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What a different year it has been so far, with much cooler weather this April but some promise of warmer days to come.  It has not stopped birds nesting and flowers blooming.  The cheerful yellow flowers of the Marsh Marigold are brightening up the marsh areas, especially in the alder carr (the wet woodland on the outer boardwalk).  We planted some wild flower bulbs in the carr last autumn and you may have already noticed the distinctive nodding flowers of the Snakeshead Fritillary and the strong smell of the Wild Garlic .

Other spring flowers to look out for are the pinky-red Herb Robert and Red Campion , the nodding bell flowers of the Water Avens , the tiny blue flowers of Early Forget-me-not and the showy white display of the May Blossom or Hawthorn in the hedgerow. 


The first Reed Warblers have already been heard singing noisily in the reeds, having returned from their winter home in Africa to nest in our reedbeds.  The Common Terns are a bit late returning from Africa this year - we have been clearing and cleaning their special rafts this winter in preparation for their spring arrival, so keep a look out for them over the inner lake and check our wildlife diary on your visit.

Other returning migrants you may spot in the next few weeks are Swifts, House Martins, Swallows and Sand Martins , coming to feast on our flies and other insects (good news if you don't like gnats!). 

Blue Tits and Great Tits have started nesting in the many nestboxes hidden around the Park.  On the lakes, one Coot pair has already raised one chick and the Little Grebes , Moorhens and Canada Geese are busy building nests or incubating eggs.  You may also hear the delightful song of the Skylarks , which nest on the ground in the fields at the back of the Park and spiral up into the sky, singing.

As the weather warms up in May (hopefully!), we will start to see our many colourful butterflies emerge, with damselflies and dragonflies following slightly later in late May and June.  Early butterflies to look out for on sunny days include the Small White, Speckled Wood, Orange tip and Peacock .  The Blue tailed Damselflies will emerge in late May, followed by Large Red and Common Blue Damselflies and the Black-Tailed Skimmer and large Emperor Dragonflies in June.  Check out our site wildlife diary and boards for the latest sightings.

The Park's frogs laid their frogspawn in early March and you can watch some of the tadpoles developing in our indoor tank.  The newts have been gathering at their spawning sites this month and you might be able to spot some of them in the clear water of the inner lake just outside the Gatehouse.

Contact details, access, and opening times
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