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Dereliction and Redevelopment
The wildlife returns
Initially the new Country Park looked rather raw and somewhat incomplete, but in the ten years which have elapsed since then considerable development has taken place, much of it due to natural growth and maturation.
In the summer of 1994 poppies covered all the conservation areas in the park
and spread into the fields of wheat and barley beyond.During the first
year the Park was open the poppies and ox-eye daisies were a spectacular sight.
The wildflower meadows now have a wide array of flowers, including scabious,
knapweed, thistle, cowslip, bee-orchids, campions, evening primrose, tansy
and a wide range of grasses. Because of the variety of wildflowers there is
an abundance of butterflies, moths, crickets and grasshoppers. At first it
was mainly meadow brown, gate keeper and wall butterflies that were seen,
but each year more species were spotted. To date 31 species of moths and 16
species of butterflies have been recorded.
Nationally there was a great influx of one attractive species in 1995. A cyclist riding around the Country Park with her husband alighted when she saw a painted lady butterfly:
“I had only ever seen one before and I was delighted to see another. A minute or two later, a second one flitted past, followed by two more together. Suddenly, I was in a cloud of painted ladies. There must have been twenty or more of them. I thought I was dreaming.”
A Painted Lady butterflyFrogs were the first colonisers of the lake,
but it is possible that spawn and tadpoles were donated unofficially by visitors.
In the early spring of 1997 the leader of the Ruddington Baptist Young People’s
Group arranged a sleepover in the church hall. The following day she reported:
“After dark we went for a late night hike over the Country Park. By the light of our torches we could see a lot of frogs making their way towards the lake and jumping in. One of the boys began to count them, but when he got to 400 he gave up; there were just too many.”
Immature frogs leaving the lake after rain in July are so numerous they get trodden on. Dragonflies and damselflies are also seen in large numbers in the summer. Six species have been recorded so far. The huge carp in the lake, particularly the golden carp and mirror carp, are a star attraction and rival the swans in popularity with the visitors.
A
Gatekeeper butterflyHarvest mice have moved in and colonised the meadows,
living in the hedgerows in winter. Several nests have been found in the long
grass. Grass snakes have been seen occasionally, and in autumn 20 different
kinds of fungi can be found.
A pair of swans took up residence on the lake and in May 1996 eight cygnets emerged from the reed bed. Over seven years the pair have produced a grand total of 56 offspring. Other birds on the lake include black-headed gulls, mallards, coots, moorhens, great crested grebes, tufted ducks and teal. A heron is regularly seen fishing there, and about 150 reed buntings roost in the reed bed. An injured kittiwake which died soon after being found by the lake was a very surprising visitor far from its usual habitat.
Bee orchids can be found in several places in the park in JuneAs the
trees have matured the bird population has increased. Tree pipits, little
owls, kestrels, blackcaps, whitethroats and linnets are some of the birds
that can be seen. The total number of species so far recorded is 92.
One man who had taken early retirement, walked on the park almost daily in its early years and has many cherished memories:
“Best of all was the spectacular sight of 200 starlings or more in a flock swirling around in intricate manoeuvres before diving dramatically into the reed-bed to roost for the night. As they settled, their collective chattering filled the air like the sound of a waterfall. Then after 2 or 3 minutes, suddenly – silence – not a cheep or a scuffle could be heard.”
A partially sighted visitor particularly enjoys the birdsong:
“One April evening the birds on the lake were settling down for the night, twittering and fluttering gently, when from way across the fields I heard a cuckoo calling. Spring had arrived.”
The Story > Chapter 10 > Section 10.02