Coombes & Churnet Valley

A week in the life of Coombes Warden Interns

2017-12-05T17:59:37Z

This month's blog gives you a behind the scenes look at a typical working week for our hard working volunteer warden interns.

(Kirsty and Charlotte current Warden Interns c/o Kirsty Forrester)

Our general week:

Monday:

Checks. Each Monday we walk the trails around the two RSPB sites we manage at Coombes Valley and Churnet Valley. We check for litter, infrastructure and hanging branches over trail amongst other things. We also complete routine checks including: play trail check, canopy walk way check, yurt check, ATV check, 4x4 check. Mondays are also a day to do chainsaw maintenance after using them the week previously.

(The Coombes Valley Trails that are checked each Monday c/o RSPB)

Tuesday:

Tuesday work party. Every Tuesday our team of dedicated work party volunteers come and give us a hand. Whilst volunteers use hand tools such as bow saws and loppers, us interns spend the day chain sawing holly to clear as much as we can. This winter it is mainly holly clearance that we tackle on a weekly basis but we like to give our volunteers a variety of tasks to do. So, to mix it up, we work as team to do things such as scrub clearance and hay raking to keep on top of our site management plan and to keep everyone motivated.

(Work party and interns working hard in the rain hedge planting c/o Kirsty Forrester)

Wednesday:

Chainsawing. RSPB Coombes Valley and RSPB Churnet Valley are both beautiful woodland reserves in North Staffordshire and are part of the Staffordshire Woods and Moors Futurescape. In 2014, the Forestry Commission awarded the reserves a Woodland Improvement Grant to clear 46.8 ha of holly to improve the habitat for birds such as pied flycatcher and redstart. This being one of our priorities for the site so we work tirelessly 3 days a week sawing the holly to clear enough to bring these special bird numbers back up.

Thursday:

Odd jobs. Thursdays are our day to get an array of jobs done from tree safety inspections to maintenance tasks such as making a corduroy path. Thursdays include a staff meeting once a month where all the staff get caught up with each other and to create our to-do lists. We get up to all sorts enjoying the diversity of jobs including pole sawing dead limbs off trees, fencing, path maintenance, GIS mapping and helping our volunteers who come in twice a week to do jobs around site.

(Charlotte and Kirsty all geared up to do some pole sawing on the roadside boundary of the reserve (it’s a good job we don’t take ourselves too seriously) c/o Charlotte Ditchburn

Friday:

Chainsawing. Fridays are our last day of sawing for the week (yay!). Fridays we go out sawing with our Site Manager and Warden to get as much holly cleared as we can. Work can often be hard on very slippery steep ground and it gets very cold in these wintery months. BUT It’s all totally worth it, it’s such a rewarding job and very satisfying seeing all the holly that we have cleared in one day you can immediately see the difference we have made. Our WIG project has been going on for 3 year and this is the final winter of the project. It has already been a success pied flycatcher numbers going up and redstart numbers having more than doubled with this being within the areas we have cleared of holly.

(Charlotte and Kirsty enjoying a quick break from holly clearance for a selfie c/o Charlotte Ditchburn)

Charlotte Ditchburn – Warden Intern

Background:

Graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in Countryside Management in the summer of 2017. Completing student placements with the Northumberland National Park and the North Pennines AONB whilst at University. Fitting in volunteering with the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, the Lake District National Park, Ramblers Association, RSPB and the Cumbria Wildlife Trust during my studies. Passionate about nature having lived in the Lake District all my life I love the outdoors and could never settle with an office job. I’ve been volunteering as a Warden Intern at Coombes Valley for 3 months now and having a fab time. I’m now qualified as a Tree Safety Advisor, chainsaw operator and to use pesticides. I love the variety of jobs we do as interns from chain sawing to engaging with the public through events such as the Harry Otter Trail at Coombes.

Kirsty Forrester – Warden Intern

Background:

Graduated from the University of Cumbria with a degree in Animal Conservation Science in the summer of 2016, having worked as an outdoors and high ropes instructor before this. Completing a 9 month university placement in Canada working on the Grizzly Bear research project enabled me to put a lot of what I had learnt at university into practice. I love the outdoors and hope to follow a career in the outdoors in roles such as a Warden. Since starting my internship I have gained many qualifications including: St John Ambulance First Aider, Tree Safety Advisor, brushcutter, strimmer, sit-astride ATV, 4x4 off road driving, pesticide (PA1&PA6) and chainsaw (CS30&CS31). I am thoroughly enjoying my internship here at Coombes Valley developing my skills set to enable me to get a job doing what I love at the end of it all.

Come and volunteer with Coombes Valley yourself:

Residential Volunteer - Long term placement - Coombes and Churnet Valleys

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering-fundraising/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities/opportunities/264/

People Engagement Volunteer - Events Helper, Coombes & Churnet Valley

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering-fundraising/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities/opportunities/6535/

Valley Tots Leader, Coombes Valley

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering-fundraising/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities/opportunities/7615/

Visitor Centre Volunteer, Coombes Valley

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering-fundraising/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities/opportunities/5006/

Making a good red-start

2017-11-07T21:36:14Z

RSPB Coombes Valley and RSPB Churnet Valley are both beautiful woodland reserves in North Staffordshire and are part of the Staffordshire Woods and Moors Futurescape. The reserves are home to a wealth of wildlife such as the argent & sable moth, pied flycatcher, common redstart, spotted flycatcher and wood warbler.

In the UK, woodland birds are in trouble. The latest Breeding Bird Survey from the British Trust for Ornithology shows that in the last 23 years spotted flycatcher and wood warbler have declined by 38% and 57% respectively. Between 1994 and 2015 pied flycatcher has declined by 48% and is now a red listed species and redstart is an amber list species.

Pied Flycatcher in Hawthorn at RSPB Coombes Valley photo c/o Mel Brown

Both Coombes and Churnet Valleys are Sites of Special Scientific Interest because of their woodland habitat and associated bird species. However in 2012, both valleys were identified as sites that were struggling to support these special birds. This was because of a very unusual problem- holly! Although holly is a native species in the UK, and an important component part of many woodlands, holly at Coombes and Churnet had gone crazy. Across both reserves holly bushes had grown into dense, tall, impenetrable barriers that completely dominated the woodland understorey and let no light through to the woodland floor.

The holly was also having a dramatic impact on our bird species; in particular pied flycatcher, redstart and wood warbler, which all require an open understorey and good horizontal visibility through the woodland. To tackle this unusual problem the RSPB team needed help and in 2014, the Forestry Commission awarded the reserves a Woodland Improvement Grant to clear 46.8 ha of holly.

Contractors and the RSPB team, mostly made up of volunteers and interns, have worked tirelessly over three wet winters. On incredibly steep and muddy slopes they have felled large areas of dense and very prickly holly. But there’s good news- all this hard scratchy work has paid off. Each holly bush that has been cleared has opened up the woodland and given mature oak trees space and light for the first time in many years.

Staff and Volunteers hard at work photos c/o Mel Brown

Our woodland bird species have noticed the difference too. Pied flycatcher numbers have already seen promising improvements following the holly clearance. Volunteer led Nestbox surveys have found pied flycatcher in 38 Nestboxes this year compared with 31 in 2016. Redstart numbers have more than doubled- from 14 territories in 2016 to 31 in 2017. What has been particularly encouraging is that these increases are happening on parts of the reserve where we have targeted the holly clearance. In particular Brawnback at Coombes Valley and Chase Wood in the Churnet. Both of these areas have permissive paths running through them, so we hope that visitors will get better views of these iconic birds than ever before.

Before and After, Booths Wood, RSPB Churnet Valley, photo c/o Paul Bennett

None of these achievements would have been possible without the generous funding provided by the Forestry Commission, support from Natural England, the mammoth efforts of the hardcore Tuesday volunteer work party, intern workforce and groups such as the University of Central Lancashire and AMEY plc/Staffordshire County Council. We won’t see the full benefits of this project for some time but we have one more winter of holly clearance to go, so who knows what we might find next spring!?

Hay Day at RSPB Coombes Valley – celebrating National Meadows Day

2017-07-27T20:17:00Z

Did you know that a single, healthy meadow can be home to over 80 species of wildflowers and a wealth of other wildlife? Sadly, it’s staggering to learn that 97% of our wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s.

That’s the reason for National Meadows Day, this year held on 1 July. It’s the headline event of Save Our Magnificent Meadows, the UK’s largest partnership project which aims to transform the fortunes of our vanishing grasslands and their associated wildlife. Led by Plantlife, the partnership is made up of 11 organisations, including the RSPB, and is primarily funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Just 100 years ago, there would have been a meadow in every Staffordshire parish, supporting a way of life that had gone on for centuries. They provided grazing and hay for livestock, employment, and food and medicine. Meadows are an essential element of our nation’s rich cultural and social history.

As hay meadows form a hugely significant aspect of the precious habitats for the wildlife here at RSPB Coombes Valley, and in the wider vale of the River Churnet, we were especially keen to celebrate with an event befitting the importance of them, with activities ranging from family crafts to guided walks. There was something for everyone to join in and have fun.

In the craft barn, families could try their hand at weaving willow dreamcatchers or bird feeders, making a dragonfly to patrol the meadows, or a seed bomb to take home to start their very wild mini-meadow in their “nature reserve” part of the lawn. People could also chat to the Staffordshire Bat Group and visit our moth and butterfly stand to get up close and personal to some moths. Sweep netting sessions provided a further, and very popular, way of encountering bugs and minibeasts close up in our beautiful meadows.

One of the stars of the show was the artisan, Jez the Scythe, an old friend of the reserve who gave scything demonstrations throughout the day to show traditional methods of hay meadow management.

Through generous funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, as part of the buffer solution project, the RSPB has recently acquired Bellpit Meadows near Ipstones. Visitors were able to discover more about wildflowers and grassland habitats by joining one of the guided walks which were led by a professional ecologist. A practical demonstration in the craft barn showed how a meadow in good condition buffers surrounding woodlands from contaminants such as chemicals and pesticides and acts to protect the Churnet Valley from extreme drought or flooding.

For those needing a cuppa with delicious homemade cake, or who just wanted to relax with an ice cream and soak up the atmosphere, some fabulous live music in the yurt was provided by The Idioms, a local alternative folk band.

The weather was kind and this year’s Hay Day was hugely successful, not just in the great number of smiling faces, but perhaps more importantly in the message that was spread about protecting and recreating our meadows. Our special thanks go to the heritage Lottery Fund for making the RSPB Coombes Valley 2017 Hay Day possible.

Ghosts & Dragons

2017-06-28T17:31:59Z

Stories are told of Coombes Valley that in the deepest, darkest woodland there are ghosts and ghouls. But these are not the only legends of the Valley. There is also another fearsome creature, one that has been in existence for over 250 million years. They are skillful aerial predators that use their barbed legs to catch and kill prey as big as themselves, in mid air! They have the largest eyes in comparison to their body than any other creature on earth and can see in every direction..... at the same time! If some stories are to believed, if these creatures find you asleep next to the waters edge they stitch your eyelids together. Before their brief time on the wing they exist underwater for most of their lives. Underwater they rule with the use of a fearsome weapon. A double hinged jaw that fires out straight ahead at passing prey. This weapon is deployed at lightning speed, propels one third of their body length away, and pierces the flesh of the victim with two sharp daggers.

On a warm still summer day this underwater predator begins to change. It crawls up a branch in Coombes brook or a reed in the pond below Clough Meadow Cottage and begins its transformation. First its new head bursts through the skin of its old body, and then it slowly pulls its tail free.

Finally it begins to pump fluid into its brand new wings. After a few hours it makes its maiden flight. The mesmerising glisten of the teneral wings of this incredible creature is of course that of a Dragonfly!!!!!!!!!!!

Emerging Southern Hawker photo c/o Mel Brown

The freshly emerged beauty of a brightly coloured dragonfly is difficult to ignore. And at the same time you can't help but be impressed by its skillful life on the wing.

An adult dragonfly can fly up to 30 mph and can attack and consume its prey using an amazing array of aerial combat styles. They can hover, swoop, dive, pounce, fly backwards and upside down and have even been seen diving into water and flying back out again.

At Coombes valley although we are known as a woodland site and dragonflies are normally associated with wetlands, there is enough freshwater to support breeding populations in our brook and pond and certainly enough live prey and cover in the woods.

The species of dragonfly you can find here includes brown hawker, southern hawker, four spotted chaser, broad bodied chaser and emperor. You can also see a range of the slightly daintier, but just as deadly damselflies. At Coombes valley this includes large red, common blue, azure and blue tailed damselflies which on a sunny day can be seen in abundance in our pond dipping pond.

Southern Hawker photo c/o S Brown and Large red damselfly enjoying a crane fly for lunch, Staffordshire, photo c/o Mel Brown

The best time of year to observe these magnificent insects is between July and September on a still and sunny day, normally between 11am and 3pm and near the waters edge.

If you do go hunting for dragons here keep an eye out for ghosts, but don't worry about your eyelids, that's just make believe ;-)

Blogs and recent sightings

2017-05-18T21:53:00Z

Due to technical difficulties, we are currently unable to post blogs and update our recent sightings. Please refer to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CoombesValley

Big bug hunt day!

2016-06-10T20:36:34Z

The past few weeks have been really exciting here at Coombes. Every day something new and exciting seems to have appeared, from the pied flycatchers arriving at the end of April to greater butterfly orchids beginning to make an appearance at the start of this week. In amongst all this excitement we managed to fit in a Big Bug Hunt Day! Lots of families turned up and got stuck in with sweep netting, stream kick sampling and woodland bug hunting and our friendly volunteers were on hand to help with finding and identifying some of the discovery's.

Chimney sweeper moths were seen for the first time this year whilst sweep netting, along with lots of other creepy crawlies hiding amongst the grass and flowers.

Chimney sweeper moth – photo by Emma Rowe

The woodland bug hunt was just as exciting with millipedes, spiders, frog hoppers and lots of green caterpillars all discovered in amongst the leaves and logs scattered around the play trail.

Having a closer look at some of the creepy crawlies.

Sweep netting fun in the meadow.

The stream dipping was also very popular. With caddis fly larvae, mayfly nymphs and even a bullhead fish!

This event took place thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) helping us to acquire our new land in the Churnet Valley, Bellpit meadows. Although we didn’t visit Bellpit Meadows on the day HLF are keen to find out what sorts of bugs live in the wider area. The big bug hunt day was the perfect opportunity to get local families involved and learn how to identify some of the creepy crawlies that live in the Churnet valley.

Exciting sightings this April

2016-04-20T22:04:00Z

It's official, spring has arrived! The summer migrants are BACK and with lots of other wildlife sightings Coombes isn't short of exciting wildlife this time of year. One visitor described Coombes as chiffchaff woods last week, a sure sign of spring!

As usual the willow warblers were first to be heard, and seen, on April 15th. Soon after the redstart began making appearances down near Clough Meadow Cottage! Sunday April 17th was however, the most exciting day of the year (so far), with several sightings of pied flycatchers! Regular appearances were reported close to Pooh Sticks bridge. With several sightings of grey wagtail and dipper down at the brook it definitely seems to be worth spending some time down in the valley.

willow warbler - photo by S Brown

pied flycatcher - -photo by David Tolliday

Not to be outdone, this week has also been great for mammal spotting! There have also been reports of weasels and stoats on the reserve as well as red deer (all of which have been spotted from the visitor center).

There have even been a few warm sunny days, which have been perfect for catching a glimpse of the common lizards.

There have also been lots of reports of our more regular visitors including sparrowhawk, buzzard, raven, willow tit, treecreeper, nuthatch, coal tit, great tit, blue tit, goldfinch, chaffinch, great woodpeckers, bullfinch, mistle thrush. blackcap and dunnock.

A stroll through history at the Churnet Valley

2016-03-18T21:30:29Z

Over the past three months we have been braving the winter weather (we have been very lucky to avoid the rain) to enjoy guided history walks in the Churnet. Led by Byron Machin these walks proved to be very popular!

There is so much to discover at the Churnet, both the natural and industrial heritage of this part of Staffordshire meant that we were never short on places to visit. Bellpit meadows, our newly acquired land purchased thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant, featured in every walk. Even those that came on all three walks enjoyed visiting Bellpit each time to learn about how we are going to use the land as a buffer for the Churnet. And, as the name suggests, the history of the Bellpits on site is just as interesting.

The first walk in January took us along the Canal and up to Bellpit Meadows visiting cherry eye Bridge along the way. Designed at the request of the local landlord to look more picturesque cherry eye bridge takes its name from the local ironstone miners- the Ochre associated with ironstone used to into their eyes and made them bloodshot!

The Canal itself, known as Caldon Canal, was fascinating in itself. Opening in 1779 the canal runs for 18 miles from Etruria to Froghall and linked up the Caldon Plateways, which also happens to be the first ever railway in Britain! The Canal was designed by James Brindley. A feeder fed the canal system via John Rennies newly designed Rudyard Lake- from which Rudyard Kipling takes his name!

Walking along the Canal – photo by Becky Blackman

The name Bellpit meadows comes from (surprisingly) the various filled in Bellpits that can still be seen as depressions in the land. Bellpits are one of the most ancient forms of mining and was commonplace in Britain in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. A small shaft was extracted until the seam of the coal or ore was hit, then a small chamber was cut out until the roof became too unstable to carry on. Then up they came and started a new shaft somewhere else.

Becky telling the group all about Bellpit meadows and how it will be used as a buffer for the Churnet thanks to HLF.

The team here at Coombes would like to say huge thanks to Byron for leading these walks, and a big thank you to HLF for providing us with the funding to run these brilliant walks.

Churnet and Bellpit Fungal Foray

2015-11-20T22:15:18Z

The 8^thof November saw the return of Fungal Punk Dave to help us out on our Fungal Foray. The walk took us through the Churnet reserve and up to Bellpit Meadows. Thank you to everyone that came along, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! With a total of 96 species there was plenty to discover throughout the walk. One of my favorites was blushing bracket, which we came across a few times as we walked up to Bellpit.

blushing bracket – Becky Blackman

Common earthballs were also spotted on several occasions, along with clouded agaric, jelly ear, olive oysterling, common bonnet, wood blewit and coral spot.

Investigating some wood that seemed to be covered in an array of different Fungi

On our way to Bellpit Meadows – Becky Blackman

Bellpit Meadows was a lovely spot to have a quick break and have a look at our new land which was purchased through Heritage Lottery Funding. It was great to share with the Fungal Foray crowd how we are going to use this land as a buffer for the Churnet.

We did see a few signs of the popular fly agaric, unfortunately they weren’t looking their best as it is quite late in the year for them. But it was great to know that they had been there and where might be good place to have a look next autumn. Candle snuff was also a big favourite for our younger attendees as they looked just like some little fairies had put their candles out the night before. Perhaps we should keep an eye out for candle snuff in the Fairy Village at Coombes Valley. Just as an added bonus, someone also spotted a wingless female winter moth!

We still have a few samples of what we found on the day in the visitor centre which will be there for the next few days.

A very berry Coombes!

2015-10-29T19:02:23Z

Just outside the living room window of the intern accommodation here at Coombes there is a bird feeding station! It’s great to sit at the table with my breakfast and watch the great tits, sparrows, great spotted woodpecker and the occasional pheasant milling about the feeders. However, the past few days there has been a distinct lack of birds hanging about in the morning.

It didn’t take long to work out why. After a wander around the reserve I couldn’t help but notice the abundance of natural goodies that are on offer this time of year for the birds. Most of which are red or black, making them easier for the birds to spot.

Although it’s coming to the end of the blackberry season, here at Coombes there are still plenty of spots where the blackberries are ripe and ready to eat. These juicy berries are not only a delicious meal for lots of birds, but also a tasty little treat for badgers.

There are still some juicy Blackberries around – Becky Blackman

The blackthorn’s sloes are still present all over the reserve, which are a firm favourite of slightly larger birds such as thrushes.

Sloes - Chris Shields (rspb-images.com)

I also spotted an abundance of Holly berries on my walk around the woodcock trail. These are the berry of choice for birds such as tits, thrushes and woodpeckers.

Holly berries can be seen all over the reserve – Becky Blackman

Hawthorne has lots of long sharp thorns, providing a safe place for smaller birds to munch to their hearts content without the worry of predators. Long tailed tits in particular are known to enjoy these berries.

Oak trees are very attractive for jays at the moment too. They spend a lot of time collecting the acorns, which are almost ripe this time of year, and stash them away in a big pile ready for winter.

Lots of Acorns are up for grabs by squirrels and Jays – Becky Blackman

I’ve also spotted a fair few crab apples scattered about the reserve, most of which are small and have fallen. These provide a tasty treat throughout the autumn and winter for many animals including Robins, starlings and thrushes.

Even those which have already fallen still make a tasty treat – Becky Blackman

Beautiful Rowan berries - Becky Blackman

There’s so much wildlife to see here at Coombes that even the car park is a great spot for elderberries, which are good for attracting warblers and blackbirds. These berries tend to come out in later summer and September so it’s quite a treat for the birds to be enjoying these berries in mid October.

There’s plenty of elderberry in the car park – Becky Blackman

So, with woodland full of berries, our bird feeding station has been pretty quiet recently. However, once the berries have gone, the birds will be back. So keeping the feeders topped up and clean is still as important as ever in preparation for the winter. And soon I will be back to watching the bird feeder dramas unfold whilst I eat my toast in the morning.

Bye for now Coombes!

2015-10-26T17:57:23Z

It is astonishing how quickly eight months can go by, especially when you’re having a fantastic time, and what a fantastic time I have had at Coombes. This is my last week as Visitor Experience Officer at Coombes Valley and I’m going to really miss the place!

I have met some fantastic people at Coombes and being immersed in wildlife every day at work really cannot be beaten. So for my last blog I thought I would mention a few of my highlights.

I couldn’t have hoped for more at the fairy village workshop. Everyone who came had so much fun and the creativity was incredible (from both children and parents!). It was often difficult to see who was having the most fun to be honest. It was great that everyone wanted to take their houses home too, giving fairies and nature a home in their garden. I know I had a fab time over this weekend and so did everyone else helping out. This was definitely one of my favourite events.

Adults, children and staff all loving the fairy village workshop - Katy Fielding

Great to see so many people enjoying themselves - Katy Fielding

My favourite event this year was the Forage Festival. Not only was it a fantastic event, with the greatest attendance for the year but it was also lovely to see the whole team come together and pull off a fantastic event. Autumn is my favourite season and it was great to celebrate its arrival in style.

Forage festival fun! - Katy Fielding

Now I couldn’t write about my Coombes best-bits without mentioning the incredible wildlife. Woodland wildlife can be very elusive so those special wildlife moments are all the more memorable. I always appreciate regular visits from the greater spotted woodpeckers, watching fledglings practice flying from young oak, to young oak in front of the Yurt was fantastic. On a fledgling note: watching the great tits fledge from the camera box outside the visitor centre was really special (on a weekend too – thanks little fledglings for pleasing so many visitors!).

Greater spotted woodpecker feeding a chick - Katy Fielding

Recently I’ve seen loads of fabulous fungi, heard red deer roaring and seen the woodland start to change in a blaze of colour. A woodland is a fantastic places to watch the seasons change. All of which makes it no easier to leave!

Fly agaric - Katy Fielding

There is so much I could say but I don’t want to bore people with my ramblings too much. All that is left to say is thank you. Thank you to everyone who came to a Coombes Valley event this year, multiple events, visited the reserve, liked or commented on our posts. I appreciate it all. Thank you to everyone I’ve met, to all the people I work with and those people who helped make all the events this year a success. Thank you to the RSPB.

I am not leaving the RSPB. I am moving to Brighton to work in their office there. Such an exciting change for me! I leave you in the very capable hands of our Visitor Experience Intern, Becky. She’s got loads of exciting ideas to see the reserve and its visitors through the winter and well into spring. I may be leaving, but Coombes won’t be able to get rid of me! I plan to visit often and even attend the odd event. Watch out Valley tots!

Fun at Valley tots! I'm going to miss it! - Katy Fielding

Bye for now. xxx

Hello Coombes!

2015-09-30T17:52:29Z

So I spent my first day at Coombes exploring the reserve on a long walk around the Woodcock trail. I quickly realised that there’s so much to discover here. With every minute there was something new and exciting to look at; from the various types of fungi, to the cool spider webs! And for those big kids (and little kids) amongst us, the play trail never stops delivering hidden gems. I was particularly enchanted by the secret fairy village.

Mysterious Fungi in the Fairy Village - Becky Blackman

As the new Visitor Experience Intern here I will be spending the next few months exploring and enjoying this magical place. After spending five months at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, the woodlands here make a big change from the towering cliffs and thousands of noisy seabirds. I am really excited to learn more about the woodlands and the wildlife here at Coombes.

On my first ever walk around the Woodcock trail and I was quickly fascinated by all the fungi on route! It really is unbelievable just how many different shapes, sizes, colours and forms they come in!

Here is a selection of just a few snaps I took along the way. Points to whoever can ID them – I’m still learning!

So many different colours -Becky Blackman

Fungus making the most of an old tree stump - Becky Blackman

Fungi City - Becky Blackman

As with all good walks, there should always be some good stopping spots to take a break and enjoy the view. Here at Coombes there is definitely no shortage of benches situated in the perfect location for enjoying the scenery. Of course, I had to try them all out! After a lot of consideration, Buzzard Bank has to be my number one bench spot! With amazing views and buzzards soaring above us, I could have stayed there all day. This photo doesn’t do it justice, however with a new camera to boot; I am determined to get some great photos over the coming weeks from my number one bench spot.

My favorite spot - Becky Blackman

Autumn is a great time for bird watching and with the arrival of fieldfare, redwing and brambling to name just a few, the next few weeks are going to see lots of changes. I’m also pretty keen to catch a glimpse of the illusive red and roe deer that are known to roam the reserve.

So, with my wellies on, there is no better place for me to go out and enjoy the wonders of autumn and keep you up to date on all things coombes over the next few months.

Where has the summer gone?

2015-08-31T22:46:04Z

August: the hottest month of the year, the height of summer. Yeah right. So we may not have had the greatest summer this year (and certainly not at Coombes) but that doesn’t mean there’s not still a lot to appreciate.

Even in August (the not-so-hottest month of the year) we are already starting to see signs of autumn. The swifts have sadly departed back to their wintering grounds in Africa, south of the Sahara, with the Hobbies not far behind them. Hobbies closely follow the migration pattern of swifts, predating the weak to get them through the journey.

Swift in flight - RSPB images

On a brighter note the woodland floor is fast becoming a forest of fascinating sculpture with an eruption of fungi. The autumn, through to spring, is the best time of year to see and forage fungi.

Fungi spotted close to the story telling circle (which fun guy can ID them?) - Katy Fielding

Beautiful patterns - Katy Fielding

There are still lots of butterflies fluttering around Coombes, enjoying the last of the summer sunshine (or whatever they can get). But soon many adult butterflies will die and others will begin searching for places to hibernate over winter. So if you see a butterfly tucked up in your shed, leave it be: it’s not stuck, it has specifically chosen that spot to wait out the winter. Feel honoured that you’re giving nature a home.

Painted ladies are a welcome sight on warm days at Coombes - RSPB images

We’ve still got a while to go before our winter visitors arrive: fieldfare won’t be back until October and some Redwing may be seen in late September, with the majority arriving in October.

Redwing enjoying some berries - RSPB images

Here at Coombes we like to celebrate every season and to mark all the joys and fun that can be had in autumn; we’re holding a forage festival! At this event there will be lots of family activities to get you as excited about autumn as we are.

There will be foraging walks, making bug hotels and bird feeders. As well as whittling your own wood, toasting marshmallows, face painting and even bat demonstrations! Don’t miss out on this fantastic event on the 26^th September. For more information please contact me: katy.fielding@rspb.org.uk or call 01538 384017 or look on our website. It’s going to be great – don’t miss out!

Big wild sleepout - a great success!

2015-08-16T18:30:00Z

So our Big Wild Sleepout event was on the 1^st August and it did not disappoint! We had around 30 people stomping around the reserve in search of evening and night time critters, toasting marshmallows, playing games and catching moths. Bats even put in an appearance at the end of the night!

We started with a romp around the reserve where we learnt a bit about some of our night time visitors, including foxes, badgers, tawny owls and of course bats! We went into their habitats and found some of their favourite spots for roosting, hibernating and hunting!

The cows we have grazing on Clough meadow were an interesting addition to the walk – they were as interested in us as we were in them! They barred our path to begin with but with some encouragement they reluctantly let us pass.

After our walk we toasted marshmallows around an open camp fire and played wildlife games. I’m not sure who enjoyed toasting marshmallows the most: the kids or the grown ups!

After warming up around the fire with some hot drinks we moved on into the gloom to see if we’d managed to trap some moths – and we were not disappointed! Moths were descending on the trap at a rapid rate. You could really see just how captivated they are by the light.

Moths are drawn to light because they use the moon to navigate through the night. Moth traps with very bright lights trick the moths and draw them in. Therefore, anyone with a moth trap will know that you won’t catch many moths in a trap on the full moon.

Even as early as 9.30pm we had a wide variety of species, colours and sizes in the trap earning themselves many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’. As the last of the days light was swallowed up by the night some of my favourite nocturnal creatures started to make an appearance. Bats were circling over head much to the joy of everyone at big wild sleepout!

Overall the evening was a massive success with everyone having a fantastic time, getting to know the reserve and it’s night time visitors a little better under the cover of darkness. Thank you to everyone know came and made it great. Hopefully we’ll be seeing you all at other events later in the year!

Woodlands are wild but they're even wilder at night! BWSO

2015-07-11T19:41:41Z

The sun begins to set and the woodland – well how can I describe what the woodland does? The woodland begins to buzz. It’s like the whole woodland and all of its creatures takes a collective, excitable intake of breath. Soon, it will be night.

Coombes Valley Visitor Centre as the night draws in - Coombes Valley images

Woodlands are wild - wild with all their roaming predators like badgers and foxes, trying to catch their elusive and darting prey, which are always one step ahead. At least most of them are. They have to be that step ahead if they want to survive. Woodlands are wild with their rising trees, competing for and dominating the sunlight. With their creeping plants using spindly but ever grasping fingers to cling to anything they can reach. Mosses and lichens carpet the floor, walls and even trunks.

Clough meadow with mist rising off the woodland in the background - C. Capewell

Yeah woodlands are wild – but they’re even wilder at night.

What comes out at night? - Becky Austin

At night the woodland and all of its creatures are unapologetic. They don't hide and pander to the visitors of the day. At night the creatures rule the wood. At night the creatures and the woodland rule @RSPBCoombes.

Would you dare to take a step into their world?

Tracking bats - RSPB images

Would you dare to not only take a step into their world but to TRACK them through it? To see who is about and where they go when no one is watching? Would you dare to CATCH them? How about do all of this and then celebrate by toasting marshmallows and toast to the ever secretive, elusive, beckoning and beautiful woodland and all of its creatures with a mug of well-deserved hot chocolate?

Moth trapping is a great way to captivate children and get them close to wacky and colourful wildlife - RSPB images

Well you better get down to Coombes Valley because #bigwildsleepout is doing just that!

Don’t miss out it is going to be wild.

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