A tale of two parks: Ilfracombe, December 2025

When’s the last time you visited your local park? If it’s been a while, why not take a break from the stresses of everyday life and take a stroll to your nearest green space. Our towns – and our lives – can be full of bustle, but our parks can be oases of calm and a place for nature to thrive. In particular, they can be a great place to watch and listen to birds, and in winter with fewer leaves on the trees, the birds can be easier to spot.

To delve deeper into our parkland biodiversity, we are working with North Devon Council’s Parks team and installing acoustic sensors to monitor birdsong. The audio files are analysed using AI to identify bird species by their distinctive calls. To kick things off, shown below are some early results from two Ilfracombe parks: Bicclescombe Park, and St James’ Park.

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​This data is from October 2025, so may not be exactly what you’ll see in the parks now, but if you do visit these spaces, sit awhile and listen to the birdsong. If you don’t have a bird ID book, apps like Merlin can listen for bird calls and provide you with probable matches.

We will be placing our sensors in different locations and at different parks to build up a picture of our local birdlife. We’re looking forward to seeing how the composition of species changes with the seasons, and we’ll be looking out for particularly rare or unusual visitors.

Stay connected on our social media channels for more bird related updates!