MELODIES FROM A GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLADE

Settled among the folds and fields of the Severn Vale is a little-known nature reserve, home to the elusive nightingale and its beguiling spring song, says local birder Tolga Aktasstar

- Tolga Aktasstar 

DAY OUT: Highnam Woods, Gloucestershire

NIGHTINGALE Listen for these rare birds in April and May – a fast succession of high, low and rich notes almost unparalleled by any other species.

RSPB Highnam Woods Nature Reserve is part of the largest area of ancient woodland in the Severn Vale, with a series of rides and glades, managed scrubland and piles of dead wood, making it a refuge for a wide range of fauna and flora. It is particularly special in spring when the melodies of birds fill the reserve.