Wildlife at Santon Downham

 

Mammals: Look out for Otter spraint along the riverbank. We have information about Red deer, Roe deer and Otter

Birds: Woodlark and Nightjar occur on the recent clearfells and also on the retention area on the 'orange walk'. There is a good range of birds due to the variety of habitats with snipe occasionally drumming over the fen; warblers, tits and finches in the scrub and broadleaf trees;crossbill and woodpeckers in the pines and the poplars and grey wagtail on the Little Ouse. We would like to know of any confirmed sightings of lesser-spotted woodpecker. We have information about Nightjar and Woodlark

Insects and reptiles: The dry open areas are excellent for a wide range of sand wasps and other insects. Common lizards and Adder can be found basking in sunny patches in the spring and early summer.

Habitats: Santon Street has a wide range of habitats from short mown heather with lichens tochalk grassland with several nationally rare plant species such as Perennial knawel, Breckland thyme, Purple-stem cat's tail grass and Tower mustard. The mosaic of habitats is typical of Breckland heaths. An area of heathto the north of the track is being re-created from pine woodland using sheep grazing as the primary management. Trees were removed in 2002 and re-creation of heatland will take several years. We have information about Lowland heath

How to get there:
From Brandon take the B1107 towards Thetford.
On the outskirts of Brandon, fork left signposted Santon Downham and Forest District Offices.
Follow this road through the village until you reach the church.
Turn left and park in the Forest District Offices car park.

Local Weather Forecast (Multimap)

	Refreshments and light snacks are available from the village shop, adjacent to the car park.

	The 5 mile orange walk (short cut available) can also be accessed from St Helen's Picnic site. It has interpretaion around the walk on some of the fascination history and wildlife of the area. A Guide Map showing 26 trails around the forest is available for £2 from High Lodge Forest Centre or from the Forest Office (Office hours only).			The Forestry Commission has a Open Access policy for horse riding. As a consequence there are very few way-marked trails in the forest. O.S.Explorer map 229 shows areas owned by the Forestry Commission and open to the public to ride. Deboxing areas can be found at the east end of the Harling Drove (FR23) and north of the railway line at Santon Downham. The areas north of the railway line are best suited to horse riding as this is away from the concentration of visitors using High Lodge and the cycling trails. Please observe all signs especially those relating to 'Forest Operation'.
	The Little Ouse River valley provides a variety of habitats and many opportunities for wildlife watching.

Contact:
Recreation Rangers