Gloucestershire reserves

There is always a bit of a lull in bird activity at Nagshead from July to the end of August, but September can deliver surprises as Autumn migration gets underway and this morning was no exception. After a quick walk around the Nursery Meadows it became clear that some passage migrants had been grounded by the overnight showers. First a male Stonechat popped up on some bracken making the distinctive 'chack chack' call from…

February and March are by far the best months to look for Hawfinches at Nagshead. This large, but elusive finch holds almost legendary status amongst keen birders. Despite their size (approaching the size of a Redwing), Hawfinches can be surprisingly difficult to locate, even when you can hear one calling in the tree above you. They tend to stick to the very top section of the trees when resting and will only drop down to the…

Kingfishers may not be the first bird you think of when visiting Nagshead, but at certain times of year, they can be quite regular on the reserve ponds. It is always intriguing to see one flash past in a blue blur at waist height through mature woodland, commuting between water bodies. Late summer into early autumn is usually the time to see them on the reserve, presumably due to post breeding dispersal. Occasionally they 

If you visit the woods at Nagshead over the festive period, you will be sure of a big surprise thanks to art students from the Royal Forest of Dean campus of Gloucester College. The students have created six sculptures specifically for Nagshead as part of their course, which can be found around the Visitor Centre, Nursery Meadows and the start of Short Trail. Some of the pieces are an impressive size and look like they…

Things have been fairly quiet on the reserves lately, as is usual for this time of year. Our summer migrant birds are all on the move southwards and our winter visitors have not yet arrived. Lots of nature can still be found however, especially around the Nursery Meadows and ponds at Nagshead. Dragonfly species, such as Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter can still be found and the long grass around the edges…

 It feels like spring really has flown by this year! It seems to have come and gone in a flash and now summer is upon us once again. The reserves have been very busy with breeding birds and migrants have been back in encouraging numbers. The fine weather throughout spring should also have helped with fledging success. Birds tend to go very quiet on the reserves at this time of year, but Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts and Wood…

The settled weather over recent weeks has resulted in a good number of summer migrants turning up a little earlier than usual. The first Pied Flycatcher was found in the Lower Hide area at Nagshead on April 10th, followed by two singing Redstarts in Russell's Inclosure on April 12th. The table below shows the arrival dates for the summer visitors that have arrived so far at Nagshead. Garden and Wood Warblers should…

Spring really doesn't feel far away now, with increasing day length and a definite warmth to the sun in sheltered spots. Snowdrops have carpeted the slope below the Pinetum at Highnam Woods for the past couple of weeks and the appearance of a Grey Heron stalking the Nursery Pond at Nagshead heralded the arrival of spawning Frogs. Dor Beetles have already been seen along the paths and the first basking Adder of the year…

...chainsaws!

We have reached the point in the year when suddenly a lot of work seems to happen in a short period of time at Highnam Woods. Contractors are busy working at coppicing this years plots, which are the area adjacent to the chicken farm and a small area next to the carpark and the main road. When you next visit the woods you may be somewhat surprised to see the area by the car park and hide, in particular…

After such wet and windy weather over the Christmas period, it has been nice to have some clear crisp winter days over the past week. Several bird species have been heard singing at Nagshead due to the mild weather, including Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush and Goldcrest. On Friday 10^th January, Two-barred Crossbill was finally added to the reserve's list of avifauna. A lone male was very mobile and vocal around the car park…

The recent frosts and a breezy day on Friday finally persuaded the trees at Nagshead to shed their leaves. A gust of wind now creates a blizzard of orange leaves and yellow larch needles. The reserve seems quiet again now, but winter birds have been arriving in good numbers. Redwings can be seen foraging with Blackbirds and Bramblings can be found amongst Chaffinch flocks feeding on beech mast on the Long Trail. Hawfi…

Although something in my brain is nagging at me saying that the cold of winter can only just be around the corner, it feels as though autumn is really only just getting going.  It seems that the trees have been promising to turn their colours through most of October, but something has been keeping them green and they are only just now beginning to complement the bracken through the forest. The feeling of an extended summer…

On the surface, Nagshead may seem a little on the quiet side now as many bird species have either finished breeding or are busy feeding young and the bracken does its best to hide our mammals, making them even more elusive. The great thing about Nagshead however, is that there is always something to see! The Nursery Pond is full of life; tadpoles, newts, damselflies, dragonflies and a whole host of other interesting creatures…

As I stood in Highnam Woods yesterday early afternoon I was very surprised to hear a Nightingale start up with a burst of song just up the nature trail a little way from the car park. A little later, further around the nature trail I heard a second bird singing in another location. It is unusual to hear them at this time of year, most references I have seen suggests going out to listen for them between mid May and early…

It is still so cold, but some things are battling through regardless. Seeing primroses in full flower as I walked around Highnam Woods yesterday brought a smile to my face, as did listening to the Ravens and the Buzzards overhead. Thanks to the families who braved the cold to come along to the 'Egg-stravaganza' yesterday, it was great to see people making the most of the reserve on an early spring day. 

There…

Winter wonderland, RSPB Nagshead (Photo: Lewis Thomson)

During the recent week of snow, it was brilliant to get up to Nagshead and walk the paths looking for animal tracks. I managed to find signs of Fox, Wild Boar, Fallow Deer, Grey Squirrel and a couple of rodent tracks on a stroll around the Long Trail. Fallow Deer prints consist of two simple narrow slots and are fairly easy to identify here as Fallow are the only large…

I've just taken a wander up to Nagshead as I couldn't resist a walk in the snow having sat in the office watching it fall all morning. It was absolutely beautiful up there, and quite amazing how much snow can cling to such small branches!

As you can imagine there was not a great deal of activity up there, either wildlife or human - tracks show a couple of other people had been through the reserve and there were…

We would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, hopefully 2013 will be packed with exciting wildlife encounters and will be a little drier than 2012! We hope to see you all out enjoying the reserves in the coming months, don't forget to keep an eye on the Nagshead events page here and the Highnam events page here. Come along and join us on Sunday 6th Jan for our first guided walk of the year at Highnam Woods - a 'winter…

After all the recent rain a crisp, sunny spell of weather was very welcome on the reserves. Woodlands always look spectacular on frosty, clear sky days, especially at Nagshead with the bare ancient oaks standing proud while sunbeams filter through to the woodland floor. The frosts also meant that wellies weren't required on the Short Trail for first time in weeks! The reserve has seemed very quiet lately, but a bit of good…

There might not be enough sun for our solar panels to kick in and charge the batteries, but it was certainly enough to pull me out of the office at lunchtime. I really enjoyed taking the opportunity to see the reserve in winter, some of it looks so different without all the ground cover and, despite the low level of the sun, it seems brighter with no leaves in the canopy.

The lack of leaves also allowed me some great…

After a peaceful (if wet) summer at Highnam there has been a little flurry of activity in the last couple of weeks. The dams that I have been eager to get installed in one of the coppice plots have finally been completed, and are holding water back nicely. While the contractors were working in the area I also asked them to complete some drainage restoration work on a couple of the paths, so we are hopeful that the coppice…

With all the rain and some strong winds we have had over the last few days I took an opportunity to walk the main trails at Nagshead this morning. I was greeted with a real feeling that autumn is in the air (as if the weather hadn't told me). The bracken is receding and revealing the diggings of the wild boar around the reserve, and there is a very peaceful feel, possibly partly as I was one of the first on the reserve…

We regularly get a post breeding Kingfisher visiting the ponds at Lower Hide from mid-July through to autumn. Undoubtedly it just takes a short D tour from the Cannop Brook across the road around 100 metres away. This year I was looking forward to bumping into the Kingfisher on the reserve again as summer approached, but July came and went and August was marching on with no sign. Yesterday I was working at the Visitor Centre…

All of our migrant breeding birds have now returned to Nagshead. Spotted Flycatchers arrived in early May and finally the first Nightjar was heard 'churring' on May 14th. We currently have three male Nightjars on the reserve, hearing their eerie churring song as darkness falls is a real highlight of the year at Nagshead! The males tend to arrive from Africa a little earlier than the females to set up territories…

The cold wet weather hasn't made the best of starts to the season, but I think all the species have now been ticked off on the reserve lists, with one nightjar so far recorded at Russell's Inclosure. An unexpected bonus for Lewis when out looking for these over the weekend was a barn owl hunting over the area - too say he was pleased is an understatement!

Pied flycatchers seem to have settled down to breed, and…