Article for village newspaper, January 2010

Winter Wildlife Walks

Now that Christmas has come and gone, it’s time to start thinking about working off some of those Christmas excesses. What better way than with a walk in the countryside, offering fresh air, exercise, and the chance to spot some interesting wildlife along the way?

A favourite local walk of mine is across the fields to Girton and back, starting and ending where the Girton footpath crosses the Guided Busway. These days we have a choice of route, but my favourite is the left-hand path: the one that goes from the Histon wood through the Girton wood and up the side of the fields to the back of Girton Rec. I often see muntjac deer here, and foxes. Birds to watch out for in the woods include sparrowhawks, kestrels, and large mixed flocks of tits and finches, while winter-visiting redwings feed on the fields and fieldfares love the crab apples on the tree in Girton churchyard. If you return via the original Girton footpath, you may see pheasants and even a black squirrel near to the farm at the Girton end of the path, and rabbits in the pony fields at the Histon end. The total distance is 2 – 3 miles, depending on how much you wander en route.

Looking further afield, Milton Country Park offers a good winter walk, with the added bonus of an adventure playground for the children. The Country Park is a good place to see muntjac, while the gravel pits hold a variety of wintering wildfowl, such as gadwall and grebes, with always the chance of a kingfisher or something more unusual. The tall trees near the playground often hold a woodpecker or two, while the crab apple trees near the visitors centre attract thrushes and blackbirds. A trip up to the viewing deck behind the centre affords good views of tits, finches and squirrels visiting the bird feeding station. The park contains over 2 miles of paths, and longer walks are possible if you leave the park by the back entrance and walking down to Baits Bite lock on the River Cam. Park in the Country Park car park (access from the roundabout by Tesco) for a cost of £2, or go green and cycle over via Butt Lane and the footbridge over the A10 by the Park and Ride.

For a longer walk, I recommend a trip to Thetford Forest, parking at Brandon Country Park (entrance on the B1106 just south of Brandon). A number of colour-coded walks of varying lengths (1.25, 3.5 and 6 miles) start and finish from the car park, passing through pine forest, mixed woodland and Breckland heath areas. Take time before or after your walk to watch the busy bird feeders outside the visitor’s centre, which attract woodland species such as coal tits and nuthatches. The visitor’s centre also houses a tearoom offering drinks, light meals and snacks – very welcome after a bracing winter walk.

These are just three of my favourite winter walks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!