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Wildverse Poems from Fun Kids

'My Favourite Spot' by Abigail, aged 13 (Wildverse 2020, 13+ runner-up)

Fluttering, flittering, Fleetingly skittering, The bats burst out the tangle of ash, Swerving, zipping, Instinctively flipping, The evening acrobats dash, Deftly dancing, Artfully darting, Whirring wings above me flash, Flickering, twisting, Skittishly skimming, My heart leaps at needle squeak, Zigzagging, twirling, Swiftly swerving, Detector splutters as they streak, Swaying, scooting, Nimbly swooping, Their movement so unique, Frolicking, frisking Lithely flicking, A summer evening’s treat, Rippling, skimming, Briskly quivering, Prehistoric flyers free, Weaving whirling, Agilely turning, Bats seem wondrous to me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Bat watching’ by Alexander, aged 10 (Wildverse 2020, 8-12 runner-up)

I breathe in beauty from my bower, as my boots swing above the brook. I hear the scurble of the stream as it scurries over stones, and the scritching scratch of Artemis, scrabbling for bones.  And a flabby tubby burble as the swashy water tumbles in the plastic tunnel liner through the limestone bridge that funnels, the day’s rain from the moor. Past the fields and fences, festooned with fluffy fronds from lambs that gawk and gambol as the golden weir gushes, rusty peaty water through the valleys and the culverts I pass the gaudy, sludgy torpor of the pond by the meander, and the dragonflies that startle rising flashing from the bushes as my busy wellies bustle crushing boggy bristly rushes. I see silvery flickering glimpses of the fishes in the reeds, as the frothy waters swirl, bearing branches burrs and seeds, and dancing shadows and reflections from the clouds and fresh green trees. The brambles, sparrows, crows and finches sing a battle of the bands as a scary creeping sickness quiets the tractors, cars and vans. A falcon hovers hungry, voles and mice are in its sights, Until the purple streaks of sunset usher bats towards the night.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Lockdown Discoveries', by Dotty, aged 12 (Wildverse 2020, 8-12 winner)

My Favourite Place by Nathaniel, aged 5 (Wildverse 2020, runner-up)

Author and judge Sophie Anderson joins Bex to announce the winners of the WildVerse Competition 2018, in the 7 & under category. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WildVerse 2018 - Winners In 7 & Under Category

Laura Dockrill reads out the runners up and winner of the Wildverse competition!  Winner: Izzie - I Wonder 1st Runner Up: Cicely Thorpe - Our Sea 2nd Runner Up: Chioma - Midnight in the Forest 3rd Runner Up: Grace - In the Woods

Wildverse 8-12s

Laura Dockrill reads out the runners up and winner of the Wildverse competition!  Winner: Laura - Rugged Beauty 1st Runner Up: Lucy - The Transient Treecreeper 2nd Runner Up: Reece - Please See a Spider's Worth 3rd Runner Up: Poppy - The Wild Woods

Wildverse 13+

Laura Dockrill reads out the runners up and winner of the Wildverse competition!  Winner: Jacob - The Oak Tree 1st Runner Up: Alasdair - The Shell 2nd Runner Up: Cailtin - The Blue Sky 3rd Runner Up: Rowan - A Walk in the Woods    

Wildverse Under 8s

'The Salmon Jump' was named the winner in the 13-18s category for Wildverse 2016, a competiton run by Fun Kids and the RSPB.

Wildverse 2016: The Salmon Jump by Niamh Kelly

Listen to the winning poems in this year's childrens wildlife poetry competition on Fun Kids, the UK's only radio station dedicated to children.