Bluebell Wood
by George Walthew
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PBC Where to Watch Birds Bluebell Wood by George Walthew |
| Sightings for past week: | All sightings | Excluding Common | Rare & Scarce |
| Sightings for past month: | All sightings | Excluding Common | Rare & Scarce |
| Sightings for past year: | All sightings | Excluding Common | Rare & Scarce |
This wood of just over 12 hectares lies on the north bank of the River Nene at Ferry Meadows Country Park. It is a long, narrow wood between Milton Ferry Bridge in the north-west and Bluebell Bridge in the south-east. Like most local woods it is largely an oak-ash wood but has scattered sycamore, beech, pine, larch and yews throughout it. Elms formerly dominated some parts of the wood these disappeared when Dutch Elm Disease swept the country. The river is fringed with willow and poplar trees and there is a stand of alder at the south-eastern corner next to Bluebell Bridge. The southern portion of the wood once had a sub-tropical character with Clematis vitalba (our only native liana) climbing up the trees to some considerable height. This has largely been cleared away along with much of the standing dead wood when the wood was 'tidied up'.
Forty-three species of birds bred in the wood in the early 1980's, averaging about 37 species each year. This included Mandarin Duck and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The former no longer breeds but the latter may still do so on occasion. Otherwise the wood holds all the usual species including Marsh Tit, Nuthatch and Treecreeper. Willow Tits occasionally occur in winter and Siskins are sometimes seen in the alders. On passage Firecrest has been seen in the wood as well as Wood Warbler.
TThe wood can be entered by parking at Milton Ferry Bridge and walking into the western end, or by parking at Thorpe Wood Golf Course car park and walking along the footpath between the golf course and Pearl Assurance to the southern end. A cycle path also enters the wood in the middle from South Bretton.
The Milton Ferry car park can be reached by driving west along the A47 towards Castor from the Soke Parkway. Take the first slip road off to Castor, going left at the junction of the Castor/Marholm road and first left again back eastwards along a narrow road to the car park.
Thorpe Wood Golf Course car park is reached from either: the Longthorpe Parkway junction on the Nene Parkway passing the Moat House Hotel, the clubhouse and pub are on your left and the car park is just passed it on your right; or the Soke Parkway junction on the Nene Parkway going south passed the Thorpe Wood Police Station, the car park is on your left just passed Thorpe Wood.
