Wishing you a WILD Christmas!

Wishing you a WILD Christmas!

Ways to experience the best of Herefordshire's wildlife this winter - and ways to support it this Christmas.

Winter is a wonderful time for wildlife-lovers. While some species, such as the adorable dormouse, are in hibernation, its a great time to spot many others. Woodland birds such as siskin are easier to see among bare branches, starling murmurations draw oohs and aahs from spectators and the Christmas palette of green, red and white decorates the countryside through holly, ivy and mistletoe. Winter visitors such as redwings and fieldfares have already joined us and garden feeders get busier as the first frosts arrive.

A wintery walk is a must on a bright, frosty day and Herefordshire has a wealth of landscapes to explore. The Woolhope Dome is crisscrossed by footpaths leading you through woodlands and orchards, villages and meadows; the Lugg Valley offers brilliant bird watching; or blast off the cobwebs climbing the Black Mountains or Malvern Hills.

At Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, winter is a busy time as woodland work such as coppicing happens now, while the sap is low, along with laying hedges. It’s also a good time to get on with tasks such as fixing fences and gates and improving paths which cannot be done in spring and summer when we risk disturbing breeding wildlife.

To help wildlife in your garden through the winter, clean and refill bird feeders regularly and provide food for ground-feeding birds too if possible. Leave areas of the garden a little wild by leaving seed heads until early spring, making a log pile and leaving areas of long grass. Supporting your local Wildlife Trust through shopping, donating or joining will also make a real difference to your local wildlife, this winter and beyond!

WILD Christmas Gifts

From cards and calendars to gift memberships and treats for your garden birds, support our wildlife while doing your Christmas shopping!

Browse our Shop

WILD Families

Our fantastic Engagement staff and volunteers have put together some nature-themed crafts and activities for all ages to keep you busy this winter! 

My Wild Winter

Winter Wildlife

Woodlands in Winter
Head to a woodland to spot birds such as siskin, goldcrest, long-tailed tits, brambling and - if you’re lucky, hawfinch. This is also a good time of year to see herds of deer with less camouflaging undergrowth.

Three to visit:

  • Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum, Dinmore Hill, HR6 0PY
  • Wyevale Wood, Church Walk, Breinton, HR4 7PN
  • Lea & Paget’s Wood, Common Hill Lane, Fownhope, HR1 4PH

 Full details at: www.herefordshirewt.org/nature-reserves

Winter Wetlands
Winter is a fantastic time for seeing wetland birds as many species migrate from (even) colder climes to spend the winter here. Species to spot include: wigeon, goldeneye, teal, shoveler, pintail, pochard, gadwall, goosander and greylag goose.

Three to visit:

  • Bodenham Lake Bodenham, HR1 3HY
  • Titley Pool Eywood Lane, Titley, HR5 3RL
  • Lugg Meadow Ledbury Road, Tupsley, HR1 1UT

 Full details at: www.herefordshirewt.org/nature-reserves

Wildlife spectacle: Starling Murmurations
Last year, starlings roosted at Wellington Gravel Pits just north of Hereford and performed their mesmmerising murmuration at dusk each evening. In previous years they have been seen over Hereford city itself. Keep an eye on our social media to hear where they are seen this winter. Its a wildlife spectacle not to be missed!

Orchard Wildlife
Traditional orchards are iconic features within Herefordshire’s landscapes - and they can be fantastic for wildlife through the winter too with fallen fruits, thick hedgerows and tussocky grass.
Herefordshire’s old orchards are often laden with mistletoe. Look out for mistle thrushes which are attracted by the berries.

Redwing and fieldfare return to the UK for winter and can be seen in flocks in fields and, often, in orchards, feasting on abandoned windfalls.

Three to visit:

  • Common Hill Nature Reserve, Common Hill Lane, Fownhope, HR1 4PH
  • Davies Meadow, Mansell Lacy, HR4 7BH
  • Pool Ellocks, Goodrich, HR9 6JE 

 Full details at: www.herefordshirewt.org/nature-reserves