Wildlife in your local patch

Ion takes a look at the joys of watching wildlife in your local community...

My job for the Trust, chatting to visitors on our nature reserves, means that I get to visit some of the most special, beautiful and wildlife-rich habitats in the county. I love working on and walking through our reserves. Seeing, and being surrounded by, their rich flora and fauna is a delight. But there is a different type of thrill I get when it comes to seeking out and discovering the wildlife in my own neighbourhood. This is why I visit my local patch, just a few minutes from home, as often as I can.

Wherever I’ve lived I’ve always sought out a place nearby that I could walk to and devote most of my birdwatching to. Over the years my local patches have been country lanes and arable fields, a series of abandoned gravel pits, a derelict colliery site and, now, a former golf course, which I’ve been visiting for the last four years since moving to Worcester from South Yorkshire.

As time has moved on, my interests have expanded beyond purely birds, which I feel is inevitable when one spends so much time amongst such a wealth of wildlife. I remember my initial interest in butterflies was in part sparked by finding dingy skipper and brown argus on the old colliery heaps.

I remember my initial interest in butterflies was in part sparked by finding dingy skipper and brown argus on the old colliery heaps.

The beauty of visiting the same area over a prolonged period is that you get to see how things change from season to season and year to year. Let me give you an example from my current patch that shows just how changeable nature can be.

Common whitethroat (mainly brown bird with a white throat and grey-ish head) perched on the end of a twig — Common whitethroat by Ion Riley

When I first started watching it in 2019 and for the first couple of years after, common whitethroat were, for want of a better word, ‘common’ breeding birds across the golf course, with at least three along one 300 metres stretch of scrub-lined hedgerow and another five spread out across the scattered patches of bramble. Last year I didn’t see any all summer nor any this spring yet and I do miss the males’ bold character and his scratchy song.

In contrast, this past winter I saw my very first siskin on the patch and an increase in sightings of redpoll. What is still a constant, though, is finding that a lesser whitethroat has arrived back each spring and I get to watch him moving around his territory, pausing for a few minutes at each of his regular singing perches. This doesn't even take into account how I’ve begun to take more notice of the damselflies and dragonflies on and around the small pond. The opportunities for me to observe nature and learn more about it are endless.

But don’t think that because I've been doing this for many years that I’m anything special. You and your family, friends, neighbours and local community can very easily experience this same pleasure. We are certainly blessed in Worcestershire with some wonderful green and wild spaces and now is a perfect time to get out and about in your local area and find your own patch to observe as there is currently so much to see and hear to help get you enthused.

Butterfly with white wings tipped with orange, feeding on a purple honesty flower by Wendy Carter — Orange tip (male) by Wendy Carter

Look down and there is a world of insects to discover with many different bee and butterfly species becoming obvious as they move amongst the flowerheads. In particular, the well named orange-tip butterfly is worth keeping an eye out for. In the trees and bushes, resident and migrant birds are busy singing and nesting; listen out for the chiffchaff repeating his name over and over. And, seeing as I’ve just mentioned them, there are also plenty of flowering plants to try and identify.

By glancing up at the sky you may spot a kestrel or perhaps even a red kite or raven, two species that are becoming increasingly common across the county.

Ion Riley standing in a greenspace and smiling at the camera — Ion Riley

It really doesn’t matter what you have an interest in, or even if you haven’t got a particular interest, just being out in nature is great for your mental health and I am confident that once you do pick a local spot and take the time to slow down and look, you’ll start to become fascinated with what is all around you. You might even find that you enthuse others by just stopping and taking an interest in your local space.

We have a range of spotter sheets that you can print off and use to see how many species of wildlife you can spot and to help you discover just what wildlife you share your patch with. Keep a diary or log of what you see. You’ll find that looking back at when you saw your first blossom or your first frogspawn each year will bring back happy memories. I’m an inveterate lister and always note down the dates of spring migrant arrivals to the patch.

Going hand-in-hand with your own rewarding experience, because you’ll find it certainly is rewarding, is reporting your sightings, knowing you are adding to our knowledge and understanding of the state of Worcestershire’s wildlife. Have a look at our Wildlife Sightings project - there are always certain species we are very interested in hearing about but you can also let us know of any wildlife you see. You never know, you may find something special in a place we’ve not yet had records from.

Finally, the most important things to remember when you are out are to have fun but respect both the wildlife and the request of the landowner as regards access. Whether it’s a nature reserve, an area of farmland, your community greenspace or the local churchyard, make sure you stay on any permitted pathways to avoid causing damage or disturbance.