A deeper dive into the Milton Keynes Natural History Society
Milton Keynes has a range of different habitats for wildlife, including lakes, rivers, canals, parks and woods. Many different species of birds are resident here and the area also attracts plenty of summer and winter visitors. There are also lots of different butterflies, bees, dragonflies, wildflowers and mammals. This makes the Milton Keynes a great place to develop your knowledge of nature and meet like-minded people. If you are interested in wildlife around Milton Keynes, then perhaps you might like to join the group.
MKNHS (Milton Keynes Natural History Society) hosts weekly talks which cover a variety of nature related topics and provide members with a chance to discuss the latest sightings and wildlife news. The society recently had a informative talk by Darren Naish who is a paleontologist, naturalist, author and researcher. In his talk, he outlined some surprising changes in our understanding of dinosaurs and their behaviour as discussed in detail in his book Dinopedia.
The society also organizes guided walks in the local area to explore some of the nature reserves, parks, woods and lakes. Recent walks have provided some interesting bird sightings and photo opportunities such as the Little Egret and Common Spotted Orchid, pictured below. The walks are friendly, open to all and they offer the opportunity to share the enjoyment of being outdoors in nature. In addition to guided walks, the society website has a list of self-guided walks including one of North Loughton Valley Park.
Little Egret, Caldecotte Lake, December 21 2021 spotted in group walk
The Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve is a great place to visit at this time of the year and large numbers of Lapwing can be seen circling overhead or feeding near the water. There are also Teal, Widgeon and the occasional Snipe. Information on recent wildlife sightings can be found on the society’s website, which is regularly updated. January has had many interesting birds seen, including Bittern, Black-Tailed Godwit, Woodcock, Goosander.
Common Spotted Orchid, Shenley Wood July 2021 spotted in group walk
The society is a friendly group and welcomes new members from all ages and experience. Details of how to join can be found on the website. Join the society, get outdoors and see Milton Keynes with new eyes!
Have any queries? Contact: membership@mknhs.org.uk
