Taking a break, Mote Park Feb 2012

In a perfect world there would be enough time in the day to write up the posts from Singapore and Australia as well as going for a walk through the park in the snow. With so many pictures to sort through from last week, I felt that the best thing to do would be to go out and take even more.

I made it as far as the Little Owl who was not showing when I reached its oak, but came to the front of its hole in response to the sun breaking through the cloud.

Two male Goosanders (Common Mergansers), had been reported from Mote Park Lake, so on the way to meet my son, I dropped in for a quick look. They were on the south side of the lake and I had chosen to traipse along the north shore, so they were a little distant, but quickly recognisable. Another birder had reported a couple of Smew females that had taken off and could not be relocated. A Water Rail flicked away into the far corner of Old Pond as I approached, but showed a bit better on my return journey.

On the bank leading down towards the watersports launch jetty, a European Golden Plover was seen to pull a large worm from the grass from which the snow had been removed to build a snow fort.

Birds seen; 25

Little Grebe 1, Mute Swan 12, Canada Goose 8, Eurasian Teal 3, Mallard 8,Common Pochard 15, Tufted Duck 35, Goosander 2, Water Rail 2, Common Moorhen 2, Common Coot 4, European Golden Plover 1, Black-headed Gull 120, Common Woodpigeon 40, Little Owl 1, Grey Wagtail 1, Northern Wren 2, Song Thrush 1, Common Blackbird 3, European Robin 1, Blue Tit 3, Eurasian Jay 3, Eurasian Magpie 6, Eurasian Jackdaw 3, Carrion Crow 15.

For more posts from Mote Park, follow the links below; http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/jack-sipe-in-mote-park.html http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/on-my-own-doorstep.html http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/04/cats-back.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/04/poaching-on-patchwork.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/04/while-cat-is-away.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/05/keira-knightly-in-mote-park.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/10/mote-park-cormorant-oct-2011.html

Visit the dedicated UK page for other sites around Kent.