Place Names of Calne: Birds

Heron Close off Prince Charles Drive.

There are three developments that use birds as a theme, or part-theme. They are the small development off Prince Charles Drive, built in the 1970s (apart from Mallard Close which seems to have been built in 1984), some streets in the large Lansdowne Park development of the early 2000s, and High Penn Park, which is currently still in development.

Street Name	Development	Recorded in Wiltshire
Buzzard Road	Lansdowne Park	Common Buzzard very common in Wiltshire. Rough-legged Buzzard a rare visitor, first recorded in 1977.
Falcon Road	Off Prince Charles Drive	Red-footed Falcon is an overshooting vagrant - breeds in east Europe, first recorded in Wiltshire in 1825. The biggest influx in 1992 with around 150 records.
Grouse Road	Lansdowne Park	Red Grouse - Rare. Black Grouse - no records since 1906.
Harrier Close	Lansdowne Park	Marsh Harrier recorded in Wiltshire as a migrant. Hen Harrier a scare winter visitor.
Heron Close	Off Prince Charles Drive	Grey Heron is a common resident and also migrant. Often seen on the river Marden in Castlefields.
Kestrel Close	Lansdowne Park	Common in Wiltshire, although on the decline.
Kingfisher Court	Lansdowne Park	One of Wiltshire's most colourful birds, it is a scarce, but local breeding resident.
Linnet Road	Lansdowne Park	Decreasing resident and also winter visitor.
Mallard Close	Off Prince Charles Drive	Common and used as the logo for Priestley Primary School.
Martin Way	Off Prince Charles Drive	House martin is a common summer visitor that breeds in Europe and winters in Africa. Sand Martin is a scare summer visitor.
Merlin Road	Lansdowne Park	Winter visitor from north Britain and Iceland.
Nightingale Way	Lansdowne Park	Scarce summer visitor. Earliest arrival in Wiltshire was recorded as 10 March 1961, also the earliest for Great Britain at the time. They are normally here between April and August, but the latest date for Wiltshire is 4 September in 1994.
Nuthatch Road	Lansdowne Park	Common and increasing resident
Peregrine Court	Lansdowne Park	Scarce year-round visitor, more so in winter from other parts of Britain. Known to frequent St. Mary's church tower.
Tern Close	Off Prince Charles Drive	A migrant that breeds locally. Winters in West Africa.
Sparrow Crescent	High Penn Park	House sparrow is a common resident.
Finch Lane	High Penn Park	Green finch and gold finch are common residents.
Wagtail Close	High Penn Park	Yellow Wagtail - Summer visitor, noted as common as far back as 1887. Grey Wagtail, common resident with some migrants.

Wren Court at Quemerford sits on land that used to be Quemerford Common and was held by the Marquis of Lansdowne.

References:
Wiltshire Ornithological Society. 2007. Birds of Wiltshire WOS, Devizes