If you received a wildlife guide or a pair of binoculars for Christmas, Rawcliffe Meadows is a handy place to hone your identification skills. From the boundaries of the Cornfield you can see many farmland birds including Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and various finches. Can you tell a Stock Dove from a Woodpigeon or a Feral Pigeon? The Cornfield provides you with the ideal chance to try! The hedgerows and copses around the site provide opportunities to spot tits, thrushes, Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker. More unusual birds recently seen on the Meadows include Snipe and Water Rail. As well as birds, our resident Roe Deer are remarkably easy to see and Foxes are often active in broad daylight.
Buck and doe Roe Deer
The Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows 
Wow, I’ll take a closer look next time I visit. I’ve never seen a roe deer there. I love walking to the pond. Have you spotted any hedgehogs?
Don’t recall seeing a hedgehog there but it gets a bit dark to be around in the night time. Did see one on the nearby Country Park. Foxes have dens in various quiet locations (can be seen frolicking in Reservoir Basin) and the Roe Deer can normally be seen in the Cornfield or the Reservoir Basin when not damp. The once plentiful Water Voles returned this summer. In theory there could be plenty of Hedgehogs, as long as they head towards the Cornfield when the water rises – the Moles manage to do this!