A month of ground-nesting bird season to go!

It’s hard to believe that we only have one month of ground-nesting bird breeding season left…where has the season gone?

The team of Special Protection Area bird surveyors have had a busy five months as of March monitoring Woodlarks and Dartford Warblers, followed by Nightjars as of May. We look forward to seeing the collated numbers for the Thames Basin Heaths in Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. This excitement is tinged with sadness due to the number of wildfires that have occurred over the spring and summer. It remains to be seen how these have impacted offspring, both at the egg and fledgling stages.

Paws On Paths Please guidance remains in place to 15th September in order to give juvenile Nightjars the space to grow strong before the long flight to Africa.

August is one of the most wonderful months to visit the Thames Basin Heaths as the ling is in full bloom. If you’re planning a visit during this period of high wildfire risk, please do remain vigilant, take your litter home with you and if you’re a smoker, please do extinguish and dispose of cigarette butts responsibly. Absolutely no campfires or BBQs please.

For many families there are still three weeks of the summer holidays left, and we have two family-friendly events planned. Take a look at the What’s On calendar for more information!