Royal
forest  |
The ancient Forest of Dean is one of the few remaining Royal forests in
England. It was created by the Normans as a hunting forest to provide
food for the king's winter court at Gloucester. Ìý | | Symonds' Yat - stunning
views across the woodland and the River Wye |
On the
edge of the Forest of Dean lies Symonds Yat, one of the most stunning and famous
views in England. This area is 500 feet above sea level and borders three
counties - Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Monmouthshire in Wales. Nesting
birds  Symonds
Yat is a good place for bird watching - the crevices in the rock faces are ideal
for nesting birds including a pair of Peregrines who have been resident for six
years.
The nest is quite far away on the limestone cliffs but the RSPB
do have telescopes so that visitors can get a bird's eye view. The Peregrine
Falcon is a spectacular bird, distinguished by its dark blue-greyish plumage and
pale underbelly. It's best spotted in flight, soaring on high - look out
for its distinctive pointed wings. If you're lucky, you may see this super-fast
bird swooping down on its prey. Deer watching  The
forest is an excellent place to see deer including the Fallow, Roe and Muntjac
varieties.
There are 600 Fallow Deer in the forest, and early in the morning
or dusk is a good time to see them when they come out into forest clearings to
feed. Spring is one of best seasons to spot the deer as they are keen to
munch on the new growth of grass. There are also Muntjac Deer and few Roe,
but in much smaller numbers. Fallow is the main one which you'll see. In
the spring you might come across deer by chance - look out for something twitching
in the undergrowth. Fallow Deer flick their ears and tails to get rid of
the flies that plague them when it gets warm. These deer are distinguished
by their white rumps with a black 'm' outline, the tail providing the middle stem. Badgers
and Boars  Another
woodland resident is the Badger - look for tell tale signs such as setts with
huge entrances.
These creatures have a superb sense of smell but pretty
poor eyesight. A larger animal that also lives in these parts is the Wild
Boar, an animal that we've been able to see again in the wild only recently. They
became extinct more than 300 years ago due to hunting, and it's thought that the
Forest of Dean was one of the last places where they remained before dying out. Recently,
some have escaped from Wild Boar farms and are living in the forest fending for
themselves. There are only about five breeding populations of Wild
Boar in the UK, all in the south of England. The Forest of Dean is one
of the best places to find them: there are believed to be at least a couple of
herds, and one is third generation. Contrary to their fierce reputation
Wild Boar will avoid human contact whenever possible. Photo
credits Muntjac Deer courtesy and copyright
of English Nature and Paul Glendell. | 
