Sutton Park: a morning with the Friends and the Rangers

Sutton Park is a remarkable place to visit. Each time I explore the park, I find something new to see and photograph. Previous memorable moments include watching the sunset over Bracebridge Pool and visiting the Rangers’ Station at Streetly Gate during the Key to the City Brum which was part of the Commonwealth Games. There have been other highlights, so when I saw that the Birmingham Open Spaces Forum (BOSF) was advertising a walk with the Sutton Park Rangers, I immediately signed up.

The walk took place on a Sunday morning and once registered, we walked to the bridge over Plants Brook. The stream, which looked so clear, was to be our first stop. Here we were introduced to Dr Richard Orton, who was assisted by the Friends of Sutton Park Association. Richard explained that the stream was one of the cleanest stretches of water in the West Midlands. He put on his wellies and waded into the fast-flowing water armed with a fishing net. Richard dredged the water and then placed the contents into a white tray.

We saw that several small freshwater creatures had been picked up, such as mayfly nymphs. These creatures are great indicators of a healthy stream. Once the demonstration was done, we were invited to look for these mini beasts ourselves. I was content to photograph the activities rather than enter the water. When the contents had been placed in white containers, Richard handed out guides so that we could check the different types of creatures that had been captured. One of the most impressive was a European bullhead fish, another indicator of a freshwater stream.

The Friends had brought along coffee and tea and gave us an opportunity to talk about the finds and how the park maintains the environment. We also observed a minute’s silence for Remembrance Sunday.

The second part of the morning was led by Matthew, a senior ranger at the park. Matthew was very knowledgeable about the park’s history, ecology and archaeology and pointed out many features that are not immediately apparent as you walk past them. I did not realise the park is man-made and dates to medieval times. There is evidence of earthworks you may have walked past many times without noticing. Matthew also explained that the charcoal burning that took place in the park is thought to have given Sutton Coldfield the second part of its name.

We walked along paths in the park that I had missed on previous visits and we came across ditches previously used to keep animals such as deer in certain parts of the park. There were remnants of saw pits where loggers cut the trunks of trees. We had an informative discussion about the terms top dog and underdog. The top dog was the logger on the top, and the underdog undertook the sawing standing in the pit and hence was covered in sawdust.

During our walk, Richard Orton pointed out that there was a mandarin duck in Keeper’s Pool and I was pleased to get a picture of this shy bird.

We encountered many interesting trees and places, including a rare species of tree called Round-leaved Whitebeam. The park has a small collection of these trees who appear to enjoy the conditions. Finally we arrived back at Blackroot Pool for the finish of the tour. We expressed our thanks and said our goodbyes. The walk was different as it provided a deeper insight into how the park is maintained. We learnt about the wildlife and the flora and fauna, including all the different types of trees that had been planted over the years.

The photographers amongst the group spent some time taking pictures of the glorious reflections in the water and the colours of the leaves. The sun had broken through the fog and was providing ideal conditions for photographs. A big thank you to Birmingham Open Spaces and Friends of Sutton Park for an informative and enjoyable morning.

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