Tag Archives: wildlife walk

Counting Hobbies at Thursley Common National Nature Reserve

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Rich Bunce

It’s hard to imagine a nation with quirkier hobbies than the UK… That said, I saw a news piece once about a man in Belgium who dressed up and behaved as a penguin at weekends; but maybe that’s more a comment on the news than hobbies. I digress, what I’m trying to say is that there seems to be something distinctly characteristic about many popular British pastimes.

On a number of occasions I have found myself getting ribbed by friends calling me a ‘twitcher’. This is an accusation hard to deny when you own a pair of binoculars and frequently refer to them as ‘bins’! But the truth is, I just love nature, I love being out and experiencing wildlife, and Thursley Common is a truly awesome place to experience both in abundance!

The exciting mix of terrain at Thursley Common provides a rare opportunity to spot a great variety of wildlife. For me, what really stole the show were the common lizards unavailingly warming themselves on the board walks that sit just above the marshes.

There were plenty of hobbyists about too… Bird watchers, ramblers, cyclists, pond dippers and a noticeable number of photographers (always a turn off for me, but there you go). However the Hobby that caught nearly everyone’s eye, was actually a bird of prey flying overhead catching and eating dragonflies on the wing. In fact there were two Hobbies patrolling this territory giving breathtaking aerial displays. The speed and agility of these falcons is breathtaking, I guess when your main diet is dragonflies you’d have to be pretty agile, trying to photograph them is hard enough!

Throughout the walk my head was spinning in every direction: Lizards under foot, Hobbies over-head and unique landscapes and plant life all around, with so much to take in and so much happening… If you do this walk, do your neck stretches before you set off!

Saltholme… a Home for Cool Owls

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Rich Bunce

Saltholme rspb wetland centre

Hot Cappuccino, warm cheese scone and some chocolate fingers. If only every walk could start that way! The RSPB Saltholme cafe is something to behold; with its vast Robocop visor-esque windows that allow people to sit down in the warm, eat, drink, watch nature and photograph all at the same time… I’m pretty sure this is my Dad’s idea of heaven! However as a photographer, the cafe feels a little like two big blokes standing either side of you at a urinal… Intimidating lenses every direction you turn!

Having plucked up enough courage to get my camera out of my bag (not in the sense of the previous euphemistic metaphor) and remove myself from the cosy warmth of the cafe, I joined Caroline and her family who had somehow got ahead of me. I say somehow, getting distracted and falling behind isn’t an uncommon trait.

Saltholme is a great place to take a walk. Obviously there’s visitors who take their sport seriously, but everyone is friendly and it seems very good for families. We went for a short stroll really, rather than a walk. The conflicting landscapes where the industrial North meet the resilience of nature is humbling to witness and stirs up a range of responses. There really is a super abundance of wildlife. We were lucky enough to see a short eared owl on several occasions as we walked around the wetlands, which for me at least was pretty exciting!

I really loved my visit Saltholme Wetland Centre, I think it’s a fantastic introduction to wildlife walking and would recommend it to anyone. I’m certainly going back, but maybe with a bigger lens!