Thanks for your interest in our Nature Hunt. Unfortunately this is a mobile only experience so please use your phone
Thanks for your interest in our Nature Hunt. Unfortunately this is a mobile only experience so please find us on your mobile device
This bit is for the adult explorers!
This a self guided trail so we’ll need your help to keep our adventurers on track and engaged!
Not everything that we point you to be will found today or easy to spot but encourage your young ones to take time to look around them and listen carefully!
They're going to need all of their senses and exploring should be 95% of the fun!
If you've made it, you should have a view like this!
Hey there, I am Connie the Coot!
I’m the mascot of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust and you’re guide for the day!
As we go round, I'll point out some of my friends in the Meadows!
The river attracts lots of my aquatic friends!
The banks provide shelter and there is ample food to be found.
Swipe right and I'll introduce you, maybe you'll even see them today so keep your eyes peeled!
The river in front of you runs all the way from its source at Rowhill Nature Reserve to Swallowfield near Reading, a distance of 22 miles!
These are Mallards, a type of Wild Duck!
The males have distinctive green heads and there are likely to be plenty of them! The females are brown all over
How many can you count as you explore?
Swans are misunderstood birds, not as aggressive as you're led to believe!
They cruise around in family groups so look out for the Signets, they'll be brown and fluffy!
The Swan's long neck helps them to feed on pond weed and other plants at the very bottom of the river
Moorhens, now they're an interesting bird! Look out for their red bill with yellow tip
They're omnivores, like humans, so they'll eat anything from snails and insects to fish and berries!
In the Winter and Spring, you might spot a Little Egret, its white feather shining against the trees
In the 19th Century, the long neck plumes of an Egret were more valuable than Gold!!! Until protections were put in place to keep them safe!
If something is stood really still and looks like a bird, its probably a Heron!
They're sat waiting for their next meal to swim by, a bit like sitting at the window of a Drive Thru restaurant!
When you are ready, head into the Meadow, looking out for our new aquatic bird friends!
With your back to the bridge, turn right and follow the river until you see these trees
Look up and listen! You will see a variety of birds flying above you, using the trees to nest and raise their young.
They each have their own distinctive calls and I'll help you work out who's here if you swipe on!
That bird perched on a fence post or at the top of the trees is a Magpie
You'll spot the white belly first, but then look for blue wings and long tail
They are one of the UKs most recognisable birds!
A Blackbird lives up to it's name, well at least the males do!
The females are brown with a brown beak, so keep an eye out for them too!
They're pretty common birds, so listen carefully as there is likely to be one about!
This chunky guy is a Blue Tit
These probably fly around your garden and local park too, and can be spotted by their blue heads and yellow bellies!
In Winter, you'll see them in mixed flocks as they hunt for food with other birds!
Red Kites are one of our more majestic visitors to the Meadows!
These birds of prey, known for their distinctive "Kite" shaped tails and red brown bodies, have seen a spectacular recovery and are common across this type of landscape!
Buzzards are another bird of prey you might spot, they're one of the most common in the UK
Look out for their "V" shaped wing position when soaring high above you, in contrast to other birds more flat wings
Now, keep walking and look for "The Beach"
Why do you think our rangers leave fallen trees in the river?
Fallen trees slow the flow of the river creating calm spots called Eddies
These Eddies provide a place for fish to live and breed. Can you see any fish in the river today?
These fish provide a source of food for some of the birds we've met already, so leaving these trees helps out the whole of the Meadow!
When you are ready, head towards this grand Oak Tree
Use the slider to see how it transforms between Winter and Spring
When you reach the gate leading to Blackwater park, do not go through it, but turn left, head down the path a bit and look out at the Long Meadow
Stop here and look at the plants covering the ground
How many different types do you think there are?
What shapes are the plants?
These grasses provide a home for lots of different insects! Let me introduce you
- Grasses, with their flat leaves
- Rushes, which have round stems
- Sedges, which have three sided stems if you look really closely!
As you search, you should see three distinct types of plants
These are Marbled White butterflies but look carefully because they only have a 5cm wingspan!
You'll find them interested in the purple plants dotted across the Meadow, such as the Knapweed and Tufted Vetch
Can you spot these Meadow Brown butterflies?
They also love the purple flowers and will be out in abundance during the Summer months!
Now we need your ears! Bush Crickets will be very audible on warm Summer days
If you are exploring at the right time of year, listen out for their high pitched buzz all across the Meadows
While we have you attention, we have to thank the contributors to our Hunt today
The Drone footage at the start of our trail was filmed and produced by Rob Follett Creative
Much of the photography was taken by Colin Varndell
Wildlife expertise was provided by Steve Bailey and Bernard Baverstock
Keep walking along the path, searching for whatever the thing below is...
This a "Dead hedge"
It is created from various dead bits of tree that are left behind from our maintenance work
It provides an excellent habitat for insects and birds so lets meet some more!
There is probably a Robin watching you...
It is really easy to spot their red breasts and will probably be following you about to see if you turf up any worms with your feet!
Listen to his song and see if you can hear them too!
This bird might be hard to spot because its so tiny! But Wrens are VERY loud!
They're particularly round in shape and like to hide so listen to their song and see if any are around today
You'll have to be very quiet to see the Dunnock in the hedge row today
These shy birds are often seen on their own, shuffling along nervously and flicking their wings
Their call sounds a bit like your teacher writing on the whiteboard with a squeaky pen!
This is a ChiffChaff
If there is one about, you'll hear them calling their own name!
Listen below and then turn your ears upwards in the Meadow!
You'll spot flashes of the Red Admiral before you get a chance to look closely!
The Brambles along this part of the Meadow attract these colourful insects during the Summer
Keep following the hedgerow, past the row of trees on your left
Stop and listen. What can you hear?
Hawley Meadows is sandwiched between housing, roads and industrial buildings, providing a constant backdrop of noise.
But open spaces like these continue to provide a safe haven for our wildlife so its important that people like you protect them for years to come!
Wowee, this next bit looks a bit prickly!
This is "Thistle Close" and while it is not for me, the Thistles and Spikey Gorse here provide a home to several species of Spiders!
Explorers, are you enjoying yourselves?
What have you spotted today?
Hawley Meadows changes with the seasons so why not come back another time and see how different it looks?
You might see birds who have migrated thousands of miles, trees getting ready for Autumn or insects bursting out into the Meadows!
Where are you going to visit next?
There are so many other places to explore in the Blackwater Valley and we have a growing number of Nature Hunts!
Why not download our species list and try to tick them all off as you visit the different wild spaces?
Keep following the path until you get to another footbridge.
Cross over it and you should have a view like this, although maybe less cold and mysterious looking!
You are standing in Priors Meadow
Can you see the Hogweed? What about the smell? INSERT A PHOTO OF HOGWEED
We've got a few more of my friends to meet before we head back home!
Swifts live up to their name, flying up to 69mph!
They visit the UK in the Summer, having travelled thousands of miles from Africa to breed
You'll hear them long before you see them, so listen out for their high pitched scream!
If you're really lucky you might spot a Kestrel!
But it is not so lucky for the Field Voles though, because these are the favourite food of a Kestrel... closely followed by Grasshoppers!
The woods around the Meadows provide a home for the largest animal you might see, the Roe Deer!
They're shy creatures but if you are quiet and move slowly you might be in luck today!
Head back over the footbridge and look for this distinctive tree
Trimming and maintenance over the years has caused the branches to grow in this fan like pattern!
Explorers, its time for us to end our hunt around Hawley Meadows
Head back to the footbridge by the car park or carry on exploring on your own!
I hope you’ve had a great time and we'll see you out in the Blackwater Valley again soon!
Adults, there are a couple more things just for you before you go!
Nature Hunt is a new initiative to get young people out into our natural spaces and build their curiosity about the wildlife they can find
We want our hunts to be engaging for our Explorers but also easy for you to lead so if you have feedback on the hunt, here at Hawley Meadows or any other site, please let us know by emailing dan.lemarquand@bvct.org.uk
And last thing! If your young explorer enjoyed our Nature Hunt, please consider becoming a member of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust for just £5 a year!
We're a charitable organisation who protect & enhance the valley and your membership fees help us to continue to this
It also means we’ll put together more of these Nature Hunts in future to entertain your little ones!
