The Birds
Recorders : M. W. Hanson, the late Stan Hudgell, Graham Smith, G. Wilkinson, S. Wilkinson
Historic Records
There appears to be no historic list of birds for Hylands Park and the few records that I have come
across, are widely dispersed in the literature. However, many of these are of some interest.
Like many parks in the 19th century, Hylands was part of a heavily-keepered estate. One of the
earliest records is of a White-tailed Eagle shot in the park on the 11th of January 1867. The bird was
set-up and displayed in the house (Glegg, 1929). Henry Corder, Honorary Secretary of the 'Sociable
Grosbeaks' - a group of young naturalists (active October 1877 to January 1881) in the Chelmsford
area-lived near and visited Hylands Park. In April 1878, he recorded Magpie, Chaffinch, Long-
tailed Tit, Treecreepers, Field-fares, Crow, Mallard and Moorhen in the park.
In April 1879 Corder recorded that he -
"walked down to our fields near the park but only met the Keepers...............They reported
hearing the Nightingale 4 days before, but no cuckoos yet. They did not consider Hawks had been
unusually numerous but had shot one Merlin and Mr Pryor [Arthur Pryor - owner of Hylands] had
shot a Peregrine in the Park, but it was found to be one used for Hawking purposes...................
belonging to a gentleman at Chigwell [or possibly Chignell = Chignall] ...............The Keepers
consider Kestrels mischievous in the matter of young pheasants round a coop...........Walked
through the park and found that the Goldcrests had returned......near a Keepers tree [ gibbet] were
the carcases of a Hedgehog. Weasel, Squirrel, Hen and Rabbit. On the Weasel was a fine black
burying beetle".
The record is also interesting in that it confirms Red Squirrel was present at Hylands in the 19th
century (the Grey did not establish itself inEssex until the 1920s). Mistle Thrush was also noted in
the park.
A Ring Ouzel was seen in the park on April 14th 1878 (Christy 1890) and Peregrines were said Io
have been shot by the Keepers at Hylands in the autumn of 1889 (Christy, 1890). Twentieth century
records for Hylands from the Essex Bird Report include Hawfinch (1969), Wood Warbler (1993),
Tree Pipit (1997), Spotted Flycatcher (5 pairs) (1984) and Brambling (1999).
Hylands had a notable heronry, said to have been established when Herons nesting at Boreham
House were displaced when the trees they were using were felled in 1927. The birds nested in the
trees in the Ice-house Plantation (latterly also known as the Heronry Plantation). The colony contained
28 breeding pairs in 1961, but possibly as a result of human disturbance after Hylands became
publicly owned in 1966, the colony declined to 15 pairs by 1970, rallied to 22 pairs in 1973, but
dropped to 3 pairs in 1976 (the later summer being famously the drought year). Two pairs were
reported in 1977 and none in 1978, or the following years (Cox, 1984).
The presence of Swans presumably gave Swan Pond its name and similarly a Nightingale Lane is
mentioned as one of the roads closed by J.Attwood across Hylands in a road closure document
dated 1843.
152
Essex Parks: Section 2 - Hylands Park