Children’s Playground - repairs
Following essential repairs, the sandpit area of the Bushy Park Playground has reopened. We aim to have the remaining section of the playground reopened by the Easter weekend.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
Woodland Gardens
The Narcissi are starting to flower throughout the gardens at the start of this month, while the Snowdrops (Galanthus) are at the end of flowering. Ash Walk has been planted with Yews and Hollies to create a natural windbreak. On the Southern boundary of the gardens whips have been planted to form a native species hedge, which includes Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), Field Mapel (Acer campestre), Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), Hazel (Corylus avellana), and Dog Rose (Rosa canina).
Towards the end of the month, and should ground conditions permit, grass cutting will commence again this year. A higher cut will give the grass protection from the fierce sun in the summer months, as well as retaining the green sward.
Some 700 cuttings have been taken from the Dogwoods in the Gardens to extend the existing plantings along the banks of Fishers Pond and the wet area at the Ash Walk end by the Old Police box.
North of the Waterhouse Pond in the Waterhouse Woodland Garden the Totem Pole is standing tall. At its base is a Killerwhale, the monarch of the sea, and on top an Eagle, the monarch of the air. The totem pole was donated with the assistance of the Canadian High Commission in 1992 as a memorial to the connection with Canada.
During the First World War I (WWI), Canadian troops were stationed in the Park and Upper Lodge became the King’s Canadian Hospital.
Bird News
Towards the middle of the month we should have experienced our first warm days, meaning that spring is on its way. However before this there are still a few winter visitors present. If the winter has been cold then Siskin and Lesser Redpoll’s numbers will increase with birds that have been forced to winter in the southern UK. Small mixed flocks may be found feeding on the Alder or Silver Birch trees in the Canal Plantation or Woodland Gardens, before heading northward to their breeding grounds in Scotland or Scandinavia. There will be a gradual decrease in the number of Redwings feeding in the park; these will also soon be heading back across the North Sea.
Skylarks, some of which may have over-wintered, will be staking a claim to a territory. They do this by soaring high in the sky and singing, before parachuting back down to the ground and chasing off any males that may have come too close. In recent summers we have taken steps to control the spread of Bracken in certain areas. Skylarks are a grassland species whose numbers in the United Kingdom have dropped by over 61% in the last 40 years. The Skylark breeding zone in the south-east corner of the Park has signs asking all dog walkers to keep their dogs on a short lead during the breeding season. This is very important and should not be flouted.
As the month nears its end our first summer visitors may be arriving. It is impossible to say, though, if these early Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps have wintered in the UK or made use of a breeze that has carried them up from Southern Europe. Warm sunny days are ideal conditions for seeing large raptors, particularly Common Buzzard and Red Kite. These birds make use of the warm thermals and can attain great heights, which can cause them to drift away from their breeding areas further west in the Thames Valley.
For more bird news check out www.regentsparkbirds.blogspot.com, a blog by Tony Duckett which also covers Bushy Park.
Further information can be found on The Royal Parks website or by emailing bushy@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk.
