Flora and fauna: Natural wildlife at a Great War aerodrome in Essex

Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome works in partnership with Natural England to improve and manage our ecology. As participants in its Entry and Higher level Stewardship schemes, we work to carefully manage the site to get the very best habitats for our wildlife, including planting 5,500 mixed broadleaf, native woodland trees on the site.

Just some of the wildlife sightings at Stow in recent years include:

Mammals: Badger, bat, deer, hare, rabbit, squirrel, stoat, water vole

Reptiles: Common lizard, grass snake, newt, slow worm,

Birds of prey: Barn owl, Buzzard, Hobby, Kestrel, Little owl, Red kite, Sparrowhawk, Tawny owl

Other birds: Blackcap, Blue tit, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal tit, Coot, Corn bunting, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great tit, Great spotted woodpecker, Greenfinch, Green woodpecker, Heron, Jay, Lesser whitethroat, Mallard, Nuthatch, Pheasant, Red-legged partridge, Skylark, Whitethroat

Butterflies: Comma, Common blue, Gatekeeper, Green Veined white, Large white, Marbled white, Meadow brown, Painted lady, Peacock, Red admiral, Small copper, Small white, Speckled wood, Tortoiseshell, Wall brown

Check our events page for the latest wildlife days and guided walks, or explore our short woodland trail on any open day as part of your entry fee.