Since moving here in 2014, we have been gradually improving the grounds about the farmhouse, whether by planting more flowers, starting an orchard, managing the woodland, turning pasture into meadow, or putting up bird boxes and feeders. Over time, we have noticed all manner of new species arriving or re-emerging. To start 2019, we thought it would be interesting to try and catalogue all the wildlife that grows, lives, feeds or hunts here. So we’re beginning with birds …

Birds

So far, we’ve recorded 53 species of bird on the nursery and 14 of those have only arrived in the last few years due to the grounds becoming much more wildlife friendly. Our list is below. We hope more will come in the future.

Acanthis cabaret Lesser Redpoll
Accipiter nisus  Sparrowhawk
Aegithalos caudatus  Long-tailed Tit
Anthus pratensis  Meadow Pipit
Apus apus  Swift
Ardea cinerea  Grey Heron
Asio flammeus  Short-eared Owl
Buteo buteo  Buzzard
Carduelis carduelis  Goldfinch
Carduelis chloris  Greenfinch
Carduelis spinus  Siskin
Certhia familiaris  Tree Creeper
Chroicocephalus ridibundus  Black-headed Gull
Columba oenas  Stock Dove
Columba palumbus  Woodpigeon
Corvus corax  Raven
Corvus corone  Carrion Crow

 Corvus frugilegus  Rook
Corvus monedula  Jackdaw
Cuculus canorus  Cuckoo
Cyanistes caeruleus  Blue Tit
Delichon urbicum  House Martin
Dendrocopos major  Great Spotted Woodpecker
Emberiza schoeniclus  Reed Bunting
Erithacus rubecula  Robin
Falco peregrinus  Peregrine
Falco tinnunculus  Kestrel
Fringilla coelebs  Chaffinch
Hirundo rustica  Swallow
Larus canus  Common Gull
Motacilla alba  Pied wagtail
Motacilla cinerea  Grey Wagtail
Numenius arquata  Curlew
Parus major  Great Tit
Periparus ater  Coal Tit

 Phasianus colchicus  Pheasant
Phylloscopus sibilatrix  Wood Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilus  Willow Warbler
Pica pica  Magpie
Prunella modularis  Dunnock
Pyrrhula pyrrhula  Bullfinch
Regulus regulus  Goldcrest
Scolopax rusticola  Woodcock
Streptopelia decaocto  Collared Dove
Strix aluco  Tawny Owl
Sturnus vulgaris  Starling
Sylvia communis  Whitethroat
Troglodytes troglodytes  Wren
Turdus iliacus  Redwing
Turdus merula  Blackbird
Turdus philomelos  Song Thrush
Turdus pilaris  Fieldfare
Tyto alba  Barn Owl

We hope to have a list of all the plant species that are native to the nursery grounds by summer 2019.