WOBURN PARK
A winter walk in the Abbey deer park
BEDFORDSHIRE
Few birding walks traverse such magnificent surroundings as Woburn Park, complete with its famous stately home, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Bedford since 1547. The abbey is set within 3,000 acres of the Lower Greensand Ridge complete with open deer pasture, ancient parkland oaks, and mixed woodlands. There are many ponds and large tree-fringed lakes throughout the walk, the best being at Drakelow and Basin Ponds and Eversholt Lake, any of which could yield wintering Goosander or resident Mandarin. Lakeside Alders and birch can attract small flocks of redpolls and Siskins among the more numerous Goldfinches. All three species of woodpeckers are present in the park, including (of course) the elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, which is easiest to locate in late winter when it begins ‘drumming’. Historically the park has harboured Hawfinches and, due to the unprecedented numbers that arrived across the country last autumn, there is a good chance of encountering this king of the finches feeding underneath avenues of lime trees (refer back to page 40 for other Hawfinch hotspots). There are six species of deer in the park ranging from a large herd of the rare Père David’s Deer, to the tiny Muntjac that has colonised much of southern England through escapes from Woburn. With the walk complete a visit to the Parish Church of St Mary`s opposite the car park is recommended to view the magnificent stained glass window depicting 58 species of birds that were found in the park, commemorating the eminent ornithologist, Mary Duchess of Bedford (1865-1937).