Bird watching on the Downs

Spring is in the air! On the Downs, the primroses are blooming and the birds are singing with gusto. What could be better than a stroll on the Downs with a copy of the new ‘Downs Bird Trail’ leaflet? Produced by the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project, the leaflet is bursting with information and beautiful illustrations to help you identify the birds you see on your walk.

Mandy Leivers, Avon Gorge and Downs Biodiversity Education Officer explains ‘The Downs are a great place for watching birds with over 65 different kinds using the site. We’ve got everything from familiar birds you might see in your garden like blackbirds and robins through to more unusual birds like green woodpeckers and Britain’s fastest birds - peregrine falcons’.

‘The Downs are a particularly good place to visit if you’re new to bird watching. Some of the birds are so used to people being around that you can get quite close to them. We’ve also included some ‘top tips’, in the leaflet, for bird watching beginners’.

You can pick-up a copy of the ’Downs Bird Trail leaflet’ from the Downs Tea Room, where you might like to stock up on tea and cake before you begin your bird watching experience! Alternatively, you can call Mandy Leivers on 0117 9030609 or e-mail mleivers [at] bristolzoo [dot] org [dot] uk.

As one of the partners in the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project, Bristol Zoo Gardens applied to Hemmings Waste Management Ltd for funding and the company kindly agreed to cover the design and production costs of the Bird Trail leaflet.
The Downs Bird Trail leaflet is ideally suited for all the family. The trail is 2.3 km (1.4 miles) long and takes about one hour to complete. As some sections of the route can be muddy we’ve included diversions for visitors with pushchairs and wheelchairs.

The funding from Hemmings Waste Management Ltd is made available through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and the donation has been administered by the environmental body SWEET-UK, based in Bristol.