The greater butterly orchids are out in the meadows of Coombes and today our lovely volunteer Becca is here to tell you why you shouldn't miss out. They're only fleeting, so find a spare hour to pop down and see us! 

Greater butterfly orchid, taken by Becca Bratt

I'm just starting week two of a three week work placement here at Coombes Valley. Luckily enough it is at a time when the reserve is full of new life…

As a kid, did you ever wonder who in your neighbourhood had been running round the fields and woods spitting everywhere? Most of us will be familiar with those frothy, spittle-like blobs on grass and plant stems; but have you ever questioned what they are?

 
Evidence of someone spitting on our grass! Photo by Lucy

Recently I’ve started to discover nature on the small-scale, and I’ve quickly realised how many hidden worlds…

Remember our guest blog from a few weeks ago? http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/coombeschurnet/b/coombeschurnet-blog/archive/2014/05/28/taking-a-stroll-along-the-woodcock-trail.aspx

Ben has returned since then, what more has he seen?

I have become a relatively frequent visitor to what has temporarily become my local reserve. I live in Basingstoke but work from time to time in Stoke-on-Trent. In the…

 To monitor the butterfly life at Coombes there is a weekly butterfly transect. Our lucky wardens walk a set, hour long route through the reserve and count what they see. What an onerous job! So, what is about this week?

Green-veined white, taken by Simon Gray

Green-veined white

A wide-spread and beautiful butterfly, the green-veined white is common across the country in a variety of habitats. It has a wide range…

This story began yesterday. I checked my e-mails and there was one from a former volunteer, forwarding a petition. It was about vultures. Please keep reading because this is important.

What, may you ask, has that got to do with Coombes Valley?

One of the reasons why the RSPB acquired Coombes Valley back in the 1960’s was that it was reputed to have been the last refuge of sparrowhawk in Staffordshire. Many similar birds…

If you build it, they will come. If you’ve seen our advert on TV in the last week or so then you’ll know its somewhat of an RSPB mantra. If you make space in your garden, school or local park then it will, with the right encouragement, fill with nature.

Of course, it might be that as your empty hedgehog house awaits a resident, the slowly rotting wood and leaf matter instead attracts a range of strange and…

Our reserve’s moth trap has suddenly begun to yield a group of the largest moth species found in this country. Within the past week the hawk moths have appeared! This group of friendly giants, also known as sphinx moths, are actually often considered to look quite exotic.

Our first encounter with hawk moths occurred on the 21^st of May, where our trap suddenly saw three different species. The most numerous of these…

Our guest blog today comes from Ben, what are his impressions of Coombes after time spent away?

I think everyone has a favourite place and mine is Coombes Valley, if there is a truly natural woodland habitat it has to be here.

Sadly my opportunities to visit have dwindled since my work has moved away from Stoke on Trent back to my home town of Basingstoke in Hampshire but when I am in the area, Coombes Valley is my…

Remember when you used to come in from outside with a muddy nose after an absentminded scratch, with grass stained knees and a huge grin on your face? That’s one of our favourite sights at Coombes.

Getting children excited about nature is a huge part of what Lucy and I spend our time on, not just with events but on a day to day basis. After all, it was such a huge part of our own childhoods we can’t help but find…

What are the blobs? 

They're places near the path network where pied flycatcher (black) and redstart (red!) have been heard singing. It's not definitive - but is a guide to where some have been seen recently - and are good places to start on your journey to discover these special birds.

We'd like you to help us keep track of them too. The team are out doing standard method surveys - and recording casually as…

In another guest blog, Stephen Morse talks about looking at landscapes in a different way, and using one's imagination:

Since I retired, five years ago, one of my favourite pastimes has been to get out into the country, especially of course when the weather is favourable, to enjoy the fresh air and scenery and take pictures.  Digital photography is wonderful in this respect because you can take dozens of pictures at…

Stephen Morse has been one of the earlybirds when it comes to walking our new extended Woodcock trail here at Coombes Valley. In a guest blog, he tells us what he made of the exciting new woodland walk:

I had to get away last Saturday afternoon (3^rd May).  My team, Fulham, whom (for no logical reason) I have followed for the last 55 years, were in danger of relegation if they lost at Stoke City ;  and so I decided to go…

I had a great day last Tuesday (April 29^th). The new manager of all the RSPB Midlands Reserves, Nick Droy, came out to re-familiarise himself with Coombes. In his younger days, he worked for the National Trust, on the nearby Ilam Estate. Stomping around the reserve brought back many good memories for him. He did note though, the changes since he was last here. He was impressed with the new footpath that goes much further…

Did you know that the team at Coombes Valley are also responsible for a large part of the Churnet Valley woodlands?

To the south of Coombes and literally a minute ‘as the crow flies’, there are woodlands with strange names. Crowgutter, Rough Knipe, Booths and Chase woods. Some of them tell you the story of their past. Coal pit wood is indicative of the fact that much of the Churnet was heavily mined for coal and iron…

The beautiful splashes of colour butterflies bring to our gardens are definitive of spring and summer, but what about their night-time relatives? Here at Coombes the moth trap is out almost every night so we can see who visits our reserve once darkness falls. It’s really easy to do, you can even do it at home. 

Set the scene in your own garden...as dusk falls and the sun sets on a still night, the air comes alive…

For the last four years I have been involved in a bumblebee transect, a survey to count the number of our furry friends in and around Coombes. This is a nationwide project which aims to help us understand just what is going on with our bees. So, armed with nothing but a clipboard and a pair of sharp(ish) eyes – we’re going on a bear...I mean bee - hunt!

First, let me get this off my chest; bumblebees and…

5. Pond Dipping

Grab a tray and net from the visitor centre and see what you can find living in our pond. Snails and bloodworms, water boatmen and whirligig beetles are just a few of the minibeasts you’re likely to come across.

Our frogspawn is newly hatched, which makes it the perfect time of year to spend and afternoon hung over the water watching as they spend the coming weeks making their strange transition…

Spring has arrived and here is a taster of the reserve’s latest seasonal sightings

Chiffchaff

This noisy little bird made his debut two weeks ago. Elusive at first, hidden among the trees in the young woodland, chiffchaffs can now be seen belting out their distinctive song atop some of the reserve’s tallest trees. Although it is a migratory bird, the chiffchaff is among the first species to return to their breeding…

If you’ve been to Coombes before it’s likely to be a place where you’ve had a few unexpected sightings and if you haven’t it may just look like a boring old bird table. However, don’t underestimate the appeal of those nuts and seeds. That feeder hanging next to the viewing platform, looking out over the hay meadow, is fast becoming one of my favourite places.

Long-tailed tits on the birdfeeder…

As you already know, as residential volunteers here at Coombes we have a range of jobs and responsibilities around the reserve. However, above all this year as an intern (for me at least) is about opportunities to learn and making the most of those opportunities. It's only mid March and the moth trap is already out nearly every night, there are normally only a handful in there come morning but learning to recognise some…

Spring has sprung here at Coombes, birdsong fills the air and buds are starting to break through. The familiar sound of a blackbird can be heard everyday from its perch in the trees and blue tits and great tits are already starting to move into their nestboxes.

Skylarks – Out with our work party volunteers on Tuesday we spotted some skylarks flying up high. At this time of year it could be ‘late birds’ flying…

Hi I’m Matthew, the new warden intern here at Coombes. Last week was my first here on the reserve and, if it’s anything to go by, the next six months are certainly going to be busy! As a new set of eyes and ears for the blog, I thought I’d give you a quick insight into my first few days on the job and all the amazing people and wildlife I’ve encountered so far.

After moving into the intern house…

This weeks sightings blog takes on a new twist as we meet the new interns who will be living at Coombes for the next six months.

Written by Visitor intern Sally, here are her first impressions of the reserve and her thoughts about what's to come in ther near future.  Over to Sally...

Coombes Valley has had a new recent sighting; three wide eyed, beaming, eager beaver interns. Matt, Maddie and I (Sally) were ready…

For this week’s blog, I (Rachel, from the Visitor team) thought that it’s a good opportunity to tell you about some of our events we have planned this year.

It’s Half term week this week, that means another fun event here at RSPB Coombes Valley!

From Wednesday 19 February to Sunday 23 February Coombes will be host to Wild Art Activity days. Call in any time between 11am and 3 pm to have ago at the…

Love is in the air at Coombes Valley this week. The signs of spring are making an appearance from every corner of the reserve. Whether that’s the birds starting to chirp, insects creeping out of their cosy homes or the buds breaking through. The snow made a welcome return on Tuesday, making the place glisten like a scene from a fairy tale! Coombes took a battering on Wednesday as we saw the return of high winds and…