Trinity’s gardeners, joined by other staff and students, saw record number of birds including a kingfisher, an egret and two green woodpeckers during the Big Garden Birdwatch 2024.
Apprentice Gardener, Ursula Morris said:
‘It’s great being a gardener because we see all sorts of things like deer, foxes and little mice but, today, when I was really looking, I saw a goldcrest and I’ve never seen a goldcrest before. I was also very lucky to spot a kingfisher flash by me.’
The team spent an hour on Friday 26 January stationed across Trinity’s 36 acres recording the highest number of each species seen at any one time. Birds that land, not those that fly overhead, are counted.
For the first time, the team included Old Field sportsground in the survey.
Head Gardener, Karen Wells said:
‘We chose the early morning to increase the chance of seeing birds leaving their night roost to top up their energy reserves feeding in areas such as the mixed-species hedgerow that borders the Old Field sportsground.’
Like last year, the most numerous species sighted was the blue tit (29 in total.) Ms Wells said that the wider range of species spotted this year was testament to the increasing biodiversity of the College site.
Senior Gardener, Joharna Richards said:
‘It was amazing to see the number of birds in the tree-lined culvert between St John’s and Trinity. We spotted over 10 species of birds within 15 minutes including treecreepers, a coal tit and grebe. Trinity is lucky in that we have two Colleges bordering us both with naturalistic, quiet and relatively old planting.’
Jonny Church, Library Assistant, joined the Trinity birdwatch team for the first time. He said:
‘No better way to start the day than being outside in the crisp morning air and seeing an abundance of birdlife a stone’s throw from your desk. My mind felt clear and focused and seeing goldcrests and treecreepers before a morning coffee was perfect.’
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