It's National Tree Week this week; what better way to mark the occasion than taking a wander through the woodland at Coombes? Here are some pictures taken by one of our volunteers, Ian Myatt, to inspire you.
You may be lucky enough to catch sight of a woodcock as you wander round; they have returned to the reserve for the winter from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia and have been seen along the woodcock trail and over Clough Meadow. Although largely nocturnal and very well camouflaged, if you disturb one from its resting place you will see it zigzagging off in flight through the trees.
We've also had a willow tit calling around the visitor centre and offices the last few days and it was seen on the feeder yesterday. They can be very hard to distinguish from a marsh tit but the black cap of the willow tit is less glossy than that of the marsh tit and the black bib is slightly larger.