Wendy Tobitt takes a look at what’s in store during the Oxford Festival of Nature

The Oxford Festival of Nature this week and next is encouraging hundreds of people to explore their local river banks, lakes, woods and commons, discovering places where wildlife is thriving.

The Oxford Wild Walk (which you can download from oxfordfestivalofnature.org) is a perfect way to start, and I saw some amazing wildlife on one of the more hidden routes.

Mesopotamia Walk, a narrow path linking Marston Road with the University Parks, runs along a strip of land between two parts of the River Cherwell, one higher than the other because it was once the millstream that powered Kings Mill.

The concrete path is edged with cow parsley standing shoulder-high with creamy-white flowers, and willow trees with branches that overhang the water on either side.

Suddenly I saw a young roe buck standing near a clump of yellow flag iris in the meadows on the eastern side of the river.

This beautiful chestnut coloured deer held his head high watching me, then flicked his ears to get rid of the midges, and slowly walked away.

Nearby a family of three goslings with their parents stood upright to check I was no threat and then went back to their voracious grazing.

This was a magical moment; to be so close to a deer and family of birds that felt safe and content to be admired with just the river between us.

Although I was only a few hundred yards from the busy traffic on South Parks Road the sounds of woodland birds, warblers and ducks on the river filled the air; I could have been in deep countryside.

Oxford Festival of Nature events will give everyone the chance to be close to wildlife they may have never seen before.

Wytham Woods is on the western outskirts of Oxford’s meadows overlooking the busy traffic of the A34, but deep inside the woodland are hundreds of wild animals.

This Saturday morning, the Oxfordshire Mammal Group and researchers from Oxford University are leading an event to discover badgers, deer and small mammals of Wytham Woods.

Bring a picnic, binoculars, a camera and notebook to find out more about what goes on there.

The rivers and lakes of Oxford are teeming with wildlife waiting to be discovered.

Join the Otter Walk on Saturday evening to find out how to spot where otters are feeding; and then watch crayfish traps being laid in the River Cherwell.

The traps will be opened on Sunday morning so that people can see what the American signal crayfish looks like.

These are now officially an invasive non-native species, found in the UK’s streams and rivers, and carrying a disease that kills the native white-clawed crayfish.

Later on Sunday, the wildlife of Wolvercote Lakes will be on best behaviour when the gates open for a family fun day with crafts and trails, as well as the chance to talk to people who look after this nature reserve, which is owned by the Oxford Preservation Trust.

If you haven’t already booked your ticket to see top TV bug expert and all-round wildlife adventurer Dr George McGavin this Sunday at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, go to www.bbowt.org.uk/whats-on. George’s talk promises to be an amazing description of his adventures across the world, and some of the bugs we live with every day!

Next week’s events include a ‘Swift’ walk around Oxford on Tuesday with bird experts Chris Mason and Jocelyne Hughes to find out more about where these extraordinary birds live, and what we can do to encourage them to thrive in the urban environment.

The Jericho Tavern’s Geek Night on Wednesday will be deeply wild with a line-up of super-experts on local and international wildlife ready to answer the trickiest question and reveal the most fascinating facts about bees, water voles, barn owls and much more.

Explore the wild side of Oxford at events across the city including story-telling, films, walks and workshops.

See the website oxfordfestivalofnature.org for full details of the events