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The daffs are done, the bluebells are blooming - lovely! - it's well worth a visit this weekend. It will be fantastic if the weather stays warm and sunny as forecast, and since trees are late coming into leaf it should be a great opportunity to actually see our woodland birds in full song. We have...

I did some bird surveying in the good weather last week. It involved me standing at certain points, and noting what birds and how many I could hear. All to assess our woodland for birds. It's one of the nicest things I get to do, though it's not easy! At last, there are some migrants! I heard...

On my walk to the bus this morning I realised just how many birds were singing .Song thrush, dunnocks, great tits, blackbirds,robins and the loud and constant 'chip chipping' of house sparrows were all heard within a few minutes of home. I think yesterday's sunny weather has really made spring...

It's hard to believe we are already in February, but its great to know the days are getting a little longer and the birds are starting to sing again.It's a nice, bright calm day here today-even the wind seems to have dropped. The bird feeders near the shop are attracting siskins and redpolls...

Saturday evening's Moth Night turned into an even more exciting event than normal, when we heard a nightjar 'churring' on the new heath! The bird was first heard around 10:30 pm, and I headed off with some of the vols helping on the night to see if we could spot it. We didn't manage to...

Just recovering after a 4:30 am start from home for today's Dawn Chorus! We had a good, calm and settled morning, although a bit nippy in the N/NE wind. We were greeted in the near dark by a calling tawny owl, then the very vocal cuckoo's seemed to follow us around as we headed along the trails...

This week has seen the temperature change from -14 degrees on Saturday 11 to + 13 yesterday, quite a big change in just a few days. it seems to have had little effect on the birds however, with no new arrivals reported over the week. On Sandy Ridge, the flock of fieldfares, redwings and starlings moved...

The reserve looks a lot different now then when I last posted a blog , as the winter weather finally arrived in force. We had over 6 inches of snow at the weekend and there is still a lot of laying snow that has frozen, making the paths very icy and slippery. We have put up signs advising against walking...

It's my first day in for a few days and just taking a quick check around the reserve I notice the first buds are peeping through on the willow outside the Gatehouse.It doesn't feel like Spring on a cold, wet day, but for nature, new life is well underway. I heard at least two noisy nuthatches...

After the windy, dull weather of the last week,everyone seems to have a smile on thier face today . Following a hard overnight frost the sun came up and we have clear blue skies and it even feels warm! The birds are singing away, I can hear a robin, coal tit and great tit chattering away outside the...

A whitethroat called and popped up on the bracken, on the trail towards the hillfort this morning, as I took a walk around with Val Thompson, our volunteer co-ordinator.We were doing our regular walk ,checking the reserve is looking at its best, but it's hard to ignore the birds as we go around!...

Just sitting in the office with the door open and a blackcap gave a brief interlude of song, it reminds me that the warblers are still out there, just a lot quieter than they were a few weeks ago.It's also the time when willow warblers and chiff chaff's are moving through, identifying them in...

Our woodlark is still around this week and singing its lovely song on the new heath. There has been plenty of activity with breeding birds, fledgling great spotted woodpeckers calling noisily from tree holes and blue and great tits whizzing in and out of nest boxes, with bills full of food for the youngsters...

It was an early start this morning for our fifth breeding bird survey of the year. A glorious sky sat over the reserve, a lower half of golden sun with a topping of blue haze. 2 cuckoo's flew together , calling ‘wokhoo wokhoo’ as they swiftly flew by, then a spotted flycatcher sat...

Places are going fast for the Dawn Chorus walk on Sunday May 02nd. Please call 01767 680541 if you would like to come along. A full english breakfast is reward for the 5am start!, ...but to experience the sounds and sights of the reserve as it comes to life is the real treat on this event.

3 common crossbills, drinking from the pools in front of the hide this afternoon One male with 2 females. A red kite was seen floating over at lunchtime.Summer migrants have been in song; 2 Blackcaps along the path near the hide and a chiff chaff calling from here as well.

It's wonderful to walk around The Lodge and hear all the birdsong. It's such a contrast after the dark, silent days of snow and ice. Take a wonder around and you could hear nuthatch , treecreeper , goldcrest , blue , great and coal tits , chaffinch , song and mistle thrushes , blackbird ,...