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Wildlife Watching at Maple Park Café – Four Years of Unexpected Visitors
- David Martin
- Jun 2
- 3 min read
One of the things we love most about Maple Park Café is that no two days are ever quite the same.
People often visit us for breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake, but over the last four years we’ve discovered that we’re also running an unofficial wildlife sanctuary. The food is for our customers, of course, but that hasn’t stopped a variety of local residents from dropping by to see what’s going on.
Our location gives us fantastic views across the countryside and pond, and we’ve been lucky enough to witness some amazing wildlife right outside the café windows.
One of our most memorable visitors was a beautiful heron that decided to spend some time in our grounds. It looked completely at home, standing proudly and enjoying the peace and quiet. To be fair, if we had views like that every day, we’d probably hang around too.
The pond has also provided plenty of entertainment over the years. We’ve watched ducks and their ducklings exploring the water, much to the delight of customers young and old. There’s something about seeing a line of fluffy ducklings waddling behind their mum that can brighten even the rainiest Yorkshire afternoon.
Then there are our feathered night-shift workers.
We’ve been fortunate enough to spot a magnificent barn owl on several occasions, including one evening as we were locking up for the day. Seeing a barn owl glide silently across the fields is one of those moments that reminds you just how special the countryside around us really is.
In fact, our resident owl became such a regular sighting that customers started suggesting names for her. While she never officially joined the payroll, she has certainly become one of our most popular team members.
Not all of our visitors arrive by air.
One morning, customers enjoying their drinks were treated to the sight of a rather large rabbit, or possibly a hare, bounding past the café windows. The debate about exactly what it was continues to this day. We managed to capture it on video before it disappeared, leaving behind plenty of questions and absolutely no answers.
We also welcomed a particularly curious little creature that sparked another lively discussion among customers. Was it a stoat? Was it a weasel? The jury is still out in some quarters, although our resident stoat seems perfectly happy keeping us guessing. Like the owl, he was quickly nominated for a name and unofficial membership of the Maple Park Café team.
One of the nicest moments in our wildlife journey came thanks to the kindness of one of our customers, who generously gifted us a pair of binoculars and a bird identification book.
That thoughtful gift opened up a whole new world of birdwatching for our visitors. Today, customers can enjoy a coffee, borrow the binoculars and spend a few minutes spotting birds and wildlife around the grounds. It’s amazing how relaxing it can be to sit with a brew in hand and watch nature getting on with its day.
Over the years we’ve learned that wildlife has its own timetable. It doesn’t care about opening hours, staff rotas or whether we’re in the middle of serving lunch. It simply appears when it feels like it.
And that’s part of the magic.
Whether it’s a heron by the pond, ducklings exploring the water, an owl patrolling the fields, a mysterious hopping visitor racing past the windows or a cheeky stoat making an appearance, these moments remind us how lucky we are to be surrounded by such wonderful countryside.
So next time you visit Maple Park Café, don’t just keep an eye on the menu. Have a look out of the window as well.
You never know who might be dropping in.
Although, unlike our human customers, the wildlife still hasn’t learned how to pay for their coffee. Although, some of the things we find come home to live with us, like Maple the kitten 🥹
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