Trent Park

From Londonbirders

Map: [1]

The description below is based only on my own visits to this patch. If you have additions and updated information then by all means add to or change the below.

Trent Country Park

Trent Country Park is a broad area of mixed habitat whose main entrance lies off Cockfosters Road, approximately a 5 minute walk directly north from Cockfosters tube station on the Piccadilly line.

Oak Wood:

Upon entering the park a paved road takes you around to the car park, visitors centre and café, past which is a wood which serves as a picnic area and pathway to the rest of the park. This wood, despite the traffic of people passing through later in the day, attracts a great deal of birdlife, including Treecreeper, Goldcrest, regular tits and finches and the familiar Jay, Wood Pigeon, Magpie and Crow. Greater Spotted Woodpecker can also often be seen here.

North West Farmland:

After walking through the Picnic Wood, turning left will take you around farmland to the North West of the park. This land is broad and well looked after and provides a nice contrast to the Picnic Wood. Partridges and Corvids can sometimes be found here.

Lakes:

Turning right after reaching the end of the picnic wood will lead along a path towards a designated Nature Walk. Parallel to this walk are two medium to large sized lakes which prove successful in attracting many water birds such as Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Shoveler, Mute Swan, the familiar Coot and Moorhen, and in the winter, the striking Mandarin Duck. These lakes also attract Grey Heron and Cormorant and a selection of Gulls.

Horse Trail:

Once past the lake, a short walk up the hill and through the wood will lead you to a horse pathway. Following this path will lead you through the wood at the northern edge of the Park. This wood is good for Goldcrest and raptors such as Kestrel and Sparrowhawk.

Vicorage Farmland:

Following the Horse pathway east will lead you to the perimeter of some broad farmland. There are many paths available to you here, both inside the park and outside of it around the farmland. This spot is good for Sky Lark, Redwing, Fieldfare, Red Legged Partridge and the occasional lapwing and Plover.

South-East Wood:

This wood borders a golf course and is a very healthy area for bird spotting. In early mornings it’s one of the most buoyant areas for bird song. The area has the added advantage of not only bordering a golf course (where occasional ducks can be seen in water traps) but also farmland. Long stints in this wood are always enjoyable and can sometimes provide a wide range of species.

2007 Species To Date

• Blue Tit • Great Tit • Long Tailed Tit • Coal Tit • Chaffinch • Bullfinch • Goldfinch • Greenfinch • Robin • Dunnock • Song Thrush • Mistle Thrush • Redwing • Fieldfare • Treecreeper • Nuthatch • Green Woodpecker • Greater Spotted Woodpecker • Goldcrest • Jay • Crow • Magpie • Starling • Black Bird • Wood Pigeon • Feral Rock Dove • Grey Heron • Cormorant • Mallard • Tufted Duck • Pochard • Mandarin Duck • Moorhen • Coot • Mute Swan • Black Headed Gull • Common Gull • Lesser Black Backed Gull • Kestrel • Red Legged Partridge • Lapwing • Canada Goose • Stock Dove • Meadow Pipit • Wren • Lesser Spotted Woodpecker • Black Cap • Willow Warbler • Sparrowhawk • Linnet • Cuckoo • Skylark • Garden Warbler • Lesser Whitethroat • Common Whitethroat • Swallow • Swift • Pheasant • Chiffchaff

Total Species: 54

Site Visits

January - 3

February - 3

March - 2

April - 2

May - 1

Date of Last Visit: May 15th 2007

Please feel free to add to this list or amend any of the description above if you visit the park also.

James Arquette