Coombes Valley is rather silent at the moment, and I've only had occasional glimpses of the wildlife that I can usually see every day.  Does this sound familiar to you?

As I was walking around the reserve in the snow the other day (which continues to fall!), it got me wondering – how do the animals and birds cope with harsh weather when it arrives so unexpectedly, and what effects does it have on them?

In his two most recent visits, Tim has seen contrasting weather conditions. One visit felt very much like spring was in the air, but the other suggested that winter lingers on.

Here's Tim to describe those visits in his own words

Sunday 10th March

Today was mother's day, and my mum kindly came on my walk with me. For the first time out of five visits the sun managed to stay out throughout the most of the walk…

Visitors joining us on Saturday 9th March got the chance to take part in an informative guided walk on the subject of bryophytes.

The word bryophytes is used as a collective term for mosses and liverworts that have no internal vessels. They extract all they need from the atmosphere, so generally are found in damp conditions.

They're all around us in the natural world, and there is an incredible variety to be found in…

Despite the snow and chilly temperatures over the past week keeping most of our visitors at bay, there has been plenty to see as we move (slowly!) into Spring.  There are still many fungal fruiting bodies hanging on through the cold though, in the forms of turkey tail and birch polypore, of which I have seen some fantastic specimens lately!  Also brightening up the place in the dreary weather are the lovely lichens and…

As part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award, Tim is visiting Coombes Valley on a weekly basis to record the progress of Spring through photography.

Here's a summary of his last 3 visits, which took place through late February and into early March

Hello again. On Thursday 21^st February we went on our usual walk but this time joined by my sister. It was about 3 degrees Celsius and surprisingly there was still a bit of…

Hi there!

We’re the new Coombes Valley interns, me (Simon), Holly and Lizzy. Holly and I are the trainee wardens and Lizzy is the visitor officer trainee.

It took me a while to get here given that I’m from just outside Belfast, but I arrived safe and sound. Holly had less distance to travel, coming from Derbyshire, and Lizzy is a Yorkshire lass.

We’re having a great time so far, being bombarded with a lots…

After Jarrod, our site manager, popped a picture of Dog's Mercury onto facebook the other day I thought I'd have a look at it myself.

On a day off this weekend, I strolled through our landholding in the Churnet Valley, taking in the morning sun on another beautiful spring day. I was armed with my camera to get a couple of shots of this early spring flower.

Dog's Mercury (mercurialis perennis) takes advantage…

Our Trainee Wardens Kayleigh and Nick are leaving after a year of hard work, dedication and a lot of fun along the way! They are both moving on to jobs within the RSPB and we wish them the very best of luck and hope to see them at Coombes Valley again soon!

Audrey our Trainee Visitor Officer is also leaving us after 5 months of being an essential part of the Coombes Valley team! Audrey is also moving on to a job within…

I recently attended a Freshwater Invertebrate Survey set up by the RSPB at Coombes Valley Nature Reserve, Staffordshire.

The site is an oak woodland, located in the steep sided Coombes Valley, it attracts a variety of woodland breeding birds. Species include; flycatchers, redstarts and wood warblers. The site also has a small population of rare argent and sable moths, whose caterpillar larvae encase themselves in birch…

One day it feels like spring is in the air, the next day winter has returned. It’s that time of year when the seasons appear to be battling for domination. Last Wednesday, 13 Feb,  Winter had won the day and I went for a trudge up the lane in the snow for a couple of reasons: firstly, I wanted to take a close look at the awesome icicles on the fence. There’s a constant big puddle on Apesford Lane which cars often…

As a residential intern here, I became interested to learn as much as I could about Coombes Valley. Has it always been a beautiful nature reserve? Why is it spelled “Combes” with one “o” on the map? Researching the Valley’s history for a guided walk that I led on 3 February, 2013, I discovered some local folklore...

Hell Hole

Coombes Valley has not always been regarded as a beautiful…

A Week of Wonders at RSPB Coombes Valley

This weekend and next week why not wrap up warm and come to one of the many events on offer?

Stargazing is back! This Friday, Saturday and Sunday night 7-9pm learn about the constellations of the winter skies, the myths and legends related to them, and see astronomical objects revealed that you didn't know existed.

Photograph: BBC © 2013

We will take you on a tour…

Hi, my name is Tim and I am 14 years old.

I have just enrolled on my Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award in which I have to volunteer somewhere for 3 or 6 months. I have chosen to do my volunteering at RSPB Coombes and Churnet Valley for 3 months. Throughout the next 3 months I will be taking pictures of the valley and describing how it changes and if I’m lucky I may get a few wildlife pictures.

I started last Sunday…

I mentioned in my recent stargazing blog that I'm often out walking our dogs after dark. When not gazing at the night sky I keep an eye out for anything else that may be roaming in the darkness with me. Just occasionally I catch a glimpse of eyes shining out of the night when my headtorch beam crosses their path. Usually it's foxes on their nightly hunt for food. It's rare though to get anywhere near them.

Woodland requires continued active management to retain the desired condition, and the species that depend on this environment. During the last 50 or so years, there has been a country-wide decline in many woodland species, such as the argent and sable moth and the pearl-bordered fritillary. This can be attributed to the decline of traditional management practices, such as coppicing and thinning, during the late 20^th

The snow has gone and the excitement is over. The weather closed our reserve for 11 days. We re-opened this Tuesday just gone but then had to close again the day after due to high winds. Fortunately that was just for one day. We seem to be back to normal now!

The snowfall had also put a stop to our planned birdfeeder making event on 26 Jan. This was on the first day of the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch weekend. With seven…

I headed out to explore our snowy reserve on Friday (25th), a cold, crisp day. The cloud levels were gradually increasing, forewarning of the heavy snowfall that was forecast through the afternoon and evening. I was alone, it was blissfully quiet and I was able just to spend my time exploring with a fresh perspective and all of my senses.

Immediately a thought sprang to mind. "Can there be anyone out there who doesn't…

The whole week has seen the reserve covered with deep snow. On days like this you really get a sense of how much activity there is that we never see. There are mammal footprints everywhere!

The highlight of the week has been getting more pictures of the elusive roe deer. Here is a doe, showing off the distinctive white patch on the backside that helps distinguish them from the commoner red deer.

Being from down…

On the first Sunday of 2013, we took visitors on a guided walk around Coombes Valley. This walk gave those lucky visitors a sneak preview of our extended trail paths that aren't yet open to the public.

Two of our visitors were Jayne and her son, David. While we walked, David asked lots of really interesting questions and was taking photographs as he walked. It's great to see young people with such enthusiasm and…

We may not have had a white Christmas, but we are certainly having a white January. Winter is truly upon us now. There is a definite chill in the air, and there is snow everywhere! 

We have been seeing footprints everywhere too. On the car park there have been many rabbit footprints, recognisable by the level position of the hind feet as they hop.

Further into the reserve, we also found footprints of deer and fox…

On cold, clear, winter nights my dogs enjoy longer walks. The reason? Well, on such nights, I'm often found at the top of our local hill, gazing upwards at the night sky.

The wonders of the Universe intrigue me. I ponder just how magnificent the complexity of life is and how everything we see came to be so. When I stand quietly and take in the vastness of it all, considering how remarkable it is to be there contemplating…

If you go down to the woods today keep an eye out for lichens. If you’ve been to Coombes Valley before then you’ve probably walked past them many times on your way along the trails.

Lichens are not plants and neither are they fungi but they are in fact a combination of the two types of organisms living together for the benefit of them both. The fungi part provides the main body of the lichen while the plant…

Learn about the importance of ‘large woody debris’ at Coombes Valley with Volunteer Mark Preece. (28^th December 2012)

After the recent heavy rains along the Churnet Valley I notice windblown trees are sliding towards the Coombes Brook  about to become brook trees -‘large woody debris’. The process is aided by the steep sides to the Coombes Book in many locations through Coombes Valley.

Large…

Mmmm, that’s got you intrigued hasn’t it?! More of that later...

Anyway... Happy new year!

There aren’t many sightings recorded in the log book from last week so it seems that the gloomy weather over the Christmas break has deterred people from exploring the reserve. Nevertheless, there is still plenty to see for those that don’t wish to walk far from the car. One of my favourite birds, the willow tit…