Below is a forward look of events from our friends at the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife project:
‘Tweet talk’ – native wildlife in depth birdsong workshop – Sunday 24th March 10am-3pm £30.00:
Ever heard the mesmerising melodies of our native songbirds and been stumped as to what is singing so sweetly? Or out on a walk with friends are you dying to share your expertise on the difference between a song thrush and goldfinch as they flit between treetops?
Ed Drewitt, well-known author and experienced naturalist will share with us his top tips for identifying birds by delving deeply into the make-up of their distinctive songs. Following an aural and visual introduction in the Conservation Centre to the varied patterns of birdsong you are likely to come across, our expert leads us out on a bird walk. We’ll test our new identification skills and put them into practice in the former Bristol Zoo Gardens and on the Downs.
Conservation Education Centre, former Bristol Zoo Gardens site, the Downs
Suitable for adults.
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‘Scrambling among botanical jewels’ – discovery walk in the Avon Gorge – Sunday 7th April 10am-12pm £10.00
Explore this local spectacular Site of Special Scientific Interest on our doorstep and get closer to our secret floral gems which see the Avon Gorge named among the top 3 sites for plants in England!
Our botanist expert is Libby Houston, the only person who knows where to find each of these hidden spring flowering rarities having built up a wealth of knowledge over her lifetime. She will guide us on a scramble in the Gully to each special location for a memorable experience.
The Gully in the Avon Gorge.
This walk involves extremely steep slopes and uneven ground. Boots with strong grip and a walking pole are recommended.
Suitable for adults.
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‘What floats your goat?’ – family fun Easter holiday session on the Downs – Friday 12th April 10am-12pm £10.00 per child
Our family Easter holiday fun this year is all about our amazing Bristol environmental heroes in the world-famous Avon Gorge – the wild goats!
We’ll kick off with a springtime stroll that might turn into a steep climb (!), in the timeless Avon Gorge Gully to find our hairy heroes with the Downs Ranger, who knows our goats better than anyone. We’ll discover how the goats are looked after on a daily basis, how they came to Bristol and how they carry out the conservation that humans can’t!
Then it’s on to springtime fun and games where all the family can share the joyful experience with others of springtime on our iconic Downs. You’ll take home a naturally decorated card and there will be an Easter prize for every child.
Family fun holiday session.
Suitable for children aged 6-10 with an adult (maximum 2 adults per child, you may bring up to 3 children per adult).
In the Gully and on the Downs.
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‘Dawn chorus spectacular’ – discovery walk with breakfast – Saturday 13th April 5.15am-8.00am £22.00
Immerse yourself in nature’s uplifting orchestra before anyone else has opened an eye, with this spectacular dawn chorus walk. Prepare to be enthralled as we welcome back wildlife presenter and broadcaster, Mike Dilger as he shares his encyclopaedic knowledge with contagious enthusiasm.
Mike will explain the patterns and depths of the early morning birdsong concert as well as how to identify individual Downs species. We’ll complete our feel-good session with a delicious spot of hot breakfast and a hot drink of choice in the Downs Café where you can ask our expert any burning questions you may have.
Breakfast is a choice of a hot sandwich such as egg, bacon or vegan, or a pastry and a choice of hot drink. Breakfast included in overall ticket price.
Suitable for adults.
On the Downs.
Please note the early start time!
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Downs Bioblitz – City Nature Challenge 2024 – Saturday 27th April 10.00am-11.00am Free of charge
Discover more about the local nature on your City’s doorstep. A Bioblitz is a celebration of citizen science at its absolute best where you can get involved in the thrilling recording of how our biodiversity is doing locally! Armed with charts, books, bug pots, trays, sheets, magnifiers, lenses and nets we’ll head off together to see what tantalising species of plant, tree, invertebrate, bird, lichen and mammal we can record.
This year we’re running our Bioblitz on the Downs for City Nature Challenge 2024. We’ll find out with everybody how to use the iNaturalist app and take a stroll over some of the most fascinating parts of the Downs and Avon Gorge to record as many species as we can. These are automatically uploaded onto Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife iNaturalist project so we have a record of our shared species survey.
Sightings are also viewed by a worldwide community of ecologists so our data is verified and submitted to national database records. Be part of Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife yearly recording community whilst enjoying a beautiful morning ramble!
Discovery walk. Meet in front of the former Bristol Zoo Gardens site. No need to book, just turn up.
Part of City Nature Challenge 2024.
On the Downs.
Suitable for adults.
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‘Tapestry of trees’ – Granny Downs discovery walk – Saturday 4th May 10.00am-11.30am £8.00
What on earth are the ‘Granny Downs’? Explore this special tree trail with Robin Haward from Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge. Along the way, learn how to identify the trees, find out fascinating facts and folklore, and enjoy luscious laburnums, horse chestnuts and hawthorns in spring flower! This is a flat, short stroll suitable for all fitness levels
Discovery walk.
Part of Bristol Walk Fest.
Suitable for adults.
On the Granny Downs.
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Sunday 19th May 10.15am-12.00pm £10.00
Highwaymen, colliers and loo ladies; legionnaires, suffragettes and Cavaliers; gibbets, turnpikes and flying machines: all have played their extraordinary part in the fascinating and hidden past of Bristol’s ‘jewel in the crown’ – the Downs.
Join writer and well known story-walker, Clare Reddaway, for a stroll through the past as she weaves stories from the rocks and meadows beneath your feet, and see the Downs through a lens you’ve never before discovered!
Discovery walk.
Part of Bristol Walk Fest.
Suitable for adults.
On the Downs.
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For further information and to book, please see: https://avongorge.org.uk/whats-on/
SPRA - Sneyd Park Residents Association 