Autumn Specials – Three seasonal walks to make the most of the season of change
Our three events are aimed to make the most of the wildlife on offer during Autumn – just take a look and get in touch to book your space.
Hares, Owls and Bats at Locko Park – Saturday 22 October 2022
Join me for an easy evening walk on my local patch just outside Derby as we look for some fantastic mammal and bird species.
Starting a couple of hours before sunset we’ll take a gentle stroll through the the parks arable surroundings looking for the numerous Brown Hare that use the area as well as some of the special farmland birds such as Kestrel, Yellowhammer and the increasingly rare Grey Partridge. Entering the park we’ll keep our eyes open for more Hares and the Fallow Deer that frequent the area, we’ll visit the lake with its increasing numbers of wildfowl before heading to an area that is used by both Little and Barn Owls as well as Grey and Red legged Partridge. Returning through the park we will use the Bat detector to see if any species are on the wing feeding up or looking for hibernation sites prior to entering torpor – a mild night might see us encounter Pipistrelle, Noctule and possibly Daubentons Bat.
Need to know
Price: £10 per person
Max group size: 8
Start: 4pm, Duration: 2.5 – 3 hours, Walking/Terrain: Easy
Visible Migration (vis-mig) Drop-in Session (FREE) & Autumn Bird Walk – Saturday 29 October 2022 @ High Leas Farm, Riber, Matlock DE4 5JX (use the entrance off Littlemoor Lane)
Autumn is an exciting time of change in the bird world – our Spring and Summer visitors such as Redstart and Tree Pipit have departed for Africa and been replaced with migrant Thrushes and Finches from Scandinavia and beyond. We will be looking for iconic Autumn and Winter farmland species such as Redwing and Fieldfare whilst searching for Redpoll, Siskin and maybe even Brambling in the woods. We’ll keep an eye out for hungry hunting raptors and there is always a chance of something rarer passing through.
Start: 1.45pm, Duration: 2.5 – 3 hours, Walking/Terrain: Moderate
Booking & Cost: The booking for this walk will be handled by the good people at Holistic Restoration and will be via Eventbrite. The link is posted below – please follow it to book!
Rutting Red Deer on the Eastern Moors – Wednesday 26th October & Sunday 6th November 2022
Come and join us on an easy walk along the Eastern Moors for one of most popular and long established tours – our walking Red Deer safari!
We will visit the stunning Curbar and Froggatt edges and climb up to White Edge with it’s spectacular vistas and their views over Big Moor where we’ll hopefully find our target animal, Red Deer, along with much more.
At this time of year the Stags should be at their most vocal and obvious as they look to win and keep control of a group of hinds. While we are up there we’ll keep our eyes open for migrant birds heading over the moors as our winter visitors start to arrive and our summer breeders continue to depart. The rich berry laden vegetation below the edges acting as a magnet to these migratory bird species.
Promises to be an action packed visit with fabulous photo opportunities. Early morning starts or late afternoon/evening visits are recommended for the most rewarding views. Perfect for the mammal lover or nature enthusiast in your life – we cant wait to share these special animals with you, so please get in touch to enquire or book.
Need to know
Price: £20
Max group size: 6
Start: 8.00am, Location: TBC on booking, Duration: 3 hours, Walking/Terrain: Moderate