Those fabulous people at Garden Wildlife Direct have some fly away fantastic offers on throughout the year, with everything you need for your garden birds and wildlife!

Garden Wildlife Direct has seed mixes for spring, summer, autumn and winter, with different brands including Peckish, Wildlife World, Gardeman and Garden Wildlife Direct's own brand.   

They've got Songbird Spring Mixes, great for supporting birds during the months of spring and summer, and particularly during the fledgling season;  and they've got Premium Seed Mixes - support those feathered friends of yours! - and High Energy Mixes. These have a mix of nutrition and energy, and you can youse them with feeders, bird tables and on the ground. 

And they always have lots of lovely offers on, perfect when we are all trying to help wildlife and yet make our money go further.  And the great news is that Garden Wildlife Direct have very regular offers to help you do just both those things! 

You can also check out Garden Wildlife Direct's budget bird food, to help you save money whilst supporting wildlife and giving them a helping hand. 

There's all sorts of bird food, from seeds to sunflower hearts, suet balls to food for wildlife.   They've got sunflower heart/seeds, Millet seeds, bird food bundles and starter kits for those of you who want to start feeding the birds in your garden. 

 
There's Premium Sunflower Heart Kernels
They are high in energy, and nutritious for birds
from £6.99

They've got suet fat balls, suet blocks, suet coconut shells and suet pallets, plus a range of feeders for mealworms, ground feeders, sunflowers and seeds.

Why not treat the birds in your garden to a Giant Christmas Berry Suet Cone?
suet is the perfect all-year round treat and 
the cone has a built in string attached so that you can hang it from a branch,
a bird feeding station or bird table 
£4.99

If you haven't got a garden, you can still do your bit with a window feeder, and there  are window sticker alerts to stop the birds flying into your window and injuring  themselves or worse.

And of course you can get a full range of accessories such as bird tables, bird baths, nesting boxes, organments for your garden and things to store your bird goodies in.

These are Premium Insect Suet Pellets, full of essential fats and minerals
from £10.99

This Wildlife World Bempton Hanging Bird Table 
could make a great gift for someone and for garden birds!
£36.99

If you have or want to encourage ducks, swans, hedgehogs, squirrels, chickcn and poultry, then they have food for those animals as well, plus bee houses and insect hotels. 

If you have squirrels who keep pinching the food meant for the birds,
try a squirrel proof bird feeder

This is a great chance to get stocked up with essentials for the wildlife in your garden, be they birds, or bats or hedgehogs. squirrels or bees, so fly off to Garden Wildlife Direct for more information

Have you heard of Lily's Kitchen?

They create yummy, wholesome food for both cats and dogs - they believe our cherished family members deserve to eat proper food full of nourishing ingredients.  They're on a mission to give pets a diet full of goodness, whilst treading lightly on the planet at the same time! 

For dogs , they've got dry dog food, wet dog food, dental chews, treats, selection boxes and more.   They've got diets for dogs with sensitive tummies, and sensitive skin, and special diets that are grain free, hypoallergenic, organic and vegetarian.  You can order for puppies, adults and seniors.  They've got recepies in beef, chicken, salmon, goose, herring, lamb, pheasant and pork so you've got lots of choice!

Oy!  What about us?!!

And for our feline members of the family, there's wet food, dry food, treats (of course!), selection boxes and you can choose from special diets such as grain free and organic and hypoallergenic.  You can also choose for kittens (under 1), adults (1 to 6) and seniors (7 plus).  Recipies include beef, chicken, salmon, cod, trout, prawn, turkey, pork, lamb and duck.  Miaow!! 

They've also got helpful tips on caring for your dog and caring for your cat, so head over to Lily's Kitchen to find out more!

 
Those lovely folk at Pooch & Mutt have a range of treats for your woof, whether you want to show them even more love than usual, or help their dental health or calm a nervy dog.  

They've got natural meals, treats and supplements to give dogs the optimal ingredients they need to boost their mood and behaviour "paw in paw", as they say,  with their physical health.

Although Easter is over, Pooch and Mutt have Easter meaty treats for your canine member of the family! 

Take a look at their Easter probiotic meaty treats!
Why not create a meaty trail for your dog to hunt out?
If it's a rainy day, you could do this indoors.
Find out more here.

Give your pooch a tasty spring fling, with Pooch & Mutt’s Easter Meaty Treats! With ingredients of Lamb, Chicken and Spring Greens to get them feeling good, it’ll be a romance to remember - aaaaahhh!   Dig out more here.

Spring Is Here!  And there's a great offer from Pooch and Mutt for you: 

Put A Spring Into Your Dog’s Step, With Pooch & Mutt’s 20% Off!   Use the code SPRING to get 20% off site wide until 8th April 2024.  

Spring into action here to get your 20% off!

Don't forget that Pooch & Mutt have also got some delicious dental treats, too...

These are Superfood Dental Sticks for Dogs for £3.99
made with natural functional ingredients. 
A convenient way to clean your dog's teeth!

They have calming probiotic meaty treats, suitable for ages 12 weeks plus.
They are grain-free, Turkey & Hemp moist Meaty Treats
designed with nervous dogs in mind.  £3.99.

And there are Skin & Coat Probiotic Meaty Treats, 
with Shrimp & Coconut for £3.99.  
Pooch & Mutt say they are just the thing for dogs 
who are prone to dry and itchy skin or
who may need some help developing a glossy coat. 

Head off to Pooch  Mutt - they've got lots of lovely goodies for your dog (and cat) which will get tails wagging and cats purring! 

1^st April to 1^st May is #NationalPetMonth.

It celebrates pet ownership and raises awareness of responsible pet ownership.

It also encourages everyone to raise funds for those animal charities working so hard to help pets – and they’ve really, really need our help at the moment.  Many charities are just absolutely inundated with pets, many of whom were got during lockdown with little thought into training and the time and care pets need. 

Pets have many benefits.   So National Pet Month wants to hear about fundraisers and events supporting the UK’s many pet welfare organisations and charities. 

These fundraisers and events can be individual efforts or larger events, and they can be virtual or in person.

Animal welfare charities, professional bodies, pet businesses, schools, youth groups, pet lovers and pet owners can all get involved and celebrate our wonderful pets, and they can also raise awareness using the resources National Pet Month has on its website!

Find out all about it from National Pet Month

 National Pet Month on Facebook

and on Twitter 

#NPM24

And if you're a dog lover, you could take a look at God made a Dog - a video on You Tube which personally I found very moving!

If you're looking for an animal experience as a gift for an animal lover, or you want to treat yourself, take a look at gift experience company Into the Blue 

They've got a number of animal experiences, with animals such as ferrets, tamarin monkeys, alpacas, meerkats, pigs, sheep, snakes and crocodiles, bees, horses and donkeys. 

There are animal experiences here.

Bee-keeping experiences are listed here.

Fly off to see the falconry experiences here.

Click here to see the photography experiences - there are some wildlife photography experience days amongst them.

There are lots of falconry experiences to choose from
- there are locations around the UK and they start at £24.50
Experience a meeting and handling a bird of prey
and even flying them to your gloved hand!

Try a bee keeping experience!
They start at £35.00
Find out all about the art of keeping bees and making honey!




There are a number of animal-related photography experiences
- some are not animal related and some are online.  

Have a sheepdog experience in West Yorkshire
for £85.00
Have a full day with Border Collies
Learn how to handle and train the dogs
Learn about farming, sheep and sheepdogs
Shepherd a small flock of sheep

You could go Alpaca Walking in Warwickshire 
from £7.50 for a child, £13.50 for an adult.
Meet the alpaca herd near Atherstone
and head off on a guided walk with your alpaca!

There's Sheep Trekking in Somerset
from £25.00
Meet and greet the friendly sheep and give them snacks
Lead a sheep on a stroll across fields and through woodland

There's Ancient Trails Pony Walking in Dorset
from £49.00
This is a great way to discover Dorset, 
on a guided pony walk with a pony by your side!




Meet the Meerkats in Oxfordshire
Learn all about the Meerkats' lives as a family
and get to feed them inside their enclosure
 

Click here to see all the Animal Experience Days and Gifts 

Would you like to….spend a night in a cage to raise funds for moon and sun bears who’ve been or could be rescued from a life in a cage?

Free the Bears is an amazing charity based in Australia.  And they rescue bears who have been trapped in cages on bear bile farms in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and take them to bear sanctuaries to have the very best bear care for the rest of their lives.  They get veterinary treatment, good food, water, enrichment activities and all the bear necessities a bear could need.

So there are a number of ways you can help out and help Free the Bears care for the bears in their care and continue to rescue bears still trapped in captivity, and enduring painful bile extractions.  They live a life of exceedingly restricted movement, often only having room to sway from one side of the cage to another, minimal water, very little food and no veterinary care.

This costs money, of course, and during lockdown, fundraising activities ground to an abrupt halt.  However the Founder of Free the Bears, an incredible woman called Dr Mary Hutton, was not to be defeated.  Despite being in her 80s herself, she decided to spend a night in a cage to raise funds for the bears, the idea being that it would give people an insight into what it might be like for a bear to spend his or her whole life in a cage.  Mary has now retired, but she is still taking part in Night in a Cage in 2024.  

Help Free the Bears undertake rescues like this, 
and then to care for the bears after the rescue in their sanctuaries.

A Night in a Cage has been running since 2020 and in 2024, it is taking place on the 13^th April or if you want to set up your own "cage", you can during May as well!

You can get involved by:

1. Spending a night in a cage yourself as a fundraiser for Free the Bears!  You can create your cage from anything – a cardboard box, a tent, a shed in the garden…  You could form a team with bear loving friends and spend a night in a cage on the same night, encouraging each other on!
2. Sponsoring Dr Mary Hutton as this amazing woman (in her 80s) spends a night in a cage or sponsoring one of the teams – there is a UK team (take a look at the list of teams on the Night in a Cage page)
3. Sharing information about the fundraiser to encourage other people to sponsor you or others
4. Simply make a donation to Free the Bears – honestly, every single bit helps the bears
5. Share what you’re doing on social media to raise awareness of the incredible work Free the Bears is doing to help moon and sun bears

Visit Free the Bears' Night in a Cage page 

Visit Free the Bears' website

I was on the RSPB's website this morning and they have some very helpful information about wildlife detecting and identifying tracks and signs.   You can become a nature detective, and work out who is living in your area!

The RSPB has an activity for you whether you're in school or as a family, with an activity sheet for you to download.

And they tell you how to make an animal tracker, so that you can see who's been out and about at night.  You can make a cast of the animal prints you find in your garden, and the RSPB tell you what footprints look like for animals such as the fox and hedgehog. 

Whose been visiting your garden?  Find out if it was the shrew!
Image ©RSPB

They've got lots of activities for you to help nature and wildlife, by the way, such as creating nature highways and byways, digging a ditch for garden biodiversity, how to grow sunflowers, how to make a bird bath and make a hedgehog cafe.   Find out more here.

Head to the RSPB's here.

The Mammal Society also has pictures of poo, so that you can work out whoose poo is whoose.   Visit their website here and take a look. 

 
The Nature Tracker's Handbook is available from the RSPB's Shop.
It has extensive photography and detailed diagrams to 
help you find and interpret the evidence the animals leavel in their wake.
£14.99 from the RSPB Shop.

You can get the Poo Bingo for Kids
from the National Trust for Scotland's shop
for £16.99
The accompanying booklet includes lots of fun
and smelly facts! 

PS Please don't forget to put water out for wildlife - they need water, just as we do.    We need to look after them.