A Birders' Paradise
comprising pools (Swan Pool and the Swag) that used to be quarry pits, and which have today become a haven for all kinds of bird life, from ducks, geese and swans to reed-nesting birds like Reed Warblers. Stubber Green boasts an impressive species list of waders, ducks and other birds, to the extent that it has been recognised for its importance as a habitat for reed-nesting birds and as a roosting site for birds like swallows.
Swan Pool
The smaller of Stubbers Green's two pools is called Swan Pool, and it is a popular spot for people to stop, and where they often feed the birds. If you stand on the viewing platform, you will notice a board which gives a bit of advice about feeding our wild ducks, geese and swans. As much as 'feeding the ducks' has been an important part of growing up and getting to know nature, these days we know that it can actually do more harm than good.
The reason for this is that bread (and other kitchen scraps often fed to birds) has very little nutritional value for birds, and if they fill up on it, they won't eat their natural food, and can actually start to become malnourished. (Imagine starving to death with a full belly!) Here at Countryside Services, we love our ducks and geese as much as you do, and as much as you may want to feed them, the best thing that you can do is to just enjoy them, and let them go about feeding themselves.
Okay, we're showing off a bit, but here's the list of 97 species that have been recorded at Stubbers Green so far:
Barn Owl
Swallow
Barnacle Goose
Blackbird
Blackcap
Black-headed Gull
Black-tailed Godwit
Blue Tit
Canada Goose
Crow
Caspian Gull
Chaffinch
Collared Dove
Buzzard
Chiffchaff
Coot
Common Crossbill
Common Gull
Kestrel
Pochard
Common Sandpiper
Starling
Swift
Common Tern
Curlew
Dunlin
Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow)
Sparrowhawk
Teal
Feral Pigeon
Fieldfare
Garden Warbler
Glaucous Gull
Golden Plover
Goldfinch
Goosander
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Cormorant
Great Crested Grebe
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Great White Egret
Green Sandpiper
Greenfinch
Greenshank
Grey Wagtail
Greylag Goose
Herring Gull
Hobby
House Martin
House Sparrow
Iceland Gull
Jay
Kingfisher
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Redpoll
Lesser Whitethroat
Little Egret
Little Ringed Plover
Long-tailed Tit
Magpie
Mallard
Mediterranean Gull
Mistle Thrush
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Gannet
Lapwing
Oystercatcher
Peregrine
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Pink-footed Goose
Raven
Red Kite
Redshank
Redwing
Reed Bunting
Reed Warbler
Ringed Plover
Robin
Rook
Sand Martin
Sedge Warbler
Shelduck
Shoveler
Siskin
Sky Lark
Snipe
Song Thrush
Tufted Duck
Jackdaw
Wigeon
Willow Warbler
Wood Pigeon
Wren
Yellow-legged Gull
