Friday 23rd November

It was cold and sunny during my walk this morning. The water levels have risen very high, so several changes were made to my route.

Flooded Weir

A Coal Tit was singing from a Yew along Laurel Walk, 3 Treecreepers were noted, 2 Nuthatch were seen, a party of Long-tailed Tits were seen passing through some Willows, a Mistle Thrush sang from the top of a Lime tree, 2 Pied Wagtails flew over, some Siskin could be heard from the wet woodland along the Len, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen, 1 Jay was heard, 12 Redwing and 11 Fieldfare were seen, a Green Woodpecker was heard, a Meadow Pipit called as it flew south of the fields, and 2 Goldcrest were seen.

Present on the Lake were at least 4 Mute Swans, 26 Canada Geese, 8 Shoveler, 3 Tufted Duck, 6 Pochard, 1 Little Grebe, and the countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 23 Common Gulls, even more Black-headed Gulls, and 2 Herring Gulls. In addition to this, 2 Grey Herons were seen, a Grey Wagtail fed along the River Len, and a Cormorant sat on the island next to the Weir.

Black-headed Gull

Monday 19th November

It was cloudy, wet, and overcast during my walk this morning.

6 Goldcrests were seen and heard today, several parties of Long-tailed Tits were seen, 2 Pied Wagtails flew over, 8 Jays were seen, several groups of Mistle Thrush were seen, 19 Redwing were seen – 1 decided to sing on top of a Sweet Chestnut, 2 Treecreeper were seen, 2 Green Woodpecker were heard, and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard, 3 Nuthatch called from separate trees, groups of Siskin and Goldfinch could be heard in both wet woodlands, a female Kestrel was observed perched in a Oak, 27 Fieldfare were seen, and a dog caused 60+ Woodpigeon to fly up from beneath the Oaks in the rough grassland.

Present on the Lake were at least 7 Mute Swans, 47 Canada Geese, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Shoveler, 4 Tufted Duck, 5 Pochard, and the countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 14 Common Gulls, even more Black-headed Gulls, and 1 Herring Gull. In addition to this, 2 Grey Herons were seen, a Water Rail called from along the River Len, and a Cormorant sat on the island next to the Weir.

Grey Heron

Cormorant

Also of note was a Red Admiral that fluttered across my path, and 1 Rabbit.

Friday 16th November

It was a gorgeous, frosty and sunny morning today. A lovely day to be out.

3 Goldcrests called along Laurel Walk, 3 Coal Tits were heard calling, several parties of Long-tailed Tits were seen, 6 Jays were seen, 12 Redwing were seen, 6 Treecreeper were seen, a Green Woodpecker was seen clinging to and Alder, lots of Siskin could be heard in the wet woodland along the River Len, and several more birds were seen flying over, a Bullfinch called from the a Hawthorn, a few Pied Wagtails were noted, and a Stock Dove was heard calling from an Ash.

Present on the Lake were at least 7 Mute Swans, 134 Canada Geese, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Shoveler, 5 Tufted Duck, a pair of Pochard, a pair of Teal - which have remained since Wednesday - and the countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 18 Common Gulls, even more Black-headed Gulls, and 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull. In addition to this, 2 Grey Herons were seen.

Alder leaf, and male fruits

Also of note were several Rabbits, a shoal of Chub in the River Len, and some parts of the River Len had iced over.

View across to Mote House from rough grassland

Wednesday 14th November

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.

Tuesday 13th November

It was cold, drizzly and overcast this morning. The early morning rain and low cloud did have its benefits, as several more winter visitors had arrived, and any birds flying over were doing so reasonably low.

4 Goldcrests fluttered around one of the Wellingtonia along Laurel Walk, another ‘crest’ which sounded slightly louder and deeper than the Goldcrests tagged along with them (could it have been a Firecrest?), and after a long, long time of staring at more twigs than birds I decided to move on and check again later. Several parties of Long-tailed Tits were seen, only 3 Jay were seen, 33 Redwing were seen, 4 Treecreeper were heard, 4 Herring Gulls flew south, a Nuthatch called from an Oak, 1 each of Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen, a flock of 29 Fieldfare flew north, Mistle Thrush appeared to be very active, Siskin numbers have increased - 2 flocks were seen, 1 consisting of at least 32 birds fed in an Alder along the River Len, another flock fed in an Alder by the Weir consisting of at least 25 birds, and several more birds were seen flying over – 5 Chaffinch and 2 Brambling flew into a Hawthorn on the edge of the wet woodland along the Len, several Pied Wagtails flew over, and 3 large flocks of Goldfinch also passed overhead.

On the Lake were at least 6 Mute Swans, 24 Canada Geese, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 9 Shoveler, 6 Tufted Duck, and the countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 25 Common Gulls, even more Black-headed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, and 1 Med Gull. In addition to this, 4 Grey Herons were seen, and a Grey Wagtail fed along the River Len.

Also of note were several Rabbits, a shoal of Chub in the River Len, and my return to the Wellingtonia produced a Treecreeper, and no crests.

Monday 12th November

A late morning walk was under a clear blue sky and a warm Sun. The temperature was cold after another frost during the night.

5 Jays were seen, only 1 Goldcrest was spotted, several calls from Siskin could be heard in the wet woodland along the River Len, 3 Treecreeper were noted, a Skylark flew over the fields, a Kestrel was seen perched in a Oak tree in the area in front of Mote House, a Sparrowhawk was mobbed by 2 Crows as flew over, 4 Redwing were heard, several Pied Wagtail were heard, a Nuthatch called from a Copper Beech, and a noisy flock of 5 Fieldfare flew north towards the playing fields - the first for the year.

Kestrel

On the Lake were at least 5 Mute Swans, 56 Canada Geese, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Shoveler, and the countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 19 Common Gulls, even more Black-headed Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, and 4 Herring Gull. In addition to this, 2 Grey Herons were seen.

Saturday 10th November

My 2 hour walk this morning was under an overcast sky, there was also a light north westerly breeze which made the temperature feel cool.

5 Goldcrests were seen, 4 Jays were seen, 3 Green Woodpeckers called, and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker was also heard calling, 4 Treecreeper were noted, a flock of 14 Siskin were observed feeding in the Alders along he River Len, whilst several more were heard calling in the wet woodland further along the Len, 2 Kestrels were seen hunting, and several parties of Long-tailed Tit were seen. Several small birds were heard flying over; at least 66 Redwing were noted, 2 Grey Wagtail, a few Linnets, a Meadow Pipit, and lots of Goldfinch. In addition to this, whilst standing by some Willows next to the large reedbed on the eastern end of the Lake, a small bird, about tit/siskin size, took off from a patch of reeds, called a few times, and dropped back down again. Because the bird was so quick all I managed to glimpse was a silhouette, however, it is the call that I cannot nail down as to what the bird is. The bird gave 4 calls which sounded like ‘seeou’ or ‘seeoo’. If anybody reading this has an idea as to what the caller could be, I will be very grateful if you could leave a comment. In the meantime, I shall return to the Park and have another look.

On the Lake were at least 5 Mute Swans, 158 Canada Geese, 7 Greylag Geese, 5 Shoveler, 1 Tufted Duck, and 5 Pochard – 4 males and a female, the first birds to return for the winter, there were also countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 29 Common Gulls, even more Black-headed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, and 1 Herring Gull. In addition to this, 3 Grey Herons fished along the Len, and 2 Cormorants were on the Lake.

Friday 9th November

A strong, cold and blustery north-westerly wind blew this morning, so an extra jacket and a pair of gloves were needed. Although the wind made birding difficult at times, with the Sun shining in a clear blue sky, it was a lovely autumn day.

1 Goldcrest was, not surprisingly, the only one seen and heard today, 4 Jays were seen, 1 Green Woodpecker was observed on the freshly mown grass, and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling, a Treecreeper called from an Oak, 8 Redwing were noted, a Kestrel was watched hunting over the rough grassland before being mobbed by the local Jackdaws, a Chiff Chaff called from within a hedge, Mistle Thrush were again very active, several parties of Long-tailed Tits were seen, and several calls from Siskin were heard coming from the wet woodland along the Len.

On the Lake were at least 5 Mute Swans, 31 Canada Geese, 5 Shoveler, 1 Tufted Duck, and 1 Great Crested Grebe, there were also countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 23 Common Gulls, even more Black-headed Gulls, 1 Med. Gull, and 2 Herring Gulls. In addition to this, a Grey Wagtail flew up from the eastern edge of the Lake, a Grey Heron fished along the Len, whilst walking by the Len, a Kingfisher called and flashed past, and a Cormorant west.

Also of note was a large shoal young Chub by the footbridge, and a Garden Tiger moth caterpillar was seen.

Tuesday 6th November

With a lovely clear blue sky, the warm glow of the Sun, and the wonderful chilled autumn air, it was a beautiful morning to be outside.

5 Jays were seen, 4 Goldcrests were noted, 2 Green Woodpeckers were heard, and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker called, 4 Treecreepers were seen, 1 Nuthatch called from an Oak on Jenner’s Bank, only 4 Redwing were noted, a Kestrel hunted over the rough grassland, a Skylark called as it flew over the fields, Mistle Thrush were very active, a Stock Dove called from one of the Oaks in the rough grassland, and several parties of Long-tailed Tits were seen. In addition to this, 2 Sparrowhawks were observed. The first bird, a splendid male, glided effortlessly over the canopy of trees on Jenner’s Bank, its immaculate plumage looking its best in the morning sunlight. The second bird, a large female, gave me a huge surprise. It turned out I wasn’t the only one watching a mixed feeding flock fluttering about in a Hawthorn hedge. As I stood there, staring into the thorny jungle, I didn’t realise a Sparrowhawk was using me for cover as it approached the hedge. Without any warning from bird calls, a large bird hurtled past my right arm, wings folded back, she looked like a miniature fighter plane. She darted straight into the hedge, threading her way through the tiniest of gaps, and she was gone. Wow!

On the Lake were at least 6 Mute Swans, 37 Canada Geese, 5 Shoveler, 1 Little Grebe, and 3 Great Crested Grebes, there were also countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 43 Common Gulls, even more Black-headed Gulls, and a Herring Gull. In addition to this, several Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew south, a Grey Wagtail fed along the River Len, and a Cormorant stood on the boating area.

Also of note were a large shoal young Chub by the footbridge, 1 Brown Rat, a lone Honey Bee decided to buzz along my path, and the Ginkgo leaves have now completely turned yellow.

The leaves of the Ginkgo (Maidenhair tree)

Ginkgo biloba

2nd November 2007

It was overcast and drizzly for the first visit of the month. After listening to flocks of Redwing flying over the garden for most of yesterday evening, I hoped that there might be something unusual in the Park this morning.

4 Goldcrests called in the Yews along Laurel Walk, 8 Jays were seen, 1 Green Woodpeckers were heard, and 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen, 4 Treecreepers were noted, 1 Coal Tit called from within a Holm Oak at the top of Jenner’s Bank, 1 Nuthatch called from the wet woodland along the Len, 2 pairs of Stock Dove were seen, a Sparrowhawk was witnessed plunging into a cloud of Starling as they took flight from an Oak tree, 3 Pied wagtails fed on the fields, 14 Siskin fed in an Alder along the Len, several large flocks of Redwing were observed flying over the Park - totalling 53 birds, and the highlight of the visit made itself known with an explosive “pitchoo” from within a Weeping Willow. A Marsh Tit, a first for me for the Park, was accompanying a mixed flock of Tits as they made there way along the Lake’s southern edge.

On the Lake there were at least 5 Mute Swans, at least 150 Canada Geese, 10 Shoveler, which were split into 2 groups paddling round in circles, 1 female Tufted Duck, and 1 Great Crested Grebe, there were also countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 20 Common Gulls, lots of Black-headed Gulls, and a winter plumaged Med Gull. In addition to this, 3 Grey Herons fished along the River Len, and 2 Cormorants perched high up in a Sweet Chestnut on the Lake’s Southern edge, and 2 Water Rails called from the large area of reedbed by the, flooded, Weir.

Also of note were a large shoal of Roach, several small groups of Chub, and 4 2½foot Chub in the Len, an unexpected sight of 2 young Brown Rats sitting on branch of an Ash tree, a metre off the ground, and the needles of the Larch on the Park's eastern edge are now beginning to turn their beautiful rich golden colour.

European Larch
Larix europaea