Gunton - A Site Guide
If you ever plan to visit Gunton, then you may find this site guide useful. (Refer to OS map number 134)
At the top of Gunton Church Lane you will find Gunton Woods (TM543958), which is a recently tidied up piece of mostly sycamore woodland. It is near the church and there is always good roadside parking available. This wood has loads of potential. The wood has turned up Wood Warbler, Firecrests, Yellow-browed and Pallas' Warblers. A path veers off left half way down the main track into a grassy field with bramble scrub down one side, which has serious potential for all the rare autumn migrant warblers. This whole area unfortunately from a birders point of view popular with dog walkers but a quieter place to watch is Gunton Hall recreation field further down the main track just across the Pleasurewood Hills access road, there is a public path around this as you are not allowed to walk on this field itself. Another place is Gunton Meadow, around the back of the new Tesco's petrol station off Leisure Way. This path eventually leads to the B1385 Corton Long Lane. Just before you cross over the Pleasurewood Hills access road, there is a path that runs eastwards, which takes under the old railway bridge you to the disused railtrack and the coast road. The pictures included below were taken on 27th March 2006, but they look like they were taken in January!! I will try and take some summer ones soon!
Gunton Woodland Community Project - check out their website, (opens in new tab/window).
Gunton Woods main track
The disused Gunton railway track (TM545957 to 544964) is a line of bushes stretching from Hubbard’s Loke up to the boundary of Pleasurewood Hills. It mainly consists of Hawthorn, brambles, small oak and Sycamore trees. This place will always be steeped in history from September 2002 onwards because of the first winter Black-headed Bunting, which was found here. It is also ideal for other autumn migrants such as Red-backed Shrikes, Wrynecks and Barred Warblers have been recorded almost annually. In October 2002, a Great Grey Shrike was also found here. The arable field to the west is a magnet for pipits and winter thrushes and a Richards Pipit was present in the field in October 2006. There are also the bushes that are around the pitch and putt course to the east which need to be monitored, if they are they will produce something decent. Yellow-browed Warblers are starting to turn up here as well, which is certainly down to the vastly improved coverage this area has had recently. To the east of the old railway is the Dip Farm playing field a large wide playing field right next to the coast. Its ideal for Chats, Pipits and Thrushes come the autumn. Bordering the playing field and the B1385 Corton road is a tree hedge consisting of Silver Poplars pines and sycamores. This under watched belt turned up a Greenish Warbler in late August 2003.
The cliff tops (TM548958) mainly consist of bracken, gorse and a small copse of Holm Oaks right in the centre between the entrances to the Dip Farm car parks. At their southern end are the back gardens of the houses on Corton Road that back onto the cliff top. These are always worth a scan for goodies such as warblers, Redstarts and anything else really! Down on the dunes, there is mainly the area of dunes, and bramble scrub to the north of Warrenhouse Wood. Excellent for migrants, and a great site for Wryneck but unfortunately heavily used for exercising dogs, and popular with the sort of characters that seen to frequent commons/beauty spots... so disturbance can be a problem. In autumn 2002, Lowestoft’s 'first' Dartford Warbler for over 110 years was found. Regular autumn migrants like Wheatears, Ring Ouzels are found most years but Red-backed Shrikes and Barred Warblers are scarce migrants here as well. Other good birds in the past have been Red-headed Bunting and Richard's Pipit. In autumn 2001 one birder flushed a Quail. Further south the beach becomes wider and at the southern end by the car park tucked in at the bottom of the cliff at Links Road is Warrenhouse Wood (TM549954). This wood, with its mix of stunted Elms, Sycamores, Brambles and Holm Oaks has an excellent track record including Red-eyed Vireo, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Icterine and many Pallas’s and Yellow browed Warblers. It’s location means that this wood must be defiantly be one of the places you look at when the right ‘fall’ conditions occur.
Gunton clifftops looking south east.
Corton Woods (TM545965), Like Gunton woods has recently been regenerated by a partnership between the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and local residents keen to give up their spare time to do tasks like chop down the sycamores that shade the other trees, lay wood chip paths and plant new trees. Parking is easy, turn off the coast road at the pitch and putt, park and walk north through the gap in the brambles. The most striking feature is the newly restored pond at the southern end of the wood. This is an excellent place for dragonflies come summer and in 2003 the Small Red-eyed Damselfly was recorded here for the first time. The wood is different from Gunton Woods in the way that is ancient woodland. This evident when you walk further north into the woods by the large Oak, Beech and Ash trees that tower over you. In late 2005 upto 3 Nuthatches took up residence here but didnt stay around to breed. The potential of this wood, especially in migration times is plain to see when you visit as any rare warbler or flycatcher is a possibility (they may be a little too high up to see though!). On the other side of the road, the cliff top camp site area with the Holm Oaks is private, which is a shame because that looks like the best migrant trap area, but doesn’t that sum up story with birding?!
The old entrance road to Pleasurewood Hills leading towards Corton Woods
Other Gunton Wildlife
Butterflies: Most species can be seen in the area depending on what time of the summer you decide to go out. Orange tip can be found in Gunton Woods and Green Hairstreak is difficult but in the past has been found along the disused railtrack and the cliff top heaths. Small copper is best found on the cliff top heath and beach dunes as far south as Warrenhouse wood. Another site is the short grass south of Corton Woods. White letter Hairstreak may still exist in the area, ample amounts of Elm do exist and may still be home to this sometimes difficult to see species. The large Oak trees in the area support small numbers of Purple Hairstreak, especially behind Tesco's and along Gunton Church Lane. The Specked wood has expanded greatly over recent year and can be seen practically anywhere in the area, even flying along the tidemark on the beach! Large, Small and Essex Skippers can be found where the grass is allowed to grow, for instance along the shelter belt by the pitch and putt as well as the grass land behind Gainsbourgh Drive. Being at the coast, Migrants are possible and in July 2002 a Camberwell Beauty was found along the disused railtrack (see below) Photos (c) P. Wright.
Moths: Starting with Hawk moths, During a moth trap in Gunton Woods in 2003 Lime Hawkmoth was trapped. In the past Eyed Hawkmoth has been found as well as Privet Hawk. Emperor Moths exist in small numbers on the cliff tops in early summer.
Other insects: On the beach, cliffs and heath a number of interesting discoveries have been made recently, the most suprising was the presence of Antlions in a bank just to the south of tramps alley, as well as a few others in a bank further south nearer warrenhouse wood. Some areas of the warren and heath support the rare Jet (black) ant.
Mammals: Red Fox has been seen on the odd occasion, in Gunton woods, and early one morning during the winter in the housing estate. Munjac deer are a feature of the woods too. Bats can also be seen too, especially it seems in my garden after dusk, determining what species is difficult in the gloomy conditions!
Reptiles: The best place to find the most reptiles is on the clifftop heaths and beach dunes, Common Lizards can be found basking and if your lucky, Adders too. The dense bracken and heavily used paths can both be a problem. Further inland the ponds in the woods as well as at Gunton Hall can be home to Grass snakes