Storm Doris hit the reserve at the weekend and even resulted in the decision to send all staff at HQ home for safety reasons.

Two trees came down on the Old Quarry trail and a number of branches around the reserve trails and staff car parks were casualties but they have now been safely cleared.

The Old Quarry and Galley hill trails are now open but the Sandy Ridge and Old Heath trails remain shut due to forestry operations…

Due to High Winds the reserve will be closed today for safety reasons.

It will reopen once we have done safety checks along the trails.

The shop is open as usual.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Paths around Sandy Ridge and the old heath will be closed for the week commencing 20 February, due to forestry work. We are improving our woodlands and creating heathland links, rides and glades to benefit wildlife.

The path from Sandy town and railway station will also be closed as it is being prepared for a new Sustrans bike route. Other paths remain open as usual and the Galley Hill trail can still be walked from…

Apologies for the lack of content recently, I've been away in North Norfolk for a week, with lots of good birding - and then busy with half term and catching up! However, there has been no real noticeable change in the birds we have seen on the reserve during this time, although many are now singing and acting like spring is here in these warm, and often sunny days.

I keep trying to find a brambling under the feeders, but…

It's been an even more varied work week than usual for me this week. I spent most of Monday with a contractor putting up new signage, mainly around the reserve perimeter entrances and exits. These signs show  a woodpecker and natterjack toad, two special creatures of The Lodge.

Yesterday I had a meeting at Ampthill Park. I had the bonus of a calling lesser-spotted woodpecker while we stood out in the woods behind the…

Over the weekend I bumped into a young birder and photographer, Olly Richards, who is really into his owls. Olly had a great shot of one of one of our Sandy Heath Quarry little owls which he's shared with me. It's great to meet such a dedicated youngster, and Olly lives near me in Little Paxton.

I've been out and about on the reserve this week, and bird highlights were a raven flying over and calling - coming…

The bright, crisp weather bought out very large crowds to the Big Garden Birdwatch Warm-Up event, and our visitors enjoyed guided bird walks, bird watching at the feeders, making fat balls and then having a warming cup of soup.

We were delighted and amazed at how busy and successful this Big Garden Birdwatch event was, especially for a weekend in mid- January! On Sunday, the car-park was totally full by 11am and we had…

It's one of those wonderful crisp and frosty, sunny winter mornings that are perfect for getting wrapped up and getting out to enjoy. The reserve is looking stunning as I look out of the window of the office-I'll try to get out later!

The whole suite of regular seasonal birds have been seen at The Lodge this week; siskins (in low numbers), redpolls (larger numbers- flocks of 30-50), just a few bramblings- (mainly just…

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Warm Up Weekend at The Lodge

Saturday 21   11 am -  2 pm

Sunday    22  11 am – 2 pm

The RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch will be held over three days for the first time, on January 28/29/30, and we are holding a warm up event at The Lodge to get prepared for the biggest weekend in the RSPB calendar.

Wrap up snugly and join our friendly RSPB staff and volunteers to get useful…

With large numbers of waxwings moving across the whole country we are a still waiting for a nice bird or two to pop onto the reserve, but they are getting close. Yesterday, a couple of waxwings were in their traditional stopping off location, opposite Marshalls, along Sunderland Road in Sandy, so not too far away!

Image credit; Waxwing in Sandy Ray Piercy

Apart from our ravens, we don't often mention corvids in our sightings…

It is looking very atmospheric at The Lodge this morning, as the fog lays over a frosty backdrop with a hazy sun breaking through at times.

Images Mark Brandon

This is in contrast to the very sunny day yesterday, when the crowds flocked here to enjoy a good walk after Christmas with the car-park often at full capacity.

Severall lesser redpolls, treecreeper and nuthatches were all seen around the car-park, while ravens…

A very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year, from Mark, Lizzie, Peter and all the team at The Lodge reserve.

Hope you can make it out for some walks and birding over the festive break.

Credit Line: Alastair Wilson (rspb-images.com)

Reserve warden Lizzie did her regular bird count on Sandy Heath which includes the area we've planted with seed crop. This produced over 200 linnets, good numbers of reed buntings and lesser redpolls and up to five or six stonechats, twelve skylarks, and ten grey partridge  (I feel like bursting into a famous Christmas Carol at this time)! Two little owls were seen and photographed in their usual spot, sunning themselves on the…

https://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/martinharper/archive/2016/12/14/12-days.aspx

I read this post from Martin Harper and it's a great way to head towards Christmas on a high!

I'd mentioned  in previous posts the increasing sightings of bullfinches on the reserve, and today three were seen around the bramble bushes at the hide, looking very colourful on a drab, drizzly winter's day!

John Bridges (rspb-images.com)

The Lodge reserve looking golden in winter sunlight.......

What a difference a few days make? The scarves and gloves are back in the cupboard and even the fleece makes me feel overdressed today.

After a quiet couple of weeks, there seems to be lots more redwings and fieldfares around the reserve now. Bullfinches, once a very scarce bird at The Lodge, are becoming an almost daily sighting, especially along the trail leading from the shop towards the Galley hill trail. A few siskins…

I heard the first sign of spring while working at The Lodge over the weekend! - a great-spotted woodpecker has been drumming on several occasions around the reserve entrance. The sunshine and relatively mild weather must have him thinking it's time to attract a mate again and it's another small example of how climate is changing the habits of wildlife and nature.

Several lesser redpolls were seen yesterday, along w…

It really looks like a proper autumn day today, with sunlight dappling through the golden yellow trees. It's remarkably mild as well, but that looks set to change in coming days.

The Tuesday walkers were lucky to see a roosting tawny owl along the path from the garden down the slope to the old heath yesterday. Ray Piercy even managed to get this photo of the owl looking sleepily down on the group.

A few redpolls and…

Hitchin & Letchworth RSPB have a coach trip to Blashford Lakes, a lovely Hampshire Widlife Trust nature reserve, on Sunday 20th November. There are gravel pits and woodlands with hides and an excellent bird feeding station. Rare gulls and grebes are regular visitors, and there is a goosander roost. £14.50 adults, £7.25 juniors, contact Malcolm Ingram 01462 451320 for info and booking

We may have had some frost this week, but nature still think it summer in places. Firstly we experienced the swarm of harlequin ladybirds, with the windows  around the Gatehouse massing with the little creatures and you couldn't go out without at least one landing on you. I've also noticed that the lavender leading up to the shop is starting to flower, and Jonathon Philpott sent this image of a small copper butterfly…