New! Summer evening wildlife safari’s
To take advantage of those lovely light and increasingly warm Summer evenings we’ll be running regular evening nature walks from the week 7th June until the end of August!
These short evening rambles will be available to book onto every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening and will last for around 2 – 2.5 hours. We’ll be aiming to start our walks a couple of hours before sunset (when many of our bird and insect species will still be active) and finish at dusk where, with the help of bat detectors, we’ll be keeping an eye and ear out for some of our nocturnal species.
These walks are ideal for anyone who simply doesn’t have the time to join one of our longer walks or would just like an introduction to the wealth of undiscovered wildlife on our doorstep and as you’ll see from the locations these walks will mostly be on flat, easily accessible and well surfaced paths making them ideal for any ability or age.
Derby and the Derwent – This walk starts and ends at the Cathedral where we’ll take a good look at Derby’s world famous breeding Peregrines before heading downstream past the city’s largest Sand Martin colony to The Sanctuary LNR, Derby’s only bird reserve. We’ll be keeping an eye out for lots of bird species that use this stretch of river such as Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Little Egret and a host of singing migrant warblers.
Hobby (Falco Subbuteo) – these spectacular falcons specialise in hunt hirundines and large insects, often hunting well into the evening (By Andy Morffew, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61980686)
At their nesting colony Sand Martins are often joined by good numbers of Swifts and all this activity often draws in predators like Sparrowhawks and the spectacular Hobby! As the sun starts to set we retrace our steps and use our Bat detectors to listen out for Pippistrelle, Noctule and Daubentons Bat.
Sawley and The Trent – Starting and finishing at Trent Lock we’ll head past Cranfleet cut to join the main flow of the Trent and head upstream skirting the edge of Long Eaton gravel pits. These bird and insect rich habitats should provide plenty to see with great numbers of Sand Martin and Swifts feeding overhead, warblers singing from the scrubby banks and Common Terns fishing. The flooded gravel pits often hold Little and Great White Egret as well as waders around the muddy fringes and the chance of Hobby hawking dragonflies overhead! As dusk falls and we head back towards Trent Lock (and maybe a welcome pint at the pub there?) we’ll use the bat detector to help us locate water loving species such as Common and Soprano Pipistrelle and Daubentons. What chance an Otter along the Trent at dusk?
Carsington Water – There is always plenty to see at one of Derbyshire largest water bodies! We’ll start at the visitor centre for an easy amble past the Wildlife Centre where we’ll check Horseshoe island for wading birds such Redshank and Snipe whilst and scan the water to spot the many wildfowl species that call Carsington home. We’ll follow the lakeside path up towards Sheepwash where a great mix of habitats on route should provide a wealth of species. We’ll be back at the visitor centre for dusk and before departing we’ll explore Stones Island with our bat detector! An ideal evening walk for anyone staying or living around Ashbourne of the South Peaks.
Cromford Canal – We’ll start at the Derwent where we’ll look for Dipper and Kingfisher on the river before heading down the canal to Lea Wood. We’ll be looking out for the canals famous Water Voles and its equally popular breeding Little Grebes! Grey Wagtail should be present along the canal with lots of of other bird species in the well wooded banksides. The canal is superb insect habitat and these are appreciated by a great number of Bat species. As dusk falls we’ll be looking and listening out for Pipistrelles, Daubentons and Brown Long Eared Bat as we stroll back to our start point in the shadow of Richard Arkwright’s world famous mill. An ideal walk for anyone staying or living in the Matlock area.
These are just our four regular routes but if you have a local nature site nearby you want to explore or have another route in mind and want an experienced guide along to help you identify the species you encounter then please get in touch.
These walks are currently available for maximum group size of six people and are priced at £15 per adult. Children are welcome and are priced at £7.50p (under 18) or free (under 10’s) (all under 16’s must be accompanied by a full paying adult).
