We’ve recorded 73 species of birds at The Meadowlands so far.

Over winter, Woodcock Scolopax rusticola and Snipe Gallinago gallinago are flushed from woodland edge and scrapes, while Redwing Turdus iliacus and Fieldfare Turdus pilaris flock in the orchard and forage in the woods.

Then, come summer, Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca, Spotted Flycatchers Muscicapa striata, and Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus breed in the woods. Swifts Apus apus return to nest in the eaves of the farmhouse, and Yellowhammers Emberiza citrinella return from the arable farms where they overwinter to sing from hedgerow trees.

In the emerging scrub we’ve recorded Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia, Whitethroat Curruca communis, and Lesser Whitethroat Curruca curruca, and expect these birds to beneft as we transition to wood pasture.