I was at college today, so I wasn't able to have my usual walk. When I got home at half past 3 in the afternoon an email informed me that a female Goldeneye and 6 Teal were on the Lake – I couldn’t get out the door fast enough.
The female Goldeneye – a brilliant first for me for the park – gave great views as it dived for food on the eastern end of the Lake, by the Weir, and 6 Teal – another first, were also nice to see as they fed by the edges of the Lake. As I approached the northern edge of the Lake a male Teal flew from the reeds, giving good views of it’s wader-like flight.
I decided to stay until the Sun had completely set and was rewarded with 7 Water Rails ‘squealing’, a Starling roost on the northern edge of the Lake, around 250 birds wheeled around in the sky before dropping down into a Hawthorn hedge and reedbed, and a corvid roost – mainly Carrion Crows and Jackdaws – gathered together over the wet woodland along the Len, circling higher and higher, numbers gradually increasing to around 160 birds before dropping out of the sky and into the trees below.
Hi, my name is Simon. My local patch is Mote Park, one of Kent’s largest parks and right on the edge of Maidstone, the county town of Kent. It is a former country estate, and records of the Park date back since before the 14th century. The park has a variety of habitats and this blog will note all the wildlife that I encounter in them.
2 comments:
That is fantastic Simon - well done on your two ticks!
Nice one Simon. Some excellent species seen. Keep up the good work
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