Nature & Dinosaur Isle

We are very lucky here at Dinosaur Isle to be located within an area that is rich in wildlife and to have superb views of the lake, reeds and sea from our offices and Education Room windows. New seating, introduced late in 2004, allows the visitor to sit outside amongst this wonderful environment;  and we now have a bird-hide from which to view the resident and migratory birds on the lake.

At the bottom of this page are some links to websites which provide further information.

Birds

Our grounds, including the nearby lake, are home to a large number, and variety of birds. The resident population of ducks (mainly Mallards), coots, moorhens and gulls are swelled during the spring and summer seasons by migrating birds, wagtails, martins, and lots of fluffy little chicks. We have a pair of Mute swans who stay all year. During 2004 we asked for, and got, a bird-hide from which the public can view the wildlife on the lake. Each year we get some rare birds turning up, and there is much interest from the local bird-watchers. We will try and keep you posted on these temporary visitors (the birds, not the watchers!). During early May 2005 we had a visiting Cormorant, who was seen taking some small fishes or shrimps from the lake before it was driven off by the swans. The swans are extremely territorial, driving off their own young over the winter. Any large visiting bird is quickly chased off the lake. The small ducks, gulls and other water birds are generally ignored unless they get too close to the nest. Early in March 2007 we saw another cormorant, but this time it was hunting through the reeds. On the 6th it hooked out a long silvery eel as long as itself and fought with it, dragging the eel across the lake until it finally lost it. The following day it was back diving into the root network for the reeds at the front of the lake. By May there were many ducklings, including those of an unusual black and white duck. Their nest was not far from the Swans' and here in the picture they are on an early outing in the reeds. Other ducklings from the group had already swum out onto the open lake ahead of the mother. By early summer of 2005 the Mute swan's 6 cygnets were growing fast. Here are 5 of them, in early June, on the nest preening themselves, the other was not too far away with the parents. The swans are only a few weeks old but they are already as big as the adult ducks on the lake. During 2006 the adults only produced 5 eggs, discarding one early on into the lake. Only three of the remaining eggs hatched, one more being abandoned when it did not produce a cygnet. The three healthy fluffy chicks grew fast, and left in late November as large grey adults. During March of 2007 the female layed a number of large eggs. we couldn't see how many there were initially because they were buried within the nest and gaurded by both swans. However, at the beginning of May our visitors were rewarded with six small grey chicks. There were two eggs remaining in the nest but the parents have abandoned these so perhaps they are sterile. They join the throng of little ducklings that appeared at the end of April.

Plants

The area next to the building includes an extensive reed marsh, areas of scrub oak, and a large grassed area, including a small golf course. Areas of wild plant have been supplemented by small bedding areas near the Museum and a number of new trees. Each year the existing wild, and introduced, plants are supplemented by new planting in the bedding around the Museum.  In front of the building is a raised planting bed that changes each year with new plant stock; it requires heavy watering to get it off to a good start each year. To cope with the very hot summers we are now having, and to reduce dependance on a valuable water resource, it was cleared in 2007 and replaced with a drought-tolerant garden. On 25th April Green Gym cam along to carry out the planting - the plants should not require any artificial watering and should be beneficial to birds and butterflies.

Island 2000 Trust - Gift to Nature

Throughout the year our many human visitors donate to the Gift to Nature fund. Gift to Nature is managed by the Island 2000 Trust who spend the money on habitat improvement and awareness projects. During 2005 we were able to hand over £150 towards Island conservation projects. To date these have included trails and hides in Parkhurst Forest and a wetland walk in the Sandown area. £330.81 was collected during 2006 to support further Island environmental projects.

Green Island - Gold Award

Dinosaur Isle is commited to ensuring a sustainable and environmentally sensitive impact with regard to the tourism industry on the Isle of Wight. Green Island is a new scheme that audits and certifies Island businesses. In 2003 Dinosaur Isle was awarded a Bronze, progressing to Silver in 2004 and Gold in 2005. Dinosaur Isle has recently reaffirmed its position by winning Gold again in 2006 and 2007. The ten criteria for assessment include energy efficiency, water management, waste, wildlife, transport and purchasing. Dinosaur Isle has made a significant improvement to the external areas around its building with new planting, seating and a bird hide. In addition we now monitor and record the water-level of our nearby lake. Click on the logo for more information about the Green Island scheme.