Watch The Birdie At Luton Hoo

A pair of rare red kites, elusive jays, skylarks, colourful mandarin ducks and Britain’s smallest owl are among the 73 species of birds spotted on the Luton Hoo estate.

Estate Manager Richard Biffen and Head Cellarman Andrew Garrett, a keen birdwatcher are embarking on a series of monthly bird walks to log the number and variety of birds attracted to the 1,065-acre estate’s two lakes, woodland, parkland and open grassland.

They have created two information boards listing some of the birds seen to date, which will help guests identify different birds on the estate and see if they can spot others to add to the list.

Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa lies within a designated Area of Great Landscape Value and several of the wooded areas are County Wildlife Sites.

Richard said: “Luton Hoo is a haven for Bedfordshire’s wildlife. Nestled between the M1 motorway, Thameslink railway line and busy town of Luton it provides a home to many of the county’s different species of wildlife, not least the birds. In addition to the red kites, which are a rarity in Bedfordshire, we have seen some unusual birds such as the cettis warbler, which though not rare are normally only found on coastal areas.

“I thought it would be interesting and informative to showcase the variety of birds on the estate and it wasn’t long before I found a member of staff who had a keen interest in birds and a sharp eye for spotting them. Andrew is the ideal candidate as he cycles to work along the serpentine drive, which runs beside the lake, and is ideally placed for spotting birds coming into the lake and those in the surrounding trees. His knowledge of birds is also very impressive having previously spent many years with the Bedfordshire Bird Club. As yet he hasn’t been late for work, but if he is I am sure he will have spotted a rarity to make up for it!”

Working on the estate for the past two years Richard had already sighted buzzards, kites and sparrow hawks, to name just a few species soaring in the skies around the hotel, together with woodcock, pheasant and red legged partridge in and around the woods. At dusk the list grew with the addition of barn owls and the little owl, the appropriately named smallest species of owl in Britain.

During Richard and Andrew’s first early morning bird walk around the lakes they logged 35 different species, and the total number has now reached 73.

The information boards are illustrated with generic photos of the birds, where they can be seen and interesting facts and Richard and Andy hope to eventually illustrate the boards with photos that they and guests have taken.

“We are planning to go on monthly walks and the information collected will be put on show for guests. They can then see if they can spot existing birds and also find others not yet listed.”

In addition to logging feathered visitors, Richard is also working with the Bedfordshire Bat Group to compile information on the estate’s colony of flying mammals. Luton Hoo is home to several species of protected bats, and when Elite Hotels bought the estate, and transformed the mansion house into a luxury five-star hotel, contractors were employed to build a special  ‘bat cave’ with 50 bat boxes to rehouse bats found on site during the restoration project.