Wildlife

Burgess Field is home to a huge variety of wildlife, largely untroubled by the many regular users of the area. A couple of roe deer are often spotted at the northern end, where a barn owl regularly quarters the grassland area at dusk.

Birdwatchers have noted blackcap, chiffchaff, lesser whitethroat, song thrush, linnet, goldfinch, chaffinch, green and greater spotted woodpeckers, woodcock, snipe and willow warbler, as well as the ubiquitous blackbird, wren and robin.

It is also home to many butterflies, with marbled white, speckled wood, small tortoiseshell, common blue, meadow brown, ringlet, small white and small heath the most regularly seen, and with orange tip, brimstone, red admiral, comma and peacock the less frequent visitors. It was also home to a colony of small skippers, sadly noticeable by their absence in summer 2017.

A variety of wildflowers abound, including ragged robin, lady’s bedstraw, common knapweed, meadow cranesbill, meadow vetchling, oxeye daisy, birdsfoot trefoil, pineappleweed, red clover and two varieties of orchid. The seasonal displays of the spreading clumps of snowdrops, daffodils and primroses are much admired.