PANSHANGER PARK
Former quarry is gradually becoming a birding hotspot
PANSHANGER PARK IS a new country park and nature reserve which opened to the public in March 2014. Owned by building materials company Tarmac, the site was, in former years, partially quarried for sand and gravel, but was recently restored to its current condition, with only a small section still in use today by the aggregate industry. Originally a historic Grade II park and garden that was created by Humphrey Repton in the 18th Century, the park includes many veteran oak trees. Tarmac received awards for its restoration and nature
conservation of the wetland and agricultural meadows. The park is gradually being opened to the public in phases, with the Oak Trail being the most recent. No matter what the time of year, there is plenty to see around Panshanger Park. In the summer, look in the reedbeds for a variety of warblers such as Sedge and Reed, and in the winter, scout around for water-loving birds, including wildfowl such as Wigeon. A glance in the air will reward watchers with birds of prey such as the thriving Red Kite and Buzzards soaring above the Mimram valley.