Five Friday Favourites… Birds

Our Site Manager, Andy, tells us there is a ‘Magic 5’ of bird watching at Granville’s Wood.

What Are the Magic 5?

  1. Buzzard
  2. Sparrow Hawk
  3. Owl
  4. Woodpecker
  5. Great Tit

 

There have been a few rare occasions when they see all five in one day. Our last team meeting started with a description of just such an exciting day. Unfortunately they are usually too fast to take a decent photograph, or they are gone before anyone can grab their camera.

We do have wildlife cameras dotted around the Woods. Our families are able to request them to see what happens in their nook while they are away. By moving them regularly we have a good idea of the day and night creatures that are using the space. It’s a wonderful insight into the changes that our presence is having – and we’re glad to say it’s a positive one.

How Are We Encouraging Them?

Our introduction of bird feeders, bird tables and habitat piles as well as a good selection of housing has encouraged this diverse range of birds in. By increasing the amount of food available, and offering safe and secure homes Granville’s Wood has become a real haven for native wildlife.

 

These small changes began with the creation of ‘highways’ around our nooks. Using the brush from the felled pines to create short walls around some of the nooks meant more small birds could safely traverse around the area. This also encouraged more ground feeding birds too.  Adding log piles has also increased the number of insects, which increases the number of birds.

By protecting these natural habitats and encouraging back the native species and ecosystem of the woodland we expect more changes and diversity in the future too. It’s an exciting time to be working and watching.

It’s not always easy to tell if our bird houses have residents in. Sometimes the ‘wrong’ residents have moved in? We keep an eye on them all and hope that as the woodland continues it’s return to a more natural balance will have more days with the Magic 5.

We encourage visitors to share any photos or stories about what they see or hear when the spend time at Granville’s Wood. Our Facebook Page is full of wonderful images.