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We chose a tall Scots Pine to try to work out it's height and age. We worked it out to be 21 metres high and 13 years old.

We spent awhile investigating the environment, doing a scavenger hunt including things that were fuzzy, wet, hard, heavy, soft, rough, squishy, bumpy, warm and prickly. We then looked at the type of soil, which we couldn't roll in to a ball so was sandy. We also recorded the temperature at 10C, the cloud cover and which direction the wind was blowing in (west).

We took it in turns to be blindfolded and then spend a few minutes touching a tree, before being spun in circles and put in the wrong direction. We all did really well and managed to identify every single one of the trees! We did it for Scots Pines and Silver Birches, including old and young ones.

We took the Woodland Trust's quiz on Autumn Trees. We got 70% on our first go and then 100% when we did again! We learned what the Wild Service tree and Hornbeam tree looks like which we hadn't heard off before.

We played the scavenger hunt card game, Go Find It, at Thursley. We had to find five things on our cards to win, including something tiny, stripey, yucky and smelly!

On the same trip to Doonfoot as I wrote about in my last blog, I also found these astonishing mallard feathers - showing beautifully the speculum colours I was talking about in June's blog. Did I ever finish that textbook chapter on plumage? Erm, no. But the clocks go back soon, so maybe it's time for some evening studying by the fire...

So today I have been to look around the area that I would like to convert into a safe and happy home for insects. It's small but there is much work to do. I intend to plant fresh flowers, create bug shelters and make a natural path for visitors. I am ready to begin.