This amazing and diverse habitat is rarer globally than tropical rainforest and Surrey Wildlife Trust manages over 3000 hectares of it.

The heathland we have falls within the Thames Basin Heaths SPA (Special Protection Area) and includes sites like Ash Ranges, Barossa Military Estate, Pirbright Ranges and Chobham Common. Within these amazing sites you can find the three species of bird that give the area its SPA status.

These are the Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata) and Woodlark (Lullula arborea) and they are all ground nesting species that benefit greatly from the combination of bare ground, varied scrub cover and mosaic of habitats that lowland heathland provides.

Dartford Warbler and Woodlark are year-round residents in the UK with some Woodlark wintering on the continent and returning each summer to breed. The Nightjar, however, only visits the UK in the summer to breed on our heaths, usually arriving in May and leaving as summer ends.

To see both Dartford Warbler and Woodlark, a walk around one of our heathlands early in the morning (particularly in the spring or summer) is your best bet - although they can be seen at any time and their songs are unique and captivating. Nightjars are nocturnal so you’ll need to head to our heaths in the evening as the sun sets to see these amazing birds. They make an incredible mechanical churring noise and display by clapping their wings above their heads, a spectacle worthy of gracing any David Attenborough documentary! When we think of amazing wildlife, we often think of foreign places and thriving rainforests, but here in Surrey we have our own amazing characters with fascinating stories right on our doorsteps.

Protecting and connecting our internationally-significant heathland habitats is a major focus of our campaign to Save Surrey's Nature. Find out more or donate >>

Adam Bolton
Conservation Manager, Surrey Wildlife Trust