BB days in East Northants
Visitors love the secret woodland in East Northants, enjoying a wild wood environment that’s home to over 40 species of birds and more than 20 species of butterflies.
If you’d like to join us on a BB (Bird and Butterfly) experience in July at Oxlip Wood you can get closer to nature whether drawing, painting, photographing or just sitting quietly and watching. For £5 you can spend as long as you like up at the wood, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday. There’s no parking fee to pay and we will provide visitors with tea/coffee and biscuits during your visit.
So, if you fancy a mid-week break why not come along to a BB day and benefit your wellbeing from spending some quality time outdoors.
Why the name BB days?
T
he Author BB, Denys Watkins Pitchford, lived in the nearby village of Sudborough for many years and his love of birds and butterflies featured in his paintings, such as the one featured here depicting a local summer scene. So, the relevance of BB to Birds and Butterflies species loved by Denys Watkins Pitchford seems very appropriate, don’t you think? It’s also quicker to refer to the days as BB days rather than Bird and Butterfly days!
If you didn’t know, it was BB who reared and released the famous Purple Emperor butterfly into Fermyn Woods, just a mile away from Oxlip Wood. Many hundreds of people arrive in the local area during July for sightings of the Purple Emperor that feeds on the ground minerals before ascending into the tree tops to breed.
Location of woodland BB days
Oxlip Wood is a 20 acre wood located just outside the village of Sudborough, not far from the A6116 that runs between Thrapston and Corby..
Established as a ladies deer hunting park in the 1300’s it sits in a lovely position surrounded by fields. The wood is enclosed by layered hedging and fencing to keep out the large herds of Fallow deer that live in the larger woods nearby.
Not generally open to visitors the woodland is managed to encourage biodiversity, to allow existing and new species of plants, birds and butterflies to flourish.
Because of the secret nature of the wood, there’s plenty of places for individual people to be able to sit quietly and undisturbed, other than perhaps the odd Hare or Muntjac deer creeping through the undergrowth, minding their own business.
The wood is a magical place in which to become immersed and is guaranteed to leave you feeling more relaxed than when you first arrived.
Bird species at Oxlip Wood
Over 40 different bird species live and visit Oxlip wood and it’s possible to get excellent sightings of many of them for photographic, drawing and painting purposes.
We have Red Kites and Buzzards that can be seen overhead and gliding silently down the wide track that runs from the top to the bottom of the wood. More unusual species of birds that live in and visit the wood on a regular basis include:
- Ravens
- Nuthatch
- Great Spotted Woodpeckers
- Jays
- March Tit
- Coal Tit
- Long-tailed Tit
- Tree Creeper
Butterfly species at Oxlip Wood
Butterflies abound in June and July. and through these two months we’ve recorded over 20 species of butterfly. especially since the woodland management works that have been carried out to improve suitable habitat. Species seen include:
- Silver Washed Fritillary
- Speckled Wood
- Three types of white butterfly
- Two types of Hairstreak
- Holly Blue
- Comma
- Skippers
Is there a cost involved for BB days?
We make a nominal charge of £5/person that includes the facility for free parking within the wood and also tea/coffee and biscuits for our visitors
Outdoor Tribe is about to become a CIC, a Community Interest Company. You can read more about Outdoor Tribe’s objectives to understand how we are planning on working both at Oxlip Wood and at other venues.
We will only have up to 10 people in the wood on any BB day and we operate on a ‘pay on arrival’ basis, because of the unreliability of our English weather. However, you need to let us know in advance if you’d like to come along
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