16th January 2025
The Birds of Tithe Green Natural Burial
By Tracey Gelder
Tithe Green Natural Burial’s sites at Markfield, Oxton and Ketton aren’t just great places to arrange environmentally friendly natural burials and ashes interments.
They’re also superb places for spotting all kinds of wildlife, making them a delight for naturalists and birdwatchers alike.
In this article, we’re going to explore just a few of the birds you could get to see when you visit one of our sites – whether you’re there for an actual burial or just looking to spend time in a beautiful location.
Birds you can spot at Tithe Green Natural Burial
Red Kites (Milvus milvus)
It’s not so long ago that the red kite had become endangered in the UK, because it was mistakenly perceived as a threat to game birds and domestic animals, even though it’s mainly a scavenger. Now, it’s a protected species and thankfully its numbers have recovered significantly.
Red kites have a reddish-brown body, a deeply forked tail and angular wings that span some 185 cm. The mainly yellow beak has a sharp hook, while the wings have black tips with white patches below. They commonly nest in broadleaved woodland and can be found searching for food in wooded valleys.
Buzzards (Buteo buteo)
Buzzards can often be seen soaring in circles above woodland and farmland searching for prey. Although they mainly feed on small mammals and rodents, they can go for prey as large as rabbits or as small as worms or even scavenge on roadkill.
If you do get to see one close up, they are usually brown and have white undersides to the wings. They have a yellow beak with a black tip and yellow legs. In flight, their long, broad wings will be in a raised V shape, while the tail will often be fanned (as opposed to the fork of the red kite).
The buzzard’s call is surprisingly high pitched for such a large bird and can even be mistaken for the mewing of a cat.
Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
You might be surprised to find out that the woodpigeon – despite it being such a common visitor to our gardens and other habitats – is actually on the Amber list for conservation, due to concern over a decline in the population.
It can be distinguished from other members of the pigeon family by its pink breast, the white patch to be found on its neck and the white patches that can be seen on its wings when in flight. It feeds on a variety of crops as well as seeds, nuts and berries.
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
The smallest of the crow family, jackdaws are found in many habitats and can nest anywhere from a hole in a tree to a cliff, a building or even in a chimney. Often to be found in large groups, they are identifiable by their black caps and the light grey patches found at the back of their heads.
When they mate, jackdaws do so for life. They often pair up in their first year and start breeding the following year.
This is of course just a small sample of the birdlife you can see, we have plenty of other regular visitors, such as skylarks, blackbirds, robins, chaffinches, goldfinches, corn buntings, magpies and many more.
Why not come and visit our sites and discover for yourself the abundance of bird life to be found? They’re peaceful and enjoyable spots to spend time whether or not you have an interest in natural burial or are visiting someone laid to rest there.
Get in touch with the Tithe Green Natural Burial team now or find out more about our sites and how to find them by clicking on the links below:
