On the second Sunday of every month in 2005, BBC Gloucestershire's Country Matters show will be reporting from Coombe Hill nature reserve. The programme, presented by Brian Bailey, will follow the life of the reserve over the next twelve months. You'll be able to read regular updates (and see Brian's latest pictures) here on the website. Situated just off the A38 between Gloucester and Tewkesbury, Coombe Hill nature reserve is owned and managed by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
The site is home to an array of creatures: brown hares, harvest mice and a variety of wintering wildfowl including lapwings and snipe. Wildlife If you visit during January, you might spot visting birds such as fieldfares and you whooper swans, and (if you're especially lucky) catch sight of an otter in the canal.
The Coombe Hill site is considered critically important to establishing the Severn Vale as a major wetland conservation area. Since 1950, 95% of the country's wet grassland habitats have disappeared. Established in 1985, the reserve currently covers 214 acres.
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Coombe Hill nature reserve is a 214 acre wildlife haven near Gloucester. BBC Gloucestershire's Brian Bailey will be following its fortunes over the coming year. 
