolling is near The Fire Service College and car share will be available. If you are interested (no experience needed!) please send an email to: Hookyinharmony@btinternet.com.
Thursday 11th June 12.30pm - 5pm
Teas at Chastleton Church.
To raise funds for the group we shall be serving teas at Chastleton Church, next door to Chastleton House. You don't need to be visiting the house to come along, so please join us for a cup of tea or sparkling cordial and a slice of home made cake!
22nd May 2022