At Coton Reserve you can find a variety of lowland countryside habitats including ponds, streams, meadows, orchards, hedgerows and woodland copse, alongside wildlife friendly farm habitats including grassland and field margins.

Many of these habitats have only been created in the last 10-15 years and are still maturing.

The farmland on the Reserve is managed by our tenant farmer to provide habitats for wildlife, such as field margins and Skylark plots. This work is supported through a Higher Level Countryside Stewardship grant.

Spring

Brown Hares boxing. The chattering song of Lesser Whitethroat from mature hedges and Skylarks drifting over the fields. Listen out for the "little bit of butter and no cheeeeese" song of Yellowhammers.

Summer

Bee and Common Spotted Orchids in the grassland areas. Butterflies in the meadows such as Meadow Brown, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Brimstone, Comma and Large Skipper. Kestrels are busy hunting for prey to feed their young. The "brownfield" areas next to the car park are covered in drifts of wild flowers such as Ox-eye Daisies.

With short summer nights you might see some of the nocturnal creatures at dawn or dusk, so keep an eye out for badgers, foxes and Barn Owls, Little Owls and Tawny Owls.

Autumn

Vibrant autumn leaf colours from the hedgerows and orchard trees. Redwings, Fieldfares and other thrushes feeding on apples in the orchards and berries in the hedges. Goldfinches feeding on thistle seed heads.

Winter

Flocks of Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits and Great Tits moving along the hedgerows in search of food. In freezing weather you might flush a Snipe or Woodcock from the steam. In late winter look out for flocks of finches and buntings such as Yellowhammer in the fields and Siskin and Redpoll in the riverside Alders.

We carry out a range of habitat management work at Coton Reserve throughout the year, including cutting and grazing meadows, thinning and coppicing young woodlands, pruning orchards and hedge laying. During the autumn and winter you can help us with this work by joining one of our volunteer work parties (click for details).