Richmond Park evening walk (26 June 2025)

20 people enjoyed a very pleasant walk around the centre of Richmond Park on a warm but refreshingly breezy evening.

Whilst waiting to start at RHG some of us spotted approximately 25 Long Tailed Tits moving through the trees. Walking up to PP car park we checked for Purple Hairstreak butterflies flitting around the tops of the Oak. Probably saw about 10.

The Pen Ponds were quiet except for the big numbers of Canada Geese and Greylag Geese which currently cannot fly whilst they complete their moult. Looking up, the sky was full of Swift  – a very pleasing sight.

Having seen a Tawny Owl in PPP, we walked up Sidmouth Slope spotting our first Little Owls of the evening. Another was sitting on a post near Queens Ride and then, as we approached White Lodge, we heard our first young owlets ‘hissing’, the sound made by young owls calling to be fed. We were all delighted to see the fluffy youngsters on the pollarded trees. 

The light was beginning to fade so we moved on quickly to look for another family group known to be on the slopes of Spankers Hill. We could just about see the owls flying from fence posts to tree stumps/logs. They could clearly be heard hissing.

Other birds seen included Hobby, Peregrine, Reed Bunting, Blackbird, Kestrel, Mute Swan, Pochard. A species total of 24.

By Sandra Hucks