Wildlife Wanderings

Wildlife Wanderings is a friendly and sociable way to explore Cambridge's green spaces and take a closer look at nature along the way. We have occasional meetings, usually heading to one of the city's LNRs (Local Nature Reserves). We share our personal experience of place, community and nature. We would love to meet more frequently, please get in touch if you'd like to convene an outing or organise more wildlife wanderings.

Why nature matters

Nature is an important part of the Transition movement. Familiarity with local green spaces inspires well-being and mindfulness. Getting to know the footpaths and routes around your city and greenbelt encourages sustainable commuting and free time activities. Understanding our part in the ecosystem by getting to know natural history and biodiversity can have a positive influence on lifestyle choices such as shopping and gardening.

Previous events

Summer Walk

Mandy of Orchard Park Wildlife invited us to get involved with surveying the fauna of this residential development in north Cambridge beside the A14 and guided busway. Geoff Morley organised a walk with local reptile experts CPARG. Their recce was great preparation for our excursion; habitat assessed as a likely spot revealed eight common lizards on the day, and they were excited to report 40 at a later count.

Autumn Walk

With thoughts of foraging for hedgerow fruits we headed from Addenbrooke's Hospital to Nine Wells nature reserve on our city's southern green belt, following ancient hedgerows and finding the source of Hobson's Conduit. We skirted permissive paths on farmland and got an overview of the local commuter routes to the Park&Ride, the Beechwoods nature reserve and neighbouring villages.

Get involved with nature

There are lots of local and national surveys that you can take part in. Get involved with one and find out more about your local environment in the process. Watch this space: Wildlife Wanderings sometimes organise a group survey session such as the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.

The Wildlife Trusts Gardenwatch is held each year. Gardens are vitally important for wildlife and they can provide green corridors or stepping stones to connect to the wider countryside and richer wildlife areas. The website has lots of guides and activities and it's a great way to connect with nature literally on your doorstep.

The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) network is an exciting new initiative that is open to anyone with an interest in nature. Their website is full of information, identification sheets and survey like the Climate Change survey that is investigating ways in which we affect the climate and how the climate may affect us.