Chester Zoo announces Spring Bloom campaign

Chester Zoo – home to five national endangered plant collections – is renowned for its 125 acres of beautiful, award winning gardens.

Find more half term activities here:Top places to take the kids this half-term in Shropshire and the Midlands

Bird watching, willow weaving, wildlife spotting and building bird feeders are just some of the popular family-friendly activities taking place at the zoo this February half term, launching a season of activities at the attraction throughout the spring.

The events are just the latest part of the zoo's ongoing campaign to help protect threatened UK native wildlife. Zoo conservationists hope the line-up of events will connect visitors of all ages with wildlife and encourage young and old to get out and make the most of the great outdoors.

Charlotte Smith, head of discovery and learning at the zoo, said: "Our Bloom campaign is all about nature coming alive as we head in to the spring. It's a real celebration of birds, gardens and UK species – an unmissable event for wildlife lovers.

"The zoo will be buzzing with activity all through half term as families learn how to make the most of the amazing world here on our very own doorstep. We'll be running masterclasses in wildlife spotting and bird watching, as well as leading fun workshops showing how to make simple bird feeders which visitors can take away to help attract new species to their gardens at home!"It's really important that we connect all generations with animals and nature, not just those species in faraway places, but with those that are living all around us in our very own backyard."

The great Chester Zoo Bloom events run from 10:00am – 4pm each day from 18 – 26 February 2017 and are free with zoo entry. Booking is recommended to guarantee a place.

Daily events include: from 10.30 to 11.30am – The Great Chester Zoo Bird Watch. This is a free drop-in session with the zoo's ranger team and see if you can spot and identify the bird species that visit the zoo at this time of year.

From 12 noon to 1pm you can make your own bird feeder. Providing food for British bird species is becoming more and more important, and you can help out too. Join the zoo's ranger team and help them make a bird feeder. You can even take your finished feeder home with you, and see who comes for dinner!

From 1pm to 2pm there's a chance to make your own seed bombs. The seed bombs will need to be full of native flower seeds for an explosion of colourful flowers in your garden.

Between 2pm and 3pm you can make your own paper book bird, while between 3pm and 4pm

Wildlife Spotters will go on a search to find out what wildlife is visiting the zoo grounds at this time of year.

From February 18 to 20 February there will be a free willow weaving workshopin the Dragon's Garden to help the zoo create stunning bird sculptures from willow this half term.

This drop-in session is free to attend (though normal zoo admission applies) and takes place between 10.30am to 1pm and 1.30 to 4.30pm.

On February 24 and 25, the zoo is hosting Loop it, Twist it, Groove it! which is a secret sound hunt to discover the sounds of birds at the zoo. Using an innovative iPad app, pyka-loop, you'll record sounds from the zoo environment then learn how to remix them into your very own piece of sound art.

This event is free to attend (usual zoo admission applies) and attendance is on a first come, first served basis. The workshops will last approx. 30 mins, and run at 11.00am, 12.00noon, 1.00pm, 2.00pm, and 3.00pm in Sumba Classroom, in the zoo's new Islands zone.

Visit www.chesterzoo.org/bloom for more details.