Most of our willow warblers will have left by now; they will be on their way to sub-Saharan Africa where they will spend their winter. Theirs is the longest journey undertaken by any of the park’s migratory birds. Why do such tiny birds fly so far and take such risks to do it?
Continue reading “Willow warbler migration”
There are several families of magpies in the reserve. This year’s crop are, as yet, short-tailed, loud- mouthed and clumsy, hanging out in gangs and still learning to fly properly. But, despite their dramatic black and white beauty, their reputation is poor.
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Collared doves (Streptopelia decaocto) bred in Britain for the first time in 1955, in Norfolk. Within 20 years they had colonised every county in the British Isles, and had even reached Shetland and the Outer Hebrides.
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Debbie Cronnie has sent pictures of the young kestrel family that is learning to hunt in our fields at the reserve.
Thank you Debbie.
Header image by Clive Knight
Pigeons feed their babies on milk.
Continue reading “A fascinating fact about pigeons”
Ian reports that the bee swarm from the old ash tree at Fiveways seems to have settled into a hole in the tree we call the Owl Box Oak; a second honey bee colony in the reserve is very exciting news.
Read on for even more exciting news
There have been several reports this week of kestrels hunting over Kestrel Field.
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The year’s first cuckoo was heard in the reserve this week.
Here are five facts about the pair of greater spotted woodpeckers that has been seen hanging around the Lone Oak this week
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This year, there seems to be a robin singing from every tree in the reserve.
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A jay has been seen on several early-morning occasions, hopping about just inside the reserve’s main entrance.
Continue reading “Jay”
by Simon Knight
One of the special features about the park – or any wild place – is that if you go there at the correct time and have the patience to stay still, be quiet and just really look and listen, you will find that there is life all around you.
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The header picture is a male chaffinch (CC0).
Bullfinches are regular visitors to the park. Despite the male’s glorious colouring, they are quiet, retiring types, rarely seen; this picture was taken early one Saturday morning when the park was pretty much empty of visitors.
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There is a pair of spotted flycatchers hunting from the hollow oak tree in the corner of the little triangular field between Simpsons and Fiveways. Keep an eye out for them; they are an increasingly rare sight.
Spotted flycatchers are on the RSPB’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern
The British Trust for Ornithology has been collecting data about the migratory behaviour of blackcaps.
Continue reading “Blackcap”
Message from Ian, Sunday April 18th:
A Red Kite appeared over Sleepers Field and settled briefly on top of the Oak in the hedge between Sleepers and Cornfield before continuing towards Lambrok Meadow. I spoke with a nearby walker who said it joined up with another over Kestrel Field; we seem to have a pair that have included the park in their territory!
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Message from Julie Newblé:
I haven’t managed to get a photo but I’m sure I’ve seen a red kite in the country park the last few weeks.
Clive Knight has reported several recent sightings of a little egret in Lambrok Meadow.
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We have been watching pairs of blue tits house hunting in our oak trees since February and we predicted an early nesting season for the species. But this period of cold weather with frosty nights may have slowed things up.
Read on to find out why. . .
by Simon Knight
After my amazing weasel encounter, which showed the daily fight for survival that happens within the park, and to which many people are oblivious; I was fortunate to witness the opposite of the weasel encounter – this time life being created.
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