SUTTON PARK

Superb heathland, woodlands and pools all rich in birdlife

Surprisingly, with some of the most diverse habitat within the county, Sutton Park is largely neglected by birders, possibly put off by the lack of wader habitat, but the diversity of the area compensates. More than 2,400 acres of woodland, heathland, scrub, marsh and pools host a diverse array of both flora and fauna. The pools always offer possibilities, with recent records of Long-tailed Duck, Common Scoter, Black-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe and Great Northern Diver, while small numbers of Gadwall, Shoveler, Goosander, Goldeneye and Wigeon visit during the winter months. Spring heralds the arrival of warblers and passage Whinchat and Wheatear and is one of the few sites within the county where Cuckoo can still be heard. A small population of Dartford Warblers brought added excitement, but severe weather put paid to the birds. Summer is a quiet time with regards to birds but autumn brings passage Redstart in good numbers along Longmoor Valley. Hard to imagine now that they

were once quite common nesting birds in the park. Tree Pipit may still be present around Little Bracebridge and is worth looking for, along with the now scarce Wood Warbler. Late autumn may bring a hunting Short-eared Owl to the heathland, while the woodland still enjoys impressive numbers of Tawny Owls and a chance of Woodcock. Get out there and find your own birds, you never know what may appear, with records of Woodchat Shrike, Golden Oriole, Wryneck, and hopefully the Dartford Warbler may become re-established.