Center Parcs is a holiday for many, a place for most to relax and recharge after the hustle of daily life. For the conservation team at Center Parcs, this site is much more than slides and saunas, it’s a sanctuary for creatures big and small. The well-known grey squirrel is a mascot for the holiday resort, the wildest most will get is a close encounter with these bundles of fur. Besides this controversial species, many more reside here including Aves like moorhens and gulls, mammals such as hedgehogs and badgers, and a fantastic range of fungi and flora. Nature is the heart of Center Parcs’ circulatory system, without the towering pines and mischievous mammals it would not be the accurately adorned ‘haven’ we know and love.

February 3rd, 2024 – 9:00am: Sleepy eyed, worn, and weary, several of the team crowd the branded vehicles, huddling together not for warmth, but to gain spirit and strength. A peaceful ride for myself, mentally prepared for the management ahead - though tales from the trailing vehicle sounded like the rest of the group did not have as gentle of a morning! The clock struck 10, the expansive forest wrapped me up in its spiny branches and twinkle lights, a comforting sight if there ever was one in Nottinghamshire. Greeted by the familiar faces of Katie Doull (senior conservation ranger and Center Parcs grounds expert) and Tim Sexton, honorary Keeping it Wild member (and expert at everything else) alongside the newer face of Mike Hill (another senior conservation ranger, passionate about Lepidoptera and other weird and wonderful creatures).

Parked up and ready, we strolled to the aptly named boating lake to immerse ourselves into the world of a gull ringer. This programme has run since 2018, which attempts to understand the overwintering gulls and their roosts, particularly researching their geographical origins and distribution. After the following biometrics were taken; body mass, wing length and span, beak width and length, tail length, sex and age, the gulls were released. Keeping it Wild’s very own Hogarth stated his liking towards birds and the enjoyment of setting the bird free.

Fuelled with excitement and wonder, habitat management did not seem too heavy of a task any longer. From roughly 11am until 1pm the team worked tirelessly to remove and dead hedge gorse to benefit the residing fauna. The gorse was not pleased at this, and its mechanically defensive spikes left myriads of target like punctures across everyone’s skin, understandably so.

The management undertaken included gorse removal with the use of loppers and pruning saws, constructing a wildlife corridor in the form of a misshapen dead hedge. Creating bare ground will benefit invertebrate species, for example the Gorse weevil. The dead hedge will provide a means of travel between shrubbery without the risk of predation for species like the declining hedgehog. Gorse weevils are ecologically significant as their biological control of the invasive gorse provides not only a food source for other secondary consumers, but this seed predator allows for the creation of bare ground habitat. This mosaics the habitat providing space for further ecological variation for example the illusive common lizard and macro-invertebrates like the Purple Hairstreak (protected under the Wildlife Order, 1985).

Rumbles from what sounded like tectonic plates arose from the hard grafters, ready to sit and enjoy a hearty meal. Meaningful conversation was a must at this time, such as why would a pack of meatballs be in 17 and not a multiple of 2 or 5? And the ever-excited Tim showcasing the gorse weevil, and it’s clear liking towards the snack box™.

Once lunch was munched, another hour’s work finished the remainder of the gorse clearance and we wandered into the wilderness of Center Parcs’ natural trail with our guides at the nature centre. After spotting the regulars at the hottest bird restaurant in town, the bird feeders, a sparrowhawk stole the show with its brooding and mysterious aura. Once the hawk stretched its wings and prepared for take-off, we stared wide-eyed at the majestic wingspan and contrasting colours as the woodlands beckoned it into the distance. After our attention diversion, Sara, Center Parcs’ Education Ranger, gave insight into the world of work within the woodlands, experience required to obtain a paid position and a run through of a day in her life of teaching and educating guests on the importance of this woodland.

After all this, the fun was not over yet, it was finally time for the pied wagtail bonanza!! A furtive fun fact is this particular roost can withhold 200 individuals at once and they have taken a particular fancy to the palm trees just outside the sub-tropical swimming paradise, colonising these plants, and displaying their intraspecific habits, nature truly knows of no bounds!