Birdland Park & Gardens

Rissington car park, Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire, GL54 2BN www.Birdland.co.uk Fascinating, Very interesting and informative visit to the Cotswold Birdland, well worth a visit, make a morning of it and allow plenty of time, there’s a lot to see. Years ago, the area was owned by Bryant and May, and was a poplar tree plantation, the wood being used for making matchsticks, and today around 150 trees can still be seen in the park. A wildlife park was first opened in the grounds of a Tudor Manor House named Chardwar by Leonard W Hill, in 1957. It was a 5 acre site in the heart of the village. He had been born in 1911 or 12 and became known as a bird lover, By 1970 mr Hill bought two islands in the Falklands for £5,500 known as the Jason islands, and became his private reserve for the visiting bird life and those that lived there. He then supplied many of these birds to other wildlife refuges in exchange for their varied birds and sent these to Birdland in Bourton on the water. He died around 1981/82. Following his death, Birdland was sold and bought by the Trigg family, then moved to its present site in 1989. The Jason islands were bought by Michael and Judy Steinhardt, and they later donated them to the Wildlife Conservation society. The Trigg family then then put Birdland on sale in 2012, and was bought by Ian Cunningham for Livingstone Leisure Ltd. The park now has around 6 acres of woodland, ponds and gardens, the water being provided by the river Windrush, which runs through Bourton on the water, and into the park, which has been nicely cultivated to add attraction to the park itself. It is now so popular that it receives around 73,000 visitors a year. We suggest you try to arrive around 10.00 and make your way to Flamingo point cafe for an early morning coffee break, it’s not a brilliant cafe, but on a warm sunny day you can sit outside and listen to the various bird calls that surround the park. It is famous as the only park in England, Wales or Ireland that contains King Penguins, and these can be seen on Penguin shore, a quite large area, where Englands group of King penguins are bred, and introduced to you over the years. DO NOT MISS a very interesting short presentation to introduce you to many of these penguins at 11.00 each morning, and a slighter longer chat at 2.30 each day. Then at 11.30 make your way across to the Flamingo lake for another interesting and short talk about these flamboyant birds, well worth that short time. After these talks, wander around to see as many of the 500 birds that can be seen, including birds of pray, try to spot pelicans, cranes and waterfowl, discover the Parliament of Owls, hear and see the Pandemonium of Parrots, and in this area see macaws and Lorikeets. Younger members of your family may enjoy a Jurassic journey with life-sized Dinosaurs as they wander around, but one thing you can be sure of is that is a very interesting wild life park.

The website says this is one of the most accessible attractions in the Cotswolds and it is obvious why. I used my lightweight mobility scooter and found the paths to be mainly smooth with only the odd rough spot and I could get right up to all the enclosures. I didn't go in Jurassic Journey but someone told me the paths in there were very uneven. I was able to easily manoeuvre inside and outside the Flamingo Cafe. As it is a fairly small place there are not many toilets but, where there is a toilet, there is a disabled option. Free disabled parking is available in the adjacent council car park and a discounted entry ticket is available for an accompanying carer. The park itself is very interesting with many enclosures and as many as 50 bird species. An enjoyable day out