The adventures of East-beary

Hello there!

I’m East-Beary and Eastbury Play Area is my home. 

I love listening to the birds, watching the bees and butterflies but most of all, I love to play games here. 

I’ll be here when you come and play, as one of my bear friends says “Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits”.

I can listen to you tell me all about your day, hear all your stories or try my best to play hide and seek!

I hope you like this play area too, it has lots of things to do. Have you heard what one of my bear friends says? He says "There's always something new to discover, even in the most familiar places". 

Some of my bear friends have books and poems written about them. You can find out more about them at your library.

Summer is here!

The 21st of June marks the start of summer here in the UK, and I am one very happy bear! The days are longer; the sun is shining and there is so much wildlife to discover outdoors.

Have you noticed any changes since winter? What animals, birds, or insects have you spotted recently? Keep your eyes open, you might be surprised by what you find!

One of my favourite signs of summer is seeing that swifts have returned from Africa. They zoom through the sky like tiny arrows! Did you know that swifts spend almost their entire lives in the air? They eat, drink and even sleep when flying. Imagine never stopping moving! If you look up, can you spot any swifts racing overhead?

As the weather warms, insects are busy everywhere. Bees, hoverflies, butterflies and beetles are all hard at work visiting flowers. I often see bumblebees collecting nectar, their fluffy bodies pick up pollen and carry it from flower to flower, helping more plants to grow. Next time you see a bee, watch how many flowers it visits!

Have a look around the flowers and nettles nearby, can you spot any butterflies?

The peacock butterfly has large eye patterns on its wings, that look just like the feathers of a peacock. These markings help scare away hungry birds! What colours can you see on the butterflies around you?

In summer you can also spot the emperor dragonfly, which is one of Britain’s largest dragonflies, with bright green and blue colours, with wings that shimmer in the sunshine. Dragonflies are amazing hunters, they can fly forwards, backwards and sideways!

All insects need food, water and places to shelter. Do you have anything in your garden, school or local area that could help them? You could put a small dish of water out, grow some flowers or build a bug hotel!

Looking up into the sky, I sometimes see red kites soaring overheard. I can recognise them with their long-angled wings and forked tails. Did you know, red kites were very rare, but due to some hardworking people they are now a common sight!

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As evening arrives, another group of animals wake up. Can you guess what it is?

Bats!

Bats use a special skill called echolocation. They make sounds that bounce off objects around them, helping them find their way in the dark and catch insects.

Can you see any buzzing bees, colourful butterflies, soaring birds of prey or swooping bats around you? Keep your eyes open, I really hope you do!

Happy exploring.

If you want to find out anything else about what you can see in the summer, the following links will help!

https://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/

https://www.rspb.org.uk/

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/