I have now been to Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire three separate times. And each time the spectacle of thousands of birds nesting on the 100m high cliffs amazes me. The cliffs are a guaranteed place to see at least eight species you may struggle to find elsewhere in England. I have loved Puffins ever since I was little. There was…
Bubbenhall Wood & Meadows, Old Nun Wood, Wappenbury, and Ryton Pools & Wood all border on each other and form part of the Dunsmore Living Landscape project. A National Heritage funded project to restore important wildlife habitats between Leamington, Rugby and Coventry. The reserves are interconnected and it is easy to follow the footpaths between each one, though they are…
The nature reserves in the Ryton area have quickly become my favourite over the past year. Ryton Pools and Wood, Bubbenhall Wood and Meadows, Old Nun Wood and Wappenbury all border on each other and form part of the Dunsmore Living Landscape project. A National Heritage funded project to restore important wildlife habitats between Leamington, Rugby and Coventry. The reserves…
Skipwith Common is a National Nature Reserve and SSSI near York and one of the last remaining areas of northern lowland heath in England. Most of the valley around York was once lowland heath but now only three sites remain. Skipworth Common covers 270 hectares and is a beautiful mix of open heath, birch woodland and murky ponds. This location…
I discovered this Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (WWT) nature reserve whilst on the hunt for a good source of blackberries. I’ve been going through a bit of a apple crumble phase and the one thing that improves apple crumble is a handful of blackberries. Over the summer I’ve been trying to see as many of the WWT reserves as possible and…
I recently visited Swithland Wood SSSI (a nature reserve designated as being of particularly special scientific interest) on the way back to Warwick from a work trip. I put the route into Google maps and hunted along it for a good stretch of woodland to spend a couple of hours walking. After 10 minutes I found Bradgate Park country park,…
Hampton wood was the first Warwickshire Nature Reserve I cycled to and is one of my favourites. It has over 25 species of butterfly and a mix of different environments which range from woodland to riverside to meadows, and the reserve is only 12 hectares! Unfortuantely the only time I’ve visisted so far is in Summer, so the other seasons…
The Warwickshire Wildlife Trust flagship nature reserve is Brandon Marsh, its 220 acres of large, woodland and meadows. In the winter you have wintering birds on the pool, spring welcomes hundreds of froglets and the return of the song birds. In summer it is overrun with birds, dragonflies, butterflies and the occasional grass snake or lizzard. And autumn brings an…