GUEST COLUMN: See seasons change at country parks, by Coun John Knight
We have witnessed some of the warmest weather this September for years and we have just celebrated the autumn equinox.
And the signs of the transition from summer to autumn will become evident across Nottinghamshire’s country parks in the coming weeks.
With the warm weather in early September, Bestwood, Rufford Abbey and Sherwood Forest country parks, which are all managed by Nottinghamshire County Council, welcomed lots of people having fun being in the great outdoors.
The delay to the usual autumn cycle is also playing its part in terms of wildlife.
The summer period means that leaves are still struggling to change colour, although the mild and moist conditions of recent months suggest a good crop of acorns is on the cards at Sherwood this year.
Our country park staff always have a good gauge on the changing weather conditions and what visitors can expect to see when they come to the country park over the next few weeks.
One sign of the season is the return of the popular Fungi Foray walk at Sherwood Forest, on Sunday, October 2, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Join Lee Scudder, one of our countryside management officers, as we go in search of the common and not so common fungi lurking within Sherwood’s ancient forest.
Meanwhile at Sherwood, buzzards are still circling the forest while birds such as willow warblers will be preparing to migrate this autumn – if they haven’t left already.
Visitors to Notts’ country parks are most likely to see robins, blackbirds, chaffinch, song thrushes, starlings and long-tailed tits this season which are resident all year round.
For more information about events and activities in Nottinghamshire’s country parks, visit the county council’s website at: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/events