below the Yews, in the early morning, before the Park had opened to the public. 



A group of three Black Poplars provided a suitable nest-site for a family of Mistle Thrushes. These 

 were already nesting by the end of March and three young birds were seen with the adults during the 

 Summer. These same trees are the home of the Hornet Clear-wing Moth, with their characteristic 

 holes found around the base of the trunks. - , 



The Spring produced the usual magnificent display of Bluebells in the woodland. These were in 

 strong contrast to the vivid yellow of the bulbous buttercups of the Parkland. Here, the persistent wet 

 weather led to a strong growth of grasses which in turn allowed various perennial flowers to flourish 

 - normally lost to the grazing cattle. Notable were the clumps of Harebells to the South-West of the 

 main house. 



The spring migrants arrived - Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers being prominent, if not 

 common. A few Swallows hawked through the grass in the Parkland. They worked around the cattle 

 and the walkers! as they disturbed insects from the grass. Star of Bethlehem showed at several 

 points near the entrance gate to the Pheasant Park. ^- 



By late Spring, both the Buzzards and the Kites had nest sites in the Park. Last year's young 

 Buzzards were still around and they also nested locally, but the weather apparently got the better of 

 all of them and no young birds were seen. Notable sightings in the conifers were 6 Crossbills. These 

 appeared several times through the summer and may also have attempted to breed. 



The Park has almost forty nest boxes and these are monitored throughout the breeding season. This 

 year was not a great success. Broods were successfully fledged from only ten boxes - six tits, two 

 robins and two wrens. There were, however, seven boxes at the end of the season with abandoned 

 eggs or dead young. There were signs of Tawny Owl activity in one of the boxes and male and female 

 birds were heard calling in several parts of the woodland. The Park has a good population of 

 Nuthatches. These can be heard calling throughout the year. The more secretive Tree-creeper was 

 also seen on several occasions. 



The Park occasionally produces something special for the walkers. One of the highlights this year 

 was in May. We had spoken about the best places to look for wildlife and one rather elderly lady 

 commented the she had to keep her eyes on the ground - to prevent her tripping over! But then, what 

 did she see? Our first Slow worm, a fully grown 25cm adult. (See photo). 



The Summer display of Common Spotted Orchids in the Secret Valley was again impressive. There 

 were not, however, many Common Twayblades and the Bee Orchid managed less than ten blooms. 

 A special find in the meadow to the front of the main house was the Green Winged Orchid. This was 

 seen by two groups of walkers, but by the third week, it had gone, probably picked by an unenlight- 

 ened visitor! 



Michael Keith-Lucas is particularly popular as a walk leader. All of the other leaders like to accompany 

 him and he never fails to surprise us. This year he identified specimens of Yellow Bird's Nest. This 

 saprophyte was typically found beneath Beech trees, on the perimeter walk. 



The wet summer certainly had a negative effect on the birds, the flowering plants and hence the 

 butterflies. There were early spring sightings of Brimstone and Orange Tips. A few Speckled Woods 

 were seen later in the year and a good show of Red Admirals towards the end of Summer. Very few 

 Dragonflies were noted - all-in-all, not a good year for Insects. 



As Autumn progressed, we were asked to produce a display of Parkland fruits and berries. A three- 

 hour walk with secateurs and basket produced 16 different species. The most beautiful were the 

 Spindle-berries. These occurred in various hues of pink and orange all around the Park. The 

 hedgerow across the bottom of the Railway Park was especially impressive. It was also a good 

 example of how the variation in soil type affects the growth rates of the hedgerow shrubs. 



The leaf miner larvae appear to have had less effect this year on the Horse Chestnut trees, although 

 there was only a poor crop of fruit. The Sweet Chestnuts managed a little better. The native Oak, 



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