Bird Log

Click on the pictures above to download details of the birds in the Park and to find some pictures to colour.

Birds in the Park  

If you come across any nests in the Park and Gardens, please just look from a distance and do not touch. Human interference or disturbance can lead birds to abandon their nests.

Summer birds in the Park and Gardens

Swifts

Swifts visit between May and August, spending their winters in tropical Africa. In colour Swifts are a dull black all over. They are fast and agile when flying and spend the bulk of their time in flight. They eat flying insects which they catch whilst in the air. They build quite shallow nests of leaves, stems and feathers all held together by saliva. They lay 2-3 white eggs. Swifts have a loud, quite harsh sounding call and when a lot of them are flying together it sounds a little like they are screaming.

Swallows

Swallows visit between April and October. They overwinter in Africa. They are graceful, fast and agile birds when flying. They have long pointed wings and can change direction at great speed. The upper part of their body is glossy blue-black and their undercarriage is a chestnut/cream colour. They build their nests in farm buildings or indeed in or on all kinds of country buildings. Their nests are made of mud and straw. They lay 4-6 eggs at a time. The eggs have on them red speckles. Just before they are ready to fly for the first time (fledge) the young birds reach out of the nest as soon as the adult appears with food so they can be clearly seen. They tend to look far too big for the nest at that point. Swallows eat small insects captured as they fly along.

House Martins

House Martins visit between April and October having spent the winter in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. The upper parts of their body are a glossy blue-black and they have a white undercarriage. They have a forked tail. They are quite noisy birds with a lot of chattering and twittering. They like to build their nests on building. They eat small, flying insects often hunting over open water. They can have two families each season and produce 4-5 white eggs. Sometimes the eggs have fine reddish speckles.

Nightingales

Nightingales visit between April and September having spent the winter in tropical Africa. They are brown in colour with the undercarriage being a lighter brown than the upper part of the body.  Nightingales have a lovely warbling song. These birds live in woodland, parks and gardens. They can fly very high so sometimes they can be heard but are very difficult to see. They produce 1 family a year with 4-6 eggs that are reddish brown in colour. Nightingales eat insects, spiders, worms and berries.