May is one of the best months to enjoy Broadwater Warren, our local RSPB reserve – as well as many of the familiar garden birds it’s alive with blackcaps, willow warblers , garden warblers and whitethroats – the Merlin app will help you identify them. The iconic heathland birds, stonechats and dartford warblers are rarerContinue reading “Broadwater Warren”
Author Archives: wildgroombridge
Wild verge update
The Wild Verge outside the Parish Council offices in Groombridge looks a bit different this month: following a year of surveying the existing plants we’ve begun to look after it in a positive way to encourage a wide range of Wealden wildflowers. After lots of discussions with the parish council, residents and experts in High WealdContinue reading “Wild verge update”
Peregrine Falcon
Although Peregrine Falcon numbers have slowly increased in the last 50 years, these deadly apex predators are still rare in the UK with less than 2000 pairs – compare that to the red kite with nearly 5000 pairs. The slow improvement has been attributed to the reduction or banning of organochlorine pesticides which badly affectContinue reading “Peregrine Falcon”
Volunteers needed to test the River!
Sarah is part of the Ripple Effect team and will be out testing the Grom and upper Medway looking for pollutants, and for signs of wildlife. Will you join her and a band of citizen science volunteers? We’re offering full training in water sampling and invertebrate testing so you need no experience at all, justContinue reading “Volunteers needed to test the River!”
Spring flower spotter sheet
Spring is here – slowly and surely the first buds and shoots are appearing all around the village. We’ve seen celandines and primroses already, and the birds are getting ready to nest – just open your window at dawn and they’re singing out! We have so many beautiful wild flowers – here’s a simple spotterContinue reading “Spring flower spotter sheet”
Big Garden Birdwatch 2024
We’ve come to that time of of year for the world’s largest garden wildlife survey . Spend just one hour watching the birds in your patch, between 26 and 28 January, and record the birds that land. Its as easy as that. Go on line for full details and to record your findings https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch “AcrossContinue reading “Big Garden Birdwatch 2024”
Waxwings
Keep your eyes open for Waxwings this winter – they are migrants from Finland, Sweden, Norway or western Russia, mostly seen in Scotland or the north of England when its particularly cold back home or when berry crops have failed in Northern Europe. In an exceptional year they make it down to the south eastContinue reading “Waxwings”
Meadow Pipits
Meadow pipits ( or mipits as some birders call them) are quite common in the UK generally – around 2 million pairs – but they are amber listed (index of birds of conservation concern) as numbers are declining. We haven’t seen many around Groombridge in recent years so I was surprised to come across aContinue reading “Meadow Pipits”
Love your local hornets!
There’s always a buzz when people spot a hornet – they’re so much bigger than bees and wasps, and to be honest, they look a little bit scary if you don’t know anything about them. But we’ve had hornets in our garden for years and they really aren’t aggressive, even when they wander into theContinue reading “Love your local hornets!”
RSPB Broadwater Warren
Andy Daw is a lifelong naturalist and an RSPB site manager with responsibility for several reserves in the south of England, including the 181 ha (448 acre) Broadwater Warren reserve on the edge of Groombridge. Wild Groombridge’s Phil Sumner talked to him about the history and development of the reserve. PS: How did the BroadwaterContinue reading “RSPB Broadwater Warren”
Wild Groombridge 