A year in the life of a country park

During January the team are coppicing to let in sunlight and expose the ancient wood bank to help woodland flora flourish.

The end of the February sees the team finish the coppicing plot. The activity includes replanting and dead hedging the area and making it ready for the forthcoming spring.

Other works see the team carry out repairs to the play park as well as routine works to fencing.

As March draws close, the weather starts to improve along with wildlife activity. Woodland works are carried out by the team to bring in light around one of the woodland ponds that’s home to the protected great crested newt.

Wildlife spotted during these months include siskins, redwings, lesser spotted woodpeckers and bullfinches.

April sees the start of the butterfly survey. Every year staff and volunteers walk a set route each week and record butterfly numbers, this is then fed into national data.

With the warmer weather in May, path clearance works start. The team cut back overgrown vegetation on the pathways. The team also dredges streams, drainage channels and digs a new sluice, so water can be released into ditches during summer.

During June the team are mostly occupied with mowing, with 33 acres of grassland to manage. Happily, the Countryside Stewardship bid was approved, a scheme that funds conservation works to improve natural resources.

Bird and butterfly surveys continue, but now reptile, bat, newt and orchid surveys are introduced.

Wildlife spotted in the park include a barbastelle bat,shrill carder bee, osprey and a nightingale, a species that had been absent from the park for five years.

During July, new benches are installed, more vegetation clearance along pathways takes place and the species surveys continue.

August is the peak season for the park with approximately 15,000 visitors. With high temperatures and low rainfall, the team work to strengthen dams and repair bridges while the water levels are low.

The continuing good weather in September sees further woodland works take place involving elm and sycamore. The team also create plots for turtle doves to hopefully bring the endangered species back to the park.

Wildlife spotted includes painted lady, marbled white and silver washed fritillary butterflies, brown banded carder bees, lesser spotted woodpeckers, swifts and barn owls. Pleasingly, a kestrel family which took up residence in a bird box had chicks.

October sees a shift in focus from grassland to woodland habitats and the team starts coppicing as part of the Countryside Stewardship scheme. Other works in October include flailing hedges and more preparation work on the wood pasture.

November is a time for reflection as the nights draw in as the team finish the years firewood processing and continue with coppicing.

During December, the coppicing plot is sealed off with dead hedging to protect the regrowth from hungry deer. The team also start constructing tree shelters to protect the oaks in the new wood pasture area near long pond.

Wildlife spotted includes green sandpipers, redwings, great white egrets, greenshanks, firecrests, and a short eared owl. A marsh harrier, lesser redpoll and goosander appeared on the lakes for the second year running. Hopefully they’re now regular visitors.