Winter might seem a quiet time for wildlife, but if you visit our nature reserves you might be surprised at how much you can see!
In winter, our reserves are teeming with life. Flocks of hungry waterfowl are gathering in our inland pools, and mice, squirrels and smaller birds are making the most of the late berries and nuts. With less leaves on the trees and bushes you might even find it easier to spot something you’ve never seen before!
And it’s not just wildlife that is in for a treat at our South East reserves, in addition to our usual nature trails, we have some great seasonal attractions for humans too.
On Saturday 3rd December, We invited people to Pull a pine at RSPB Farnham Heath in Surrey and help us restore our historic heathland. Visitors helped clear Scots pine saplings and choose one to take home to decorate; a free Christmas tree straight from the heath! More than 2oo people helped maintain the reserve's open heath by aiding us in the removal of invasive young pine trees. The event was covered by BBC Breakfast time TV with reporter Tim Muffett pulling a pine for the studio!
RSPB Pulborough Brooks in West Sussex got crafty the same weekend, with Christmas themed activities designed for both adults and children. Visitors discovered how to make their own decorations and gifts with festive foraged materials before indulging in some cake, Christmas shopping or exploring the wetland trails to see flocks of wintering wildfowl.
On Sunday 4 December, RSPB Dungeness in Kent invited visitors to discover their winter fair, with food, mulled wine arts, a raffle and arts and crafts in the visitor centre. There was also a Christmas treasure hunt for children and discounts in the shop for those seeking the perfect nature friendly present.
On Saturday 11th December, RSPB Rainham Marshes on the London/Essex border has its Winter Fair, offering a variety of crafts and gifts on sale, including jewellery, cards, decorations, bags, cosmetics, wildlife art and photography. You can also purchase RSPB gifts from the shop, try out our special evening cafe menu and there will be special activities for children. Alongside this we'll be having a special optics event where you can get hands on with the latest and best binoculars and telescopes with discounts on some models.
Even if you don’t have time to get out and about before Christmas, you can find plenty of gift options online at our RSPB shop. Most of our reserves are open over the Christmas break; check the individual reserve pages for opening times. Many are staging New Year walks to blow away the cobwebs or work off any over indulgence suffered as a consequence of seasonal celebrations.
Please note that you may need to book for some events.