There are many different animals dropping by for visits to the farm. They are coming by on their own terms and time: some daily and they are quite accustomed to humans, others just on rare occasions and they are shy and very hard to spot.
Please always make sure be calm around wildlife, give them all the space they need and don’t feed them or try to pet them.
Here are just a few examples, keep your eyes open and you’ll spot some of them and maybe even more.
Peacocks
The peacocks of Beacon Hill Park live free roaming in Beacon Hill Park and closeby neighbourhoods year round. The first peafowl were introduced to the park in 1891 and over the years their numbers fluctuated a lot – between an estimated 75 birds to close to none.
Our days there is s steady population of peafowl roaming through the park with many of them spending quite a lot of time in the farm.
Great Blue Heron
There is a vast colony of Great Blue herons living and raising their young in Beacon Hill Park. They tend to stay closer to the area around Goodacre Lake and only rarely fly over the farm yard.
Follow your nose and ears past the children’s playground and you will usually find them.
Wild Water Fowl
Huge flocks of wild ducks call Beacon Hill Park their home among them many mallards and during certain times of the year a lot of Canada geese.
Crows
Crows are among the most common and curious visitors to the farm – nothing is really safe from their scrutiny.
Take your time to observe them, their social behaviour and intelligence is impressive.
Birds of Prey
Different birds of prey live and hunt in the park. There have been bald Eagles, Cooper’s Hawks and Barred Owls spotted around the farm and on more rare occasions also a Great Horned Owl and an American Kestrel.
Little Birds
Some little birds are year round residents of the park while others just enjoy a stop and a break during their annual migrations.
Among those are Rock Doves, Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Robins, Northern Flicker and many many more.
Squirrels
Anyone who has visited Beacon Hill Park before has met the huge population of grey squirrels that bounce through the park, climb, run, collect, stash and chatter everywhere.
Raccoons
Mischievous as always, several families of raccoons live in Beacon Hill Park and several camp out in the back of the farm.