Greater Fishponds is a green area with large open spaces and homes with large gardens. As the Crow flies we're only seconds away from the River Frome and just minutes from the River Avon. Both flow through picturesque valleys; rich with wildlife, grasslands, woodlands, flood plains and cliff faces.
Oldbury Court Estate in Fishponds oldburycourtestate.co.uk
Bristol's Local Nature Reserves bristol.gov.uk/localnaturereserves
Royate Hill Nature Reserve in Fishponds here are some pictures taken by Fishponds People of our reserve and the views from the Railway Bridge Royate Hill Path
Bristol Council bristol.gov.uk/royatehill andthe Wildlife Trust avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/royate_hill.htm
Visit the Avon Wildlife Trust website for local news, events and Nature Reserves avonwildlifetrust.org.uk
Snuff Mills Action Group, are protecting our local nature and habitat: snuffmills.blogspot.com
Observing and protecting the House Sparrow wildsparrows.org.uk
Somerset Wildlife Trust for nature events in Greater Bristol: somersetwildlife.org
To connect with nature in Greater Fishponds is very easy, simply put food in to the local parks or gardens and within minutes an array of wild birds and insects will arrive. From Robin's and Starling's to Jay's and Seagulls, in some parts there are even Squirrels, Hedgehogs, Badgers and Foxes all living among us; especially on the Hillfields stretch of the Bristol to Bath Railway Path, the Gossey or Coombe Brook and throughout the Frome Valley. These parts of our area are dedicated to wildlife conservation with newly preserved sites where buildings once stood and we all do our part to help wildlife by shaping our gardens and leaving wild areas; recycling garden waste and preserving our hedge rows where Wrens nest and Slow Worms feast.
In the spring and all through the summer months we share our air space
with Swifts and Swallows which arrive and put on their own air shows for us all to enjoy; in the early evenings 100s of Starlings gather in our trees before setting off together to put on their amazing air shows in Gloucestershire, but this time in groups of 1000's which are televised and watched by viewers all across the world; often shown in programmes by Bill Oddie or David Attenborough.
At dawn it is nice to watch Fox Cubs play in our streets and at night to see the occasional Badger visit our gardens. We even have the occasional Bird of Prey visitor, Ducks, Herons and Finches.
We are very lucky to be in an area so rich with nature and our Oldbury Court Estate is certainly the place to take our visitors, friends and family, it's a place which will impress any person who enjoys walks, peaceful environments, gardens and fresh air filled with richness and a sense of escapism. As the seasons change this area comes alive with colour and the river is sometimes wild but in the summer months it is perfect for family fishing, paddling and spotting.
Visit Troopers Hill in St George troopers-hill.org.uk River Avon Trail: riveravontrail.org.uk
Bristol Festival of Nature - a celebration of the natural world @Bristol Harbourside in June each year. Watch the videos on the festival website for full details festivalofnature.org and see some of the organisations who have stands in the large tents including: The British Trust for Ornithology bto.org, The Bristol Ornithological Club boc-bristol.org.uk, The Hawk and Owl Trust hawkandowl.org, Bristol Naturalists' Society bristolnats.org.uk and many more including large scale bodies i.e. Natural England naturalengland.org.uk and the Environment Agency environment-agency.gov.uk (new head office right here in Bristol).
Are you interesting in Bats... if so then see visit these websites: avonbatgroup.org.uk and bats.org.uk
If you want to adventure out and see some nature then visit Slimbridge which is about 25 minutes drive from Fishponds, based in Gloucestershire off the A38 wwt.org.uk/centre/122/slimbridge.html
Bristol Zoo bristolzoo.org.uk
The Wildlife Park at Cricket St Thomas in Somerset cstwp.co.uk or in the opposite direction visit Longleat at Warminster in Wiltshire longleat.co.uk
Visit the Natural Picture Library in Bristol see below where you can buy pictures as well:
The world famous BBC Natural History Unit is based in Bristol and near to this building is the Nature Picture Library which has over 150,000 professional images for us all to see; many of which were taken by the camera people and producers working for the Unit. Visit their website to view all the pictures at your own comfort naturepl.com
