by KEVIN DAY

There is far more wildlife in the Wellhead Gardens than is at first apparent. Last winter, for instance, was one of the harshest for many years and the flora and fauna struggled to survive despite a generous helping hand from the public. The resident kingfishers in particular had a hard time of it with just a very few holes in the ice on the river in which to fish but one of the pair did succumb although not directly to the weather. Sadly, it was taken by a female sparrowhawk in early December.

Another predator in the shape of a grey heron spent much of the winter skulking around the park’s waterways and was probably responsible for the loss of goldfish from the ornamental ponds in the War Memorial Gardens and some of the small rudd along the river stretches. However, there was evidence to suggest that an otter had also visited the stretch of water near Baldock's Passage at some point because a carp of 5lb. or more was found half-eaten on the side of the bank. Otters have been seen further downstream in the Eastgate area and they are known to travel considerable distances in search of food so it is perfectly feasible that one has found its way into the park.

The usual winter visitors of redwing and fieldfare were here by late November and around the same time a couple of more exotic species arrived. Groups of waxwings were regularly in and out of the park for over three months and a little egret spent three or four days patrolling the old cress beds in early January while both snipe and redshank were spotted in the field ditch next to Baldock's Passage when the weather was at its coldest.

The underground aquifer ensured that St Peter’s Pool stayed relatively ice free throughout the winter and this became a magnet for black headed and common gulls as well as the occasional little gull. There were also unconfirmed reports of a Mediterranean gull on the water in February. During one particular cold snap a lone lapwing turned up and spent a few days hoovering up tiny crumbs of bread that had been dropped around the bench overlooking the pool. In normal circumstances you would be hard pushed to get within fifty yards of these handsome plovers so to have one feeding within a few feet of you is most unusual.

Spring finally arrived and fears that the population of small birds may have been decimated by the cold weather appeared to be unfounded as many began their courtships and nest building before the snow and ice had melted. Moorhens and rooks were building in late February closely followed by mallard, blackbirds and thrushes and many of these had young in the nest before the first of the migrant birds began to arrive. These, the swallows, house martins and warblers were quite late this year probably due to the prolonged north easterly winds that blew well into April.

Chiffchaffs were singing high up in the trees in mid-April, a practice that will continue throughout the summer and well into October. Next came the blackcaps, willow warblers and whitethroats as well as the odd garden warbler. The first two of these will turn up just about anywhere in the park area from May through to September although the latter seems to prefer damper, boggier areas. Though not resident on the Wellhead itself, the whitethroats can be seen and heard in and around the hedgerow at the back of the meadow behind St Peter’s Pool. There are plans in the pipeline to improve this meadow with the addition of more wildflower areas over the next eighteen months but even so it is already an excellent place to watch swallows and house martins foraging in the air for insects and above them from May through to August you can usually see the jet black swifts going about their business.

Of course, the presence of these three species will attract the attention of the hobbys that feed on them and this year has been no exception as there have been several sightings of this super fast falcon over the old cress beds and meadow throughout May and June. Towards the end of the summer, they will turn their attention to dragonflies which they can catch and eat whilst still in flight and a good time to see this is usually in the late afternoon or early evening from July onwards.

Already this spring, there have been plenty of positives for the bird population in the park and successful breeders include bullfinch, goldcrest, tree creeper and possibly great spotted woodpecker, as well as a whole host of other birds both the large and small.

Over sixty five species of birds have been recorded in the Wellhead Gardens in the last two years and the list grows seemingly month on month but none of this would be possible without the careful management by staff at all levels and as the work continues, there are sure to be more wildlife surprises in the years to come.

WRITTEN JUNE 2011