Birds of Holywells Park

In addition to the ponds and water features a number of other areas in the park can be well worth a look for birds, especially common woodland species. As with any park, birds will turn up everywhere so, as well as the following locations, keep looking around and you may be surprised!

The bowling green. The short grass can attract Pied Wagtail at all times of the year and the trees and shrubs surrounding the green attracts common garden birds such as Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock and Collared Dove. On the south side is a line of Cherry Trees which are always worth a look for tits and finches as well as Song Thrush.

The Orchard. This area hold a number of very old fruit trees. It can play host to a real mixture of birds and is a good place to find finches, tits and thrushes. A pair of Bullfich were seen in this area in 2008 but unfortunately did not linger. The hedge line and fruit trees hold singing Garden Warbler and Blackcap in the Spring/ Summer and can also hold good numbers of thrushes in the Winter. 

The Leaf Yard. This area doesn't look very attractive but can hold a large variety of bird species. The tall trees can hold good numbers of Carrion Crows and these appear to act as a "corvid communications centre". The crows can be heard making lots of noise and interacting with others in the early morning and late afternoon. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are very common in this area and the tall ivy clad tree (as seen in the photo) has acted as a Tawny Owl day roost. Robin, Dunnock and Wren can be found around the skips and rubbish piles and may be joined by roving Great and Blue Tits.

The Orchard Meadow.  The grassland is great for butterflies and insects in Spring and Summer and as such attracts bird species such as Swallow, Swift and House Martin. Magpies also love the long grass and can be very entertaining to watch as they walk and feed in the long grass. The grassland also attracts Green Woodpecker and a family group can often be seen feeding on insects and ants together. In Winter, the grass is normally cut back but still attracts Magpies, thrushes and finches especially if any flowers have been left to seed. 

The Play Area. Kestrels are often attracted to the tall poles and frames within the play area. In the Summer, if the water fountain has been on then in the evening the surrounding wet grass can attract both Pied and Grey Wagtail who feed on the insects attracted to the damp grass. The play area itself is fenced off and the surrounding bushes and open areas can attract good numbers of species such as Moorhen, Wood Pigeon, Magpie and thrushes. Surrounding the play area is a loosely connected moat leading from Pond 3 to the Moat Pond (4). This water way is in parts overgrown but can hold skulking species such as Song Thrush, Dunnock and in the past Water Rail. Moorhen often roost in the over- hanging trees and Mandarin Duck have also been seen here.

The Conifer Hedge. Given it's aspect (east facing) in the park this hedge line catches the sun first thing and as such attracts a great number of birds. In the Spring and Summer warblers (Chiff-Chaff, Wilow Warbler and Blackcap) can be seen feeding in the tree line and basking in the sunlight. In the colder months, good numbers of tits and Goldcrests can be found. If the weather conditions are right in the Autumn, large numbers of continental Blackbirds and thrushes such as Redwing and Fieldfare will use the hedge as a roost.

The Eastern Woodlands. The park contains a large and wide variety of trees with the majority being very mature specimens. As such a good variety of woodland loving birds can be found such as; Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Jay, Stock Dove, Treecreeper, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Sparrowhawk. Tawny Owl can often be heard in the park and is occasionally seen during the day. The Tawny Owls have favoured day roosts and if you are lucky to find one then chances are that the owl will remain faithful to it for a long time. Nuthatch is very rarely seen and if an individual is encountered then it is likely to have wandered from Christchurch Park. 

The Valley is the area between the top of Pond 1 and the Nacton Road entrance. A lot of conservation work has been done in removing a number of dead trees and the area is now quite open with leaf litter and tree log piles. Due to a small spring running through the area it remains wet throughout the year and it's a great place to find Blackbirds and other thrushes flicking through the leaves. The log piles provide feeding areas and shelter for Wren, Dunnock and Robin. I keep watching this area in the hope of finding a Redstart on passage! View from either the footpath above or by the old footbridge below.

  The Valley