Despite the delightful bank holiday weather (yeuck!), our local birds will still be getting on with sitting on their eggs, tending to their chicks and raising the next generation of birds for the park and the surrounding neighbourhoods. From small to large (including owls and woodpeckers), the birds love our park!
Over the winter, the Friends have been providing wild bird food (seeds etc) from several feeding stations in the park; these are much appreciated by our ‘feathered friends’ and you may notice that the feeding stations will be getting extra attention, during this crucial season! If you would like to be involved in this work, do get in touch with Rosemary (gardening@rowntreepark.org.uk).
Offering bird food in your own backyard or garden will allow the birds even more support, by expanding their foraging area, but please do ensure that your feeding station doesn’t make the birds vulnerable to the local cat population. The RSPCA says:
A cat’s natural instinct is to hunt it’s prey but there is a real concern domestic cats are impacting the welfare of local wildlife. To help prevent your cat bringing home unwanted surprises, and to protect local wildlife, we recommend:
- Restrict outdoor access at dusk and dawn when wildlife is most active, at least an hour before sunset and an hour after sunrise.
- Restrict outdoor access after bad weather such as rain, to allow birds to come out and feed.
- Attaching a bell to a quick-release safety collar.
It would also be great if someone knowledgeable could volunteer to keep a regular bird count, for the park. As we have been moving the geese on for several months, we’d like to be sure that this hasn’t had any negative impact on the ducks, coots etc. Get in contact by info@rowntreepark.org.uk
Off now, to splish-splash-splosh through the puddles!
