Earley Wood was once part of the private Maiden Erlegh estate; mixed arable farmland and well-established woodland extensively replaced by housing in the 1960s and 1980s, leaving only a small wooded area around a lake and between the housing estates. 

Despite threats from speculative property developers and habitat loss as gardens are paved over for car storage, the remaining wood provides a precious habitat for a diverse population of birds and other wildlife. Listen out for red kite, woodpecker (there's a nest above the mics this year), song thrush, finches, foxes, squirrels, humans, and other species.

Headphone users! Beware of the robin and the wren!

For more information about the location, visit the
Earley Environmental Group website.