Want to learn about birds?
Want to learn about birds?
Want to learn about birds?
Want to learn about birds?

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Many species of birds come to nest or feed on the farm. We aim to provide lots of habitats for our bird populations to improve diversity. We have increased our wetland coverage by digging scrapes which fill with water for birds to feed in, as a variety of wetland birds use the farm for feeding. We are also putting increased protections around some areas of the farm which are known to have ground nesting birds, to reduce disturbance.

Around our wetlands and lakes we have plenty of ducks, geese, swans, and gulls. We have also sighted some species around, including wigeons, sandpipers and plovers. The farm in general is home to many breeding species as well. These include great crested grebes, tufted ducks, little owls, and stock doves, as well as swallows.

Swallows

In many of our barns we have swallows nesting for the summer months. Swallows are migratory birds, spending summer in the UK and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere to breed, before flying down to Africa from September time where there is more food during winter. They tend to come back every year to the same nests which they make out of mud tied together with dried grass.

During their summer in the UK they can have up to three sets of fledglings, each with up to five eggs. They tend to have fewer chicks in their later sets of the season. In the daytime the parents leave the nest to forage for insects, their primary food source, returning around dusk to feed their chicks.

Birds of prey

If you have been to the farm or are from around Oxfordshire, you will be familiar with our red kites. These scavengers are rampant around Oxfordshire after being reintroduced over 30 years ago. Prior to that they had almost gone extinct in the UK. Their return is a fantastic example of rewilding, to improve our ecosystems and biodiversity. Kites feed primarily on carrion from road kills or other dead animals they find around the farm. They also occasionally hunt for prey such as small birds and rodents.

Other birds of prey that we have spotted around the farm include kestrels, buzzards, peregrine falcons, hobbies, and sparrow hawks. So keep an eye out for anything exciting!