Meet Dave
We’re showcasing our amazing parks and garden team for #LoveParks Week! They work in all weathers to keep our green spaces looking beautiful. We caught up with our Park Ranger Dave to find out more.
Why are parks important?
Parks are important as open green space for both people and wildlife. People can come and enjoy parks to experience the outdoors in a safe environment, as well as appreciate a variety of wildlife that lives within it.
What makes Preston Park so special?
Within its 110 acres, our park has varieties of different habitats including mature woodland, grassland, wetland including pond and river. Each habitat has plenty of wildlife species to discover. The park also has a walled kitchen garden, orchards and also a large field which people can use for informal recreation such as picnicking and outdoor sports/activities.
What’s the coolest thing about your job?
With such a variety of habitats within the park, spotting unusual or rare wildlife is always exciting. Seeing birds like the Kingfisher on the pond, woodland birds like Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Jays etc. Plus migrant birds that visit here throughout the year: Warblers in summer and Fieldfares and Redwings in winter. It’s exciting to see mammals such as Foxes or Roe Deer, Weasels and Field Voles. And discovering the huge variety of wildflowers in our meadows and the butterflies and insects they attract. I also enjoy seeing the seasonal changes. The colours of the meadows and garden in spring/summer and the woodlands in the autumn/ winter.
