Wildlife at Rosehill
We're privileged at Rosehill to be surrounded by wildlife. Here's a selection of the birds and animals that visit our site. For a really special treat, wake up early, around 6.00am, grab yourself a fresh coffee with the cafetiere, sit on the glass covered decking listening to the dawn chorus. WOW!
Blue tits
These blue and yellow birds can be spotted all year round. Blue tits mainly feed on insects (mostly caterpillars) and seeds. In spring they also eat pollen and nectar, while in autumn they feed on berries. These agile birds are often seen dangling from branches of trees or hanging upside down from bird feeders.
Blue tits usually do not stray further than a few kilometres away from their birth place. They nest in holes in trees, walls and more unusual places like letter boxes. They typically lay between 8 and 12 eggs in a nest made by the female from materials like wool, dead leaves, moss and spiders’ webs. The nest is then lined with down. The mother keeps the eggs warm until they hatch. After the chicks hatch they are fed by both parents. A family of blue tits can be seen on our bird cam.
Tawny owls
These are the most common owl in Europe and are often seen at Rosehill. Their faces are round with big black eyes. Tawny owls – which are mainly chestnut brown in colour – are the UK’s largest common owl. They prey on small birds, mammals and insects. After spotting their prey, they swiftly swoop down to catch it. Tawnys are territorial birds which stay in the same area throughout their lives. Male and female tawny owls bond for life. The female typically lays between 2 and 4 eggs in the spring. After hatching, the chicks are fed by their father for around 21 days. Both parents then take on the role until the young leave the nest when they are around 34 days old. Tawnys are active during the night time, when they can be heard hooting. Their normal call is a ‘twit twoo’ sound that is a duet between the male (which ‘twit’s) and female (who ‘twoo’s).
Robins
Robin’s plump, red breast makes them instantly recognisable. These birds may look cute, but they are fiercely territorial and even ‘murder’ other robins which trespass into their territory (the area where they search for food and raise their young). Robins feed on insects, small invertebrates, seeds, fruits and berries. Widespread across the British Isles, these small birds are found in woods, hedgerows, parks and gardens where they nest in hard to find places. The female robin usually lays between five and seven eggs, which she incubates for around 12 days. When the chicks hatch, they are fed by both parents before leaving the nest two weeks later. The young possess the trademark robin shape and size, but for their first season they have a speckled brown breast.
Badgers
The European badger is found throughout most of the UK. Badgers have a distinctive black and white striped face. These nocturnal animals feed mainly on earthworms, of which they can eat as many as 200 in one night. Badgers also eat fruit, insects and grubs. They rely on their strong sense of smell to hunt out food. If the food is underground, badgers use their powerful claws to dig it out. Groups of badgers live in setts, underground tunnels and chambers which provide shelter and security. Badgers become less active in the winter months but do not hibernate. Females usually give birth to between one and three cubs. The cubs are usually born in February and spend the first eight to 10 weeks of their lives underground.
Sea birds
The following is a list of sea birds spotted around the coast path just a short walk from your lodge.
- Black headed gull
- Common gull
- Cormorant
- Curlew
- Fulmar
- Gannet
- Guillemot
- Herring gull
- Kittiwake
- Lesser black headed gull
- Oystercatcher
- Shag
Other birds spotted at and around Rosehill
- Blackbird
- Blue tits
- Buzzard
- Chaffinch
- Chiff chaff
- Cornbunting
- Crow
- Cuckoo
- Curlew
- Dunnocks
- Gillymot
- Goldcrest
- Goldfinch
- Great tits
- Greenfinch
- House martin
- Jackdaw
- Jay
- Kestrel
- Linnet
- Long tail tits
- Magpie
- Meadow pippits
- Perequin falcon
- Pied wagtail
- Pheasant
- Redwing
- Rock pippits
- Rook
- Sand martins
- Skylark
- Sparrows
- Stonechat
- Swallow
- Swift
- Tawny owl
- Thrush
- White wagtail
- Whitethroat
- Wren
- Yellow wagtail