Farley Copse

Farley Copse is one of Binfield’s best kept secrets.  This tranquil oasis is completely surrounded by houses and is not far from the London Road.  The Copse is visited by badgers, muntjac and roe deer and is very popular with grey squirrels.
This area of woodland contains mature native trees, including an oak that is probably older than the copse, and specimen trees planted in the 1800s including a giant redwood tree.  There are also a couple of spring-fed ponds as well as plenty of nearby bird-feeders.
In 2025,  work continued to clear bramble and holly and to coppice some of the hazel.  This will let more  light reach the woodland floor and should encourage more flowers to grow.  The ponds have recently been cleared and planted, but an ongoing battle is being fought against duckweed.  
We counted 38 species of birds (compared with 38 in 2024).  The only butterfly recorded this year was a speckled wood, but this may in part be due to the fact that the Farley Copse survey is often conducted early in the morning.  The wood is well used by woodpeckers, nuthatches, jackdaws and stock doves.  Notable sightings this year included firecrests, goldcrests, redwings and a hunting sparrowhawk.
This year I have enjoyed chatting to a couple of dog-walkers who use the merlin app while in the copse.  The app clearly enhances their enjoyment of the dog-walk and they have alerted me to the presence of some interesting species.