You just can't beat the smell of the woods after a good downpour. We've had the sweet smell of spring flowers, summer heather, fresh mown grass, this is the smell of autumn.

It is what badgers smell of, if you've ever been blessed to get close to one; so what is it exactly? A combination of leaf litter, friable soil, damp, and no doubt about it, a hint of mushroom.

It's hard not to start thinking of pasta carbonara…

I enjoyed an atmospheric saunter through the Blean last night with walks leader Peter and visitors.

It was dusk as we set off into the forest, a damp, still evening, just the right temperature for a stroll. There was an eary feel about the woods, and tracks of silence, broken only by the squish of our wellies through the puddles were then punctuated by areas where song thrushes, blackbirds and robins were belting out…

The bluebells are now in full flower and well worth a walk to see them. In some places the celandines and wood anemones are not yet over and the lady’s smocks beginning to make an appearance as well so there is plenty to see. The photos below were taken last weekend near the Monkey Court Common entrance to the wood. They also show how fast the leaves are starting to appear on all the trees now. The first photo shows wood…

Michael Walters writes:

Chiffchaff territories have been filling up the wood since 10^th March, the joint earliest date for Blean Woods, though exactly a month later than my first record of one in song in the Stour Valley. It was also a welcome relief to see them returning, after last year’s abysmally cold spring when my first reserve chiffchaff wasn’t until 6^th April (the latest ever in the past 33 years…

To me, spring is the best time for walking in the woods. At the moment the wood anemones look amazing. They’re not everywhere and tend to be in patches, but at the Denstroude end of the Reserve there are huge swathes of wood anemones and celandines out together, which are well worth a visit to see. The bluebells will be next.

If anyone read this blog and would like to comment on where the best displays of flowers…

Michael Walter writes:

 Recently there has been a very small but definite trickle of redpolls passing through the wood, which was quite exciting, as this is now a fairly unusual bird here. Back in the 1980s and early 90s a few redpolls bred on the reserve, and it occurred quite widely in Kent away from the coast, but now it is all but unknown as a breeding species in the county. In the past, wintering flocks in the hundreds…

A comment on our winter weather by the former Warden, Michael Walter:

In this exceptionally mild winter I have recorded just two slight air frosts, and already, in late February, it looks as though we are emerging into spring. I haven’t recorded chiffchaffs yet at Blean, but they have been in song in the Stour Valley between Canterbury and Chartham since 12^th February, which must be unprecedented. With great spotted…

There are two Konik ponies and eight Soay sheep resident on the Reserve. The Koniks are a small semi-feral horse originally from Poland and are used on several Reserves in the county. The Soay sheep originated on the Scottish island of Soay in the St. Kilda archipelago. Both are very hardy breeds.

Last month the Konik ponies had their annual hoof check. Reserve Assistant Warden Lyndsey Record writes about the event…

A note about our recent weather by Michael Walter, the Reserve’s former Warden:

This autumn and early winter have been remarkable for wind and rain, but I’m afraid the sun hasn’t featured very much, although it has been generally quite mild. Writing on 11^th January, I can say that it has rained for the last thirty consecutive days, so the reserve and its paths are exceptionally wet. A waterlogged soil…

My first post of 2014 is a look at the Church Wood Reserve in the middle of a very wet winter. Here are some photos I took a few days ago. This is a new pool near the car park:

Elsewhere, a mature birch tree has been brought down by the recent gales:

This photo shows an area which was coppiced recently by the volunteers:

And, finally, an area that was cleared 1-2 years ago but has not started to regrow:

All the volunteers who work in the Reserve, including those who work in the woods, the office or even write the blog, recently had their Christmas meal in a pub at Oare. It was very enjoyable and a chance for everyone to see each other again, as during the rest of the year it’s rare for volunteers to meet those who work on different days or in different capacities.

Lyndsey Record, the Deputy Warden, said this…

I received the following report from Michael Walter a few weeks ago - despite this posting being delayed, what he says is still relevant:

‘After a disappointing spring for birds, and a late season for the heath fritillary, it has been heartening to see so many of the common and some rarer summer butterflies around this year. Gatekeepers enjoyed quite a good summer, and in early September there was a glorious profusion…

Recently, when I was searching online trying to identify an unusual tree, I found a website which I thought was worth recommending. It’s the Hainault Forest website at www.hainaultforest.co.uk Of course, much of the content is specific to Hainault Forest and the surrounding area but it also contains a lot of general information and excellent photos on a wide range of natural history subjects. For instance the flora…

A short introduction from the new Warden, Amy Winchester:

I have been in my new role as the RSPB Warden of Blean Woods for nearly a month. Joining the team at this time of year has allowed me to get stuck straight into the autumn/winter activities with the volunteers. Prior to this, I was working at Northward Hill for a year ( a mixture of grazing marsh and woodland). I have experience in managing in woodland for a…

In June 2009, the Reserve and Michael Walter, the former Warden, received nationwide publicity for the record numbers of heath fritillary butterflies found in the woods. Numbers had increased from around 120 butterflies in 2008 to well over 1,000 in 2009. Sadly the high numbers can’t be expected every year, but here is Michael’s report on his butterfly survey in the woods this year, written at the end of July: …

Now that October has arrived, it’s beginning to feel like autumn in the woods. The leaves on the trees are mostly still green but some are starting to fall and the first hints of yellow and red are starting to appear. Walking in the woods yesterday I noticed that it seems to be an exceptionally good year for fruit and berries. There are even quite a few apple trees scattered around, some are crab-apples but some are much…

Wood ants are at their most active at this time of the year as no visitor to the woods can fail to notice. Anyone venturing off the paths in sandals (a mistake I only made once) will soon find them between their toes, and the volunteers in the woods get used to them dropping out of the trees and down their necks! They are much larger than the usual garden ants, being up to a centimetre in length, so are very easy to spot…

Michael Walter, the former Warden of the Reserve, has written the following piece about willow warblers:

It always turns rather quiet in the wood at this time of year as birdsong fades away, but this season there is another reason for the stillness – there are fewer birds about. This is presumably largely to do with the cold, wet weather early last year, and the exceptionally long, cold spring this year, resulting in…

The orchids might be the show-stoppers in the woods, but I think some of the other common wild flowers are more than worth a second look. Even some of the smallest ones, or ones that would normally be dismissed as ‘weeds’ are attractive if looked at closely. The wild roses are at their best at the moment as are the birdsfoot trefoil, which are much smaller so easy to miss. Photos of both are below.

Also…

Although most orchids flower in the spring and early summer, the lateness of this season means that some are still in flower in Church Wood. The most numerous is the common spotted orchid, which is usually present in large numbers. This year’s annual orchid count found around 500 in one particular glade, but this number is down on previous years. In 2008, for instance, over 2,000 were counted in this one glade alone and…

The first Dormouse survey of the Reserve for 2013 was completed last week. Of the 60 dormouse boxes checked, most were either empty or contained recently vacated blue tit nests. In just a handful of cases there was either a brood of nearly-fledged blue tits or a second brood of tiny birds or eggs. However, one box contained two sleepy, healthy dormice, a male and a female. Other boxes showed signs of having been used…

The Church Wood volunteers have now started on their summer work, which mainly consists of keeping the paths clear. The photo below shows the Monday gang going through their paces:

All the spring guided walks have now been successfully completed - both nightingales and nightjars have been heard once again. There have been good number of people on all the walks braving the cold and wet - in one case there was a minibus…

Michael Walter, the former Warden, has written the following about the cold weather during the spring. Since he wrote this, a couple of weeks ago, a cuckoo is reported to have been heard in Church Wood, but I would welcome news of any other migratory birds that have been seen or heard:

"Have you heard a cuckoo yet, or a turtle dove?  Both species seem to be absent from Blean Woods and many of the other birds that…

I have enjoyed a wonderful year as the Warden of Blean Woods but have decided to make a new life with my family in France. I would like to thank all of the amazing people that have made my stay so enjoyable; Michael Walter, my predecessor, all of the fabulous volunteers, without who nothing would get done and Jim, Tom, Ray and Brian, the Woodsmen of Blean.

I will long remember my time at Blean and wish Lyndsey all the…

The Gravesend local RSPB group paid a visit to the Blean Woods RSPB Reserve at the end of April, and this is their report and photos. It’s interesting to read their view of the Reserve and remember just how recently spring has arrived:

Our trip to Blean Woods RSPB reserve, demonstrated just how far behind the progression of spring is compared to our normal expectations: we were wearing gloves and coats, were subjected…