Out and about in the Park in winter
Many birds fly south for the winter but you will still see some beautiful birds on and around the lake this
winter.
Herons
There have been several sightings
of herons around the lake.
Herons are tall, upright, slender
birds with long legs and a large
wing span (approx. 94 cm). They
are generally grey with a white
head and breast. Down its neck it
has a long, thin black line in the
centre. It has a long sharp beak
that is usually orange / yellow.
They nest near water. Herons
have the ability to stand apparently
motionless next to the water or in
the shallows looking for fish.
Moorhens
Moorhens can be seen all around
the lake but they particularly like
the end of the lake close to
Fisheries Cottage. They have
rounded bodies, short wings and
grow to approximately 34 cm in
length. They look black in colour
but on closer inspection they are a
dark greyish blue with a distinctive
white line along their flanks. The
front part of their head is red
leading down to a yellow tip. They
have quite large feet for their size
which helps them walk across
mud. They like to nest close to
water. They like to eat water
Swans
plants, tadpoles, worms and other
There are a small number of creepy crawlies.
swans on the lake here at Coots
Blenheim nesting on the Island.
They are amongst Britain’s biggest The coot is very similar in
birds and in order to take flight appearance to the moorhen and it
they have to run a little way across is a common sight here in the
the water flapping their huge park. Like the moorhen it is a
wings. Swans can have a wing span nicely rounded bird and it is
of up to 7ft (2.2 m). They are generally black. However the coot
white in colour with orange beaks has a white beak and an area of
that have a black tip at the end. white on its forehead. It grows to
Swans like to eat water plants, approximately 38 cm. It is an
grasses and insects. They are excellent swimmer and can dive
territorial so do not attempt to get quite deep in search of food.
Coots like to eat algae, roots,
close.
shoots, water plant seeds and any
creepy crawlies they can find such
as worms, centipedes and
Below is a drawing of a moorhen
millipedes.
A heron standing by
the lake side
A coot on the lake
Pheasants
Snow geese
There are always pheasants in the
Park. The females tend to have the
less exciting colouring being mainly
grey / brown in colour whilst the
males have a deep bottle green
head, red dangling skin on their
faces, a rich orange / red chest with
long spiky tails. The longer the tail
the older the bird. Pheasants like
cover so they will be seen more in
High Park or close to Combe
Bottom than in the open park.
They eat grain, seeds, insects and
berries. They vary in size from 53
cm to 90 cm long.
There is a small flock of snow
geese living in the Park. There are
approximately 10 birds. There has
been some inter breeding with the
Canada geese so you may see one
or two of the snow geese with some
flashes of colour like the Canada
geese, but generally they are all
white and they are smaller than the
Canada geese. Snow geese mate
for life and live in colonies made
up of families. Offspring stay with
their parents until they are 2 / 3
years old.
Robins
This is an instantly recognisable
bird with its red /orange breast.
The rest of its body is a greyish
brown with a red tinge. It is quite a
small bird being approximately 14
cm long. The robin is one of the
more friendly birds and they will
often observe humans for a little
while before flying off. Robins like
to eat insects, seeds and berries.
Crows
Kingfishers
Canada Geese
Canada geese were first brought to
England in the 17th Century. They
live in quite large numbers in the
park. They have a black head and
a long black neck, pale whitish /
greyish chest and grey / brown
feathers. They can grow to
approximately 1 m l(3ft 3 inches)
long and stand approximately 3ft
tall. (91.5 cm) They nest close to
water and like to eat water plants
and grass. They have quite a loud
call and can be quite intimidating
to other birds when they flock in
large numbers.
Canada geese on the lake
Kingfishers have been seen at
Bladon Bridge and by the
Cascades. A kingfisher is about the
same size as a sparrow but they are
much more colourful. The
kingfisher is blue, orange and
turquoise. They live near water and
as their name implies they are
efficient and speedy when fishing.
Not too surprisingly kingfishers eat
fish and they also eat insects.
Wrens
This is a very common bird in the
park. It is however tiny and
therefore quite difficult to see. It is
approximately 9.5 cm long. It has
flecked brown colouring so it
blends in well with winter colours.
It has short brown tail feathers that
often stick up when it is standing. It
has a long, bright, cheerful song for
such a small bird. The wren likes
to eat small insects and spiders.
A cormorant drying its wings
on a post in the lake 
Crows are large black birds that
can grow to approximately 46cm in
length. Crows have quite a harsh
loud call. They can live almost
anywhere and are a common sight
in the park. They have a varied
diet including insects, berries, any
dead animals they find (hence the
name carrion crow) and scraps
scavenged from humans.
Cormorants
Cormorants dive into the lake to
fish. They are often seen on posts
or tree branches with their wings
held a little open so they can dry.
They have a long yellow beak and
white flashes on their heads. They
look black from a distance but
have sections of brown on their
feathers.
Pigeons
Animals in the Park
Rabbits
Wild pigeons are a very common
sight in the Park. They are usually
a blue / grey in colour with a
darker head and tail. In their
necks they can have hints of
green, blue, pink and mauve.
They are approximately 30 cm in
length. Pigeons like to make their
nests quite high off the ground
and so favour buildings and tall
trees. They like to eat seeds and
any human food they can
scavenge.
Grey Squirrels
Rabbits are very common small
mammals that are approximately
40 cm long. They have a grey /
brown coat and powerful back legs
for hopping / running away from
danger. When they run it is
possible to see the white
underside of their tails and this is
taken as a signal of danger by
other rabbits. They live in burrows
with lots of other rabbits. They
generally eat grass, arable crops,
weeds, plants. In winter when
food supplies are less plentiful
they eat young tree shoots and
bark.
Mallards
This is the country’s most
common duck and lives in quite
large numbers on and around the
lake. The male, the drake, has all
the wonderful colours. The drake
has a green head and neck with a
distinctive white ring around the
base of its neck. It has a bright
yellow beak. The top part of its
breast is dark brown whilst the rest
of its undercarriage is greyish in
colour. On each wing it has a blue
flash with a white border. It has
bright orange feet. The female is
generally beige and flecked brown
in colour. Mallards can grow to
approximately 60 cm in length.
They like to eat seeds, insects and
water plants.
Jackdaw
The jackdaw is a member of the
crow family. It has a black body
with dark grey on the back of its
neck. It has a short, sharp, dark
grey beak and quite a harsh call.
Jackdaws are approximately 33cm
long. They like to eat insects but
will also eat any dead animal they
happen to find. The following
pictures show some of the creepy
crawlies that birds like to eat such
as beetles, snails, worms and
centipedes.
There are far too many grey
squirrels in the park and whilst
they do tend to stay ‘indoors’ in
very cold weather they do not
hibernate so you may see them
searching for food they buried
earlier in the year. They like to eat
nuts, seeds, young shoots, birds
eggs, garden bulbs and the bark
from trees, especially young
Beech trees. Grey squirrels were
deliberately released into country
parks by the Victorians who
considered them to be interesting
and attractive. Now of course they
are viewed as destructive pests
rather than decoration.
Moles
Foxes
Moles are very rarely seen but their
handiwork, molehills and runs, are
often in evidence around the park.
Moles live underground in a series
of burrows connected by tunnels.
Moles build nesting and sleeping
chambers lined with grass, moss
and leaves. Moles do not see very
well but have a powerful sense of
smell. They have a small black
body, tiny eyes, a short tail and a
pointed pink nose. Their feet are
large and powerful for digging.
They eat worms.
The fox is a common carnivore
(meat eater). It is most active at
night but in winter when food is
scarce it may be seen scavenging
for food in the daylight. There are
foxes in the Park but you will have
to be very lucky to see one. Its coat
is usually a reddish golden brown
and is has a distinctive long bushy
tail. It traditionally lives in
farmland, parkland, woods and
hedgerows.
Increasingly foxes
have been seen in urban areas
living on discarded human food. In
the countryside foxes like to eat
worms, berries, fruit, snails,
beetles, mice, rabbits, birds and
any chickens it can steal from the
farmers.
Muntjac Deer
These deer were originally brought
across to England from S.E. Asia
about 100 years ago and were
released into the wild. They are
quite small in size being just slightly
taller than a Labrador dog.
Muntjac deer are golden brown in
colour. They have short antlers
that are usually straight. They make
a barking sound when they call to
each other. They eat grass,
brambles, young tree shoots and if
food is short in winter they will eat
tree bark.
Some animals, such as the
Hedgehog, hibernate in the winter
so you will not see them even
though they live in the Park.
Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are small, round and
spikey. On top they are covered
with brown spines that each have
a beige tip. They have small black
eyes; a pointed face that ends in a
small nose and tiny round ears.
When they are afraid they roll up
into a spikey ball and the spikes
keep the predators away.
The park is a haven for creepy
crawlies of all kinds. If you like
insects or are feeling brave you just
have to pick up a piece of fallen
wood or look under a pile of dead
leaves and you will probably find
lots of woodlice. Also spiders live
in bushes, trees and in the grass in
huge numbers. The woodlouse
drawn below is not drawn to scale
as they are tiny.
A Horse Chestnut tree
without its foliage
The bark of a sycamore tree
A stand of oak trees in winter
Trees in winter
There are a large number of
deciduous and evergreen trees in
the Park. In winter the deciduous
trees have to be mainly identified
by their bark and by their overall
shape. Walking around Queen
Pool there are various deciduous
trees that can be identified by their
bark and shape. See if you can
identify the trees shown in these
photographs.
The bark of an oak tree
Elizabeth Island provides a
good nesting area for swans.
Lawson Cypresses are the
evergreen trees on the Island
and the tall, thin deciduous
trees are poplars.
Sycamore, Alder, Beech, Oak,
Horse Chestnut, Lime, Plane,
Poplar
As you walk around the lake you
will also see lots of evergreen trees
which do not shed their leaves.
Using the pictures below see if you
can identify the following trees.
Cedar of Lebanon, Glauca Atlas
Cedar (Generally known as Blue
Atlas Cedar), Wellingtonia
The bark of a plane tree
A Cedar of Lebanon and a Blue
Atlas Cedar tree
A Beech tree in winter
Poplar trees by Seven Arches
bridge
Lime and Plane trees forming
an avenue near the Palace