If you go down to the woods today ........... you might just hear the wonderful song of a skylark, particularly if you are at Lower Woods in South Gloucestershire. Situated next to Inglestone Common with it's wonderful open grasslands, this area combines some very special habitats in a very small space. It's not just skylarks you may hear, but also chiff chaffs, song thrushes, willow warblers and blackcaps. Follow the links to the excellent RSPB site where you can hear the call of all these birds. If you have a smart phone, there's also a very good app called Birds UK that you can download which will help you to identify birds and their calls when you're out and about.
We recently took a class of students from Hawkesbury Upton primary school on an adventure here to discover the delights of the Common. Pupils learnt about the history of the common, identified some of the wildflowers, made tiny nature collages and learnt some native bird song, you can find some of the activities and games we played here.
Inglestone Common is one of only two places in the whole country where you can find the rare Adder's-tongue spearwort plant which grows on the edge of the seasonal pond.It is part of the buttercup family and particularly favours ponds that dry out and are trampled by livestock around the edge. The other known site is also in Gloucestershire.
Lower woods is also a lovely place to explore but bring your wellies as the woodlands rise out of damp, clay soil so can get very muddy, perfect for spotting animal tracks and trails. See if you can find deer, badger or hedgehog tracks.
Daily outdoor activities around Avon to see you through the summer holidays
Showing posts with label ponds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ponds. Show all posts
Friday, 31 August 2012
Monday, 6 August 2012
Day 6 : Explore Brandon Hill nature park
Time to take it easy and enjoy one of Bristol's best city centre wildlife havens - so pack a picnic, take the bus and spend the afternoon in the peaceful wildflower meadows of Brandon Hill nature park. Click here for directions.
1. Climb to the top of Cabot Tower to be rewarded with breathtaking views across the city. This is also a great spot to look out for peregrines which like to perch just across the way on the Wills Memorial Building. There's so much to see from up there that you'll be glad of having taken a pair of binoculars!
2. Then when you get back down to earth look for dragonflies in the pond - download this free spotters guide so you can tick off each type that you see! The pond is also home to toads, frogs and newts so tread carefully and avoid disturbing them.
3. Afterwards, treat yourself to some lovely homemade ice cream from the van at the top of the hill - scrumptious!
For an insight into what other wildlife there is on Brandon Hill then check out this wildlife map and photos from the wonderful Brandon Hill Nature Blog
1. Climb to the top of Cabot Tower to be rewarded with breathtaking views across the city. This is also a great spot to look out for peregrines which like to perch just across the way on the Wills Memorial Building. There's so much to see from up there that you'll be glad of having taken a pair of binoculars!
2. Then when you get back down to earth look for dragonflies in the pond - download this free spotters guide so you can tick off each type that you see! The pond is also home to toads, frogs and newts so tread carefully and avoid disturbing them.
3. Afterwards, treat yourself to some lovely homemade ice cream from the van at the top of the hill - scrumptious!
For an insight into what other wildlife there is on Brandon Hill then check out this wildlife map and photos from the wonderful Brandon Hill Nature Blog
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