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Very enjoyable and informative evening learning about the birds of the Forest, culminating in seeing Nightjars and a woodcock. Dan, our Tour Leader, was very knowledgeable and generous with his expertise, and made it all the more enjoyable with his sense of humour. Group size and pace of tour spot on. Naturetrek provided excellent pre-tour details of what to expect and how to get the most out of the trip, with clear travel directions.
C.S. Herefordshire, Jun 21
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The Forest of Dean - An evening with Nightjars (Day Trip)
Tour Code: GBR269An evening in the Forest of Dean with a focus on watching Nightjars, with the chance of also seeing Woodcock and Wild Boar.
1 days
from
£50
£50
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Join us for an exciting evening in the Forest of Dean with a focus on enjoying a very special species – the wonderful Nightjar! Meeting at 6pm we will have time to take a walk through the forest with a chance of finding a range of birds before the Nightjar show begins. We may encounter Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart or possibly even Firecrest and Crossbill, as well as some of the more common woodland species. As we move out onto a more open glade we will look for Stonechats and Tree Pipits and as the light starts to fade, it’s an excellent time for encountering Wild Boar. As the day draws to a close and light levels fall, the heath comes to life with incredible churring Nightjars – a true highlight of a visit here through the summer! We can hope to watch these special birds floating around us, often at close quarters with the males performing a beautifully buoyant wing clapping display flight. Their crepuscular nature really gives the bird a strange, almost ghostly appearance. Woodcock may also be seen “roding” in the low light and when the display has ended, we will make our way back to the car park and look for Wild Boar, Fallow Deer and Tawny Owl as we go. This is sure to be a most memorable and magical evening.
We will walk for around 3 miles during the course of the evening. Some on narrow forest trails and mostly on wider tracks. There is a gradual incline up onto the glade where we hope to hear and see Nightjars. We will be stopping regularly to watch wildlife and moving at a slow pace and we recommend comfortable, waterproof walking boots/shoes as it may be muddy underfoot. It is worth bringing some insect repellent and a troch for the walk back to the car park. We stay on the glade until it is almost dark and then it is a 20 minute walk back to the cars so it can be a late finish at around 10.30pm.
If you require accommodation locally, we recommend the Speech House Hotel which is only around 500m from the meeting point.
- A magical evening with Nightjar
- A chance of Wild Boar in one of their British strongholds
- Roding Woodcock possible
- Enjoy the varied birdlife of the Forest of Dean
- Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Redstart & Spotted Flycatcher all breed here
- Crossbill and Firecrest possible
Day Trip Location
Reviews
Dates & Prices
2025
Departures
Availability
Cost
Fri 13th Jun – Fri 13th Jun
1
£50
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£50
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Tom Mabbett
Tour Leader: Tom Mabbett
Tom has been fascinated by wildlife since childhood and it was at primary school that he set about learning all the British bird species and has been enjoying finding, watching and learning about them ever since. After completing a degree in Biology at Exeter University, Tom travelled extensively around the world in search of wildlife which included a lot of SCUBA diving and special encounters with Whale Sharks, Bull Sharks, Manta Rays and too many birds and mammals to mention!
After working for an environmental charity and at the fantastic WWT Slimbridge reserve as grounds warden, Tom was delighted to join the Naturetrek operations team in March 2013. Since then Tom has enjoyed leading over 50 tours around the world, while also managing the operations of a range of holidays. Whether it is finding Hawfinch in the Forest of Dean, Wallcreepers in the Pyrenees or searching for Jaguars in the Pantanal, any time spent in the field, finding and showing people wildlife is regarded as a real privilege and thrill. The tours Tom has led and manage are varied and range from weekends to the Forest of Dean and Somerset Levels to the wilds of Ardnamurchan in Scotland along with various birding and butterfly focussed European tours in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Albania and Macedonia with dedicated mammal-watching tours in Poland, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden. Big Cats are also a passion and Tom has spent time in the Brazilian Pantanal searching for Jaguars, India tracking Tigers, Chile for Pumas and Borneo in search of Clouded Leopard as well as exploring Guyana’s fabulous rainforests.
In Tom’s spare time he is happiest out in the field on his local patches around the Cotswolds in his home county of Gloucestershire. Tom is lucky to have an area of land he manages as a small nature reserve and a lot of Tom’s time is now spent trying to inspire his children Max and Harry to enjoy the outdoors and our wildlife.
Thu 10th Jul – Thu 10th Jul
FULL
£50
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£50
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Tom Mabbett
Tour Leader: Tom Mabbett
Tom has been fascinated by wildlife since childhood and it was at primary school that he set about learning all the British bird species and has been enjoying finding, watching and learning about them ever since. After completing a degree in Biology at Exeter University, Tom travelled extensively around the world in search of wildlife which included a lot of SCUBA diving and special encounters with Whale Sharks, Bull Sharks, Manta Rays and too many birds and mammals to mention!
After working for an environmental charity and at the fantastic WWT Slimbridge reserve as grounds warden, Tom was delighted to join the Naturetrek operations team in March 2013. Since then Tom has enjoyed leading over 50 tours around the world, while also managing the operations of a range of holidays. Whether it is finding Hawfinch in the Forest of Dean, Wallcreepers in the Pyrenees or searching for Jaguars in the Pantanal, any time spent in the field, finding and showing people wildlife is regarded as a real privilege and thrill. The tours Tom has led and manage are varied and range from weekends to the Forest of Dean and Somerset Levels to the wilds of Ardnamurchan in Scotland along with various birding and butterfly focussed European tours in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Albania and Macedonia with dedicated mammal-watching tours in Poland, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden. Big Cats are also a passion and Tom has spent time in the Brazilian Pantanal searching for Jaguars, India tracking Tigers, Chile for Pumas and Borneo in search of Clouded Leopard as well as exploring Guyana’s fabulous rainforests.
In Tom’s spare time he is happiest out in the field on his local patches around the Cotswolds in his home county of Gloucestershire. Tom is lucky to have an area of land he manages as a small nature reserve and a lot of Tom’s time is now spent trying to inspire his children Max and Harry to enjoy the outdoors and our wildlife.
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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