30 Bird Species to see at Compton Verney

Interested in bird watching? If your answer is yes, and you are in the south Warwickshire area then Compton Verney could be worth a look. Although an art gallery with all the modern conveniences, it does happen to be situated in 120 acres of designed landscape – it is quite simply a bird magnet!

Adjacent woodland and streams direct birds from surrounding farmland to our large lake, parkland and woodland garden areas, and with an ever-growing path network that is easy to navigate; opportunity to see birds is better than ever!

Bird species recorded throughout the year totals 85 now, and for your information our bird watcher Alwyn has listed just a few highlights below that might tempt you to dress up in your greens and grab some binoculars.

Ice House Coppice (The mixed woodland suits the following and many other species) :

Nuthatch – resident, the only bird to walk head first down a tree; Coal Tit – resident; Treecreeper – difficult to see resident; Goldcrest – Britains smallest bird; Jay – secretive woodland bird; Great Spotted Woodpecker – resident.

Upper (Adam) Bridge (Looking all around) :

Great Crested Grebe – regular breeder; Reed Warbler – summer visitor, breeds in the reed beds; Common Sandpiper – passage bird; Swallow – summer visitor; House Martin – summer visitor.

Lawns (Looking over lake/reeds) :

Kingfisher – resident breeder; Coot and Moorhen – resident breeders; Grey Lag Goose – becoming more common; Cormorant – regular visitor; Heron – regular visitor.

Ha Ha (Viewed from the west lawn) :

Long Tailed Tit – resident, often seen in flocks with other members of the tit family; Wren – resident; Blackcap – summer visiting warbler but often over winters; Chiff-Chaff – summer visiting warbler.

West Lawn:

Jackdaw – resident; Raven – on the increase resident; Pheasant – resident; Pied Wagtail – resident.

East Park (Circular paths around parkland) :

Green Woodpecker – resident, can be seen ant hunting; Kestrel – hunts over the parkland; Buzzard – can be seen sitting on the wooden tree guards; Goldfinch – feeds on the Knapweed seeds; Skylark – can be heard singing over the park.

To access the grounds and our wonderful birds, visiting conditions do apply so please check out www.comptonverney.org.uk for further details.

You may wish to follow this blog where we post frequently about grounds and wildlife activity, indeed soon we’ll be featuring the construction of a new bird hide for Compton Verney, where we’ll have a better than ever chance of seeing that flighty kingfisher!

Best wishes

Gary Webb, Head of Landscape and Gardens at Compton Verney.