🦉Hoot in the Park

Ever wanted to hold an owl or get close to a bird of prey? Hoot in the Park was an event we ran on Sunday 24 September to help all our park friends do just that. Around 300 park friends, some old and many new, came to meet the owls and join in with the fun. This is how it went.

Birds of prey in Poulter Park

Poulter Park is home to lots of birds of prey, including kestrels, sparrowhawks, little owls and tawny owls.

We often see them swooping through the long grass, perched on the rugby poles or flying silently at dusk. But our wild birds are shy so we can only ever catch a glimpse of them.

Close raptor encounters

Hoot in the Park was a chance to meet owls up close, and learn more about our wild neighbours. We invited the lovely Berkshire Birds to visit us with their owls and birds of prey.

They visited with all sorts of owls and birds of prey for residents to hold and learn about in the park. You can read more about it from one of our visitors Jeremiah.

Art in the park

Children young and old were also able to make some free owl art with Imagineers artists. We loved the colourful results on the pathways in the park.

Meadow mooching

We were very lucky to be joined by biodiversity expert David Warburton who led a guided walk around our meadow area in the park. We heard about the plants and processes that go into making meadows places birds of prey and owls can thrive.

He talked about the importance of hedgerow and meadow land for our bees, pollinators, mice and voles. And by extension, our wild owls and kestrels.

Ello ello

Our local police neighbourhood team came to meet everyone too. They loved chatting to all our park friends about what affects us all in the park. From graffiti to litter or mopeds. They were also available for any dog-based questions!

And we didn’t forget to provide something sweet! Owl themed cakes and biscuits were available for a donation or some litter picking, while CrepeLand provided sweet and savoury treats for everyone.

Wandle fortnight of fun

This event was part of the Wandle Fortnight calendar of events that take place throughout September on the River Wandle. It was part funded by a Wandle Grant and part by Sutton Community Fund.