Autumn in Old England

While the leafers are singing the praises of New England in the Fall, let’s not forget Autumn in Old England.

 

Top billing in New England goes to the Acers with the Sugar Maple struck in lights, while the mighty Beech reigns supreme in the UK.

 

No country house of note would be without its Beech-lined drive for spectacular effect at this time of year.

 

The autumn leaves along the approach to Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent, showed beautifully with a low-slanting November sun.

 

Just beyond the end of the drive is the lake and since this is a bird blog after all, I took a moment to fulfil my obligation with a quick visit to see the Black-headed Gulls.

 

There are more links to Mote park at the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/keira-knightly-in-mote-park.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/taking-break-mote-park-feb-2012.html

The Perpetual Flame

There are universal constants that hold true wherever in the world one might be. It is possible to predict for example that a stroll in Mote Park at 06.30 on a weekday morning is likely to be a tranquil affair with only like-minded early risers for company.

To find a crowd of thousands being serenaded by an enthusiastic drum band was a surprise. Their lurid outfits and rhythmic thumping were enough to ensure that my wildlife viewing was spoiled to the extent that there were more civil dignitaries flapping around than birds.

Then came the joggers. Along with dog-walkers, they are a common part of the early morning scene in the park and are usually seen with their heads down and earphones in, tramping the path around the lake.

I am led to believe that this was the launch of Apple’s new i-Torch. It looks a little unwieldy to me, but the crowds seemed to love it. In line with current policy, security was subtle and unobtrusive.

The Olympic Flame was carried through Maidstone on 20th July 2012 with just a week to go before the opening ceremony. It stayed overnight at Leeds Castle and was brought to Mote Park in a small brass lantern to light the torch of Chris Bury before heading off on day 63 of the procession.

Rehab in Mote Park

Keeping kids entertained during the Easter break had driven me crazy by mid- afternoon and I escaped while they weren’t looking and took the bike down to Mote Park for an hour.

I entered from the Ashford Road. A Mistle Thrush was feeding from the grass here, still managing to get into the hardening ground of drought-hit Kent. The Old Pond is just along from here and has recently been dredged. I have not seen the Water Rails here since the improvements.

I followed the River Len upstream and found Blue Tits and Great Tits among the Alders along the bank. A high pitched call was a Eurasian Treecreeper and it took a few moments to pin it down. Despite it being fairly close across the narrow river, it would not sit still for a nice portrait.

A Common Blackbird was seen and heard singing at close quarters and was more obliging than the tree creeper.

Birds seen; 27

Grey Heron 2, Mute Swan 4, Canada Goose 12, Mallard 12, Tufted Duck 3, Common Moorhen 3, Comon Coot 6, Black-headed Gull 35, Herring Gull 2, Stock Dove 4, Common Woodpigeon 35, EUrasian Collared Dove 4, Grey Wagtail 1, Northern Wren 1, Mistle Thrush 2, Common Blackbird 4, European Robin 7, Blackcap 1, Great Tit 6, Blue Tit 8, Eurasian Nuthatch 2, Eurasian Treecreeper 1, Eurasian Jay 3, Eurasian Magpie 15, Carrion Crow 25, Common Starling 6, Chaffinch,

Other posts from Mote Park can be found at 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.co.uk/2011/10/mote-park-cormorant-oct-2011.html

Visit the dedicated UK page for more posts from the area, including Leybourne Lakes and Oare Marshes.

Mote Park, Kent, Feb 27th 2012

This is a cynical attempt to add a few species to my year list on 10,000 Birds. I have joined some of the beat writers and undertaken to maintain a year list and will include all the birds seen when using public transport or my own energies to find them. Thus this morning found me sailing down the hill on my bike with the wind behind me and hang the consequences of the uphill slog on the way home.

A Water Rail can regularly be found at the Old Pond, but it usually keeps to the back edge. Out on the lake, most of the diving ducks have moved on with only a few Tufted Ducks and Common Pochard remaining. A Black-headed Gull was keeping watch on the surface as a Pochard dived, hoping that it might stir up some goodies. It followed the swirls and whorls made by the diving duck as it foraged on the lake bed.

On the lawns that lead down to the lake from Mote House two Grey Wagtails were chasing down some tiny insects.

The Little Owl was sitting up outside his hole, but would retreat back inside if any of the walkers or joggers passed too close. On such a lovely day, he was quickly back out once the threat had passed.

Another bird to make it onto the list today was a European Nuthatch that was seen down by the little bridge that crosses the River Len on the path leading east towards Willington St.

Species seen; 25

Mute Swan 7, Canada Goose 25, Mallard 25, Common Pochard 9, Tufted Duck 8, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1, Water Rail 1, Common Moorhen 15, Common Coot 30, Black-headed Gull 80, Common Woodpigeon 60, Eurasian Collared Dove 6, Little Owl 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 2, Green Woodpecker 2, Grey Wagtail 2, Northern Wren 1, Long-tailed Tit 4, Great Tiut 10, Blue Tit 25, Nuthatch 1, Eurasian Magpie 5, Carrion Crow 50, Chaffinch 6, European Greenfinch 2.

For the record, birds will also be included on the list if they are seen as part of a necessary journey or a family day out and some teensy weensy diversions may be deemed acceptable.  Birds seen on family holidays will also be included.
Flights will not be considered as public transport, but taxis and hire cars will.

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.

Mote Park Cormorant. Oct 2011

It was such a beautiful autumn morning that I couldn't resist a quick turn around the park. The sun was up, the air was crisp and still. The season has caught up with the trees and the temperature has taken a big dip after the heat wave of a fortnight ago.

A couple of people approached me to ask about the "big black bird" that could be seen at the top of the dead tree on the island where the River Len flows into Mote Lake.

So if you are in Mote Park and you see a large, glossy, black bird at the top of a dead tree, chances are it is a Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo.

They feed on fish and may be seen swimming on the water and diving beneath to hunt. They often perch with their wings outspread. a couple of theories about this behaviour suggest that they are either drying their feathers or that they are warming up their bellies in the sun to aid digestion.

For a great composite picture by jel1969 of a Cormorant coming in to land on a branch (it may be the same cormorant in the same tree), follow this link.

 Tufted Duck



  Species seen; 28

Great Cormorant 1, Grey Heron 2, Mute Swan 3, Mallard 25, Tufted Duck 1, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1, Common Moorhen 4, Common Coot 6, Black-headed Gull 65, Common Woodpigeon 35, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Grey Wagtail 2, Northern Wren 4, Redwing 8, Common Blackbird 5, European Robin 3, Blackcap 1, Goldcrest 1, Long-tailed Tit 15, Great Tit 6, Blue Tit 8, Wood Nuthatch 2, Treecreeper 1, Eurasian Jay 5, Eurasian Magpie 3, Carrion Crow 35, Chaffinch 2, European Greenfinch 1.

Keira Knightly in Mote Park.

Ne’er cast a clout, ‘til May is out.

Don’t be suckered into thinking that summer is here just because the weather has been so good over the past few weeks.

Those expensive, tender plants that the garden centres so happily sell over the bank holiday weekend are still vulnerable to cold nights and although the Swifts have returned, there was a frost on the ground in Mote Park this morning.

Yes, the swifts are back. After their long journey up from Africa, they were feeding hungrily over the inlet on the southern side of the lake. I guess they will replenish their reserves before they start the screeching chases that are so much a part of the birdwatcher’s summer.

I had come to watch the warblers this morning. Whitethroats were seen in abundance and they were singing on their chosen patches of scrub and rough meadow. They flew between vantage points in their territories with a jerky flight, flicking their long tails as they went. This was more as a patrol and to keep an eye on me, the intruder, rather than as a display I suspect. The Whitethroat display flight is an exaggerated, fluttering, stepped descent from about 10m. The crown is raised and the tail spread. All the while, the scratchy song is repeated in short bursts.

By the water, a small patch of reeds held my first Reed Warbler of the year. It was singing its jumbled song, but staying down out of sight. Occasionally, it would fly up into the lake-side bushes to make sure that I wasn’t up to any mischief, but then straight back into the reeds to continue singing. There were plenty of them around, with every stretch of bank claimed by a singing bird.

Reed Buntings were also laying claim to a potential nesting site. They were in the scrub on the bank rather than in the reeds, but the female proved bolder than the male by dropping down to make sure that I didn’t constitute a threat. The wanting hero remained higher in the bush.

Blackcaps were singing lustily this morning despite the cold start. The park has really greened up now and the Hawthorn is in full flower. This meant that the Blackcaps were able to withdraw into the heart of the bush at my approach and not be seen.

Eurasian Jay

Although I heard plenty of Blackcaps, only 2 were seen. The same goes for the Wrens. Their rich, strident call emanated from every patch of growth, but such is the exuberance of spring that they were mostly able to remain concealed. As the summer progresses, I become more and more envious of those with a competent ear who can hear through the foliage.

I am sad to say that the Great Crested Grebes’ nest that I saw on my last visit has come to nothing. One of the birds was feeding in the current that flows beneath the causeway bridge. I waited, hoping that it would come closer. Is it just me or does this picture remind anyone else of a wet Keira Knightly?

I will leave you with that thought and wander back up stream along the River Len. A movement behind me caught my eye as I crossed the river. A Green Woodpecker flew onto the Alder tree, right beside the potential nesting hole described last month. The bird darted around the trunk and I withdrew to a comfy spot beyond the bridge to see if it would come around the front to the hole. It didn’t, but I have not ruled out a nest yet. Simon was in the park as usual and had been seeing a lot of butterflies today.

As a parting shot a pair of Grey Wagtails showed well on the Len, right by the gate that leads out to the lay-by at the lowest part of Willington Street.

Bird seen; 40

Great Crested Grebe 7, Great Cormorant 4, Grey Heron 4, Mute Swan 8, Greylag Goose 2, Canada Goose 25, Mallard 20, Tufted Duck 4, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 2, Common Moorhen 8, Common Coot 12, Common Sandpiper 4, Lesser Black-backed Gull 2, Black-headed Gull 50, Stock Dove 3, Common Wood Pigeon 40, Common Swift 4, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Green Woodpecker 1, Grey Wagtail 2, Northern Wren 4, Dunnock 4, Song Thrush 2, Common Blackbird 12, European Robin 3, Eurasian Reed Warbler 8, Willow warbler 1, Common Chiff Chaff 1, Blackcap 2, Common Whitethroat 18, Long-tailed Tit 5, Great Tit 8, Blue Tit 4, Eurasian Jay 3, Eurasian Magpie 15, Eurasian Jackdaw 2, Carrion Crow 40, Common Starling 35, Chaffinch 4, Reed Bunting 2.

Other posts for Mote Park can be found by consulting the UK page at this link.
For a more frequent commentary, may I commend you to Mote Park, A Patchwork.

The Cat's back

Another bright morning enticed me into Mote Park while the rest of my family were bonding at the hairdressers (a grooming procedure that I no longer have any call for). A chilling wind was a cruel reminder that spring can be fickle. The breeze didn’t stop the birds singing on an otherwise beautiful morning, but it kept them off the outer perches, sheltering from the cold.

The Blackcaps were very vocal again this morning, joined by the Wrens and Chiff Chaffs. The Chiff Chaff, so obvious during the warmth and stillness of the past week, eluded me this morning, so they don’t appear in the list below. The Kingfisher also continues to elude me.

A Great Tit showed well in a sheltered spot in the lea of a Hawthorn tree close to the lake. The River Len had an extra flow to it today after showers yesterday afternoon which also served to depress the temperature. A Wood Pigeon sat for me at the Mote House end of the causeway. It hadn’t seen my approach and was now relying on the still and silent technique instead of the more usual clattering flight to avoid being seen.

Along with the Kingfisher, I was also hoping to capture some more shots of the Green Woodpecker and the Great Crested Grebe to make 10000 Birds gallery posts. The Green Woodpecker could be heard “yaffling,” but was not seen. The grebe is not a confiding bird and stayed beyond the effective range of my lens until I came across one on a nest. As I watched, the male came by to check on the sitting female. She looked disappointed that he had not brought a gift, but perhaps he was concerned to see me paying her too much attention.

I bumped into Simon the local blogger and his mum and joined them to walk across the grassed areas to the south of the lake. Thankfully, he forgave me my trespasses. A female Mallard looked as if she was considering a large fallen tree trunk as a potential nest site. She looked nervous at our approach. A drake flew up from the ground nearby to join her. It would be very easy to anthropomorphosize and imagine him putting a comforting wing around her as reassurance.

Simon ripped me with a Red Fox across the lawns and a Linnet that I didn’t see well enough to count, but we both saw the Herring Gulls and Eurasian Swallow that he called.

We strolled back to the Len where the Blackcaps and Wrens continued to serenade us and there we parted company. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was feeding in the trees across the stream and while I was looking for it a European Robin appeared and sat well for me.

Species seen; 31

Great Crested Grebe 5, Grey Heron 1, Mute Swan 6, Greylag Goose 1, Canada Goose 6, Mallard 15, Common Pheasant 3, Common Moorhen 3, Common Coot 8, Herring Gull 2, Black-headed Gull 60, Stock Dove 4, Common Wood Pigeon 30, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, European Swallow 1, Northern Wren 2, Dunnock 5, Mistle Thrush 1, Song Thrush 2, Common Blackbird 4, European Robin 6, Blackcap 8, Long-tailed Tit 2, Great Tit 12, Blue Tit 15, Nuthatch 2, Eurasian Jay 4, Eurasian Magpie 7, Carrion Crow 15, Common Starling 3, Chaffinch 7.

Back at home 3 Common Buzzards were using the breeze to perform syncronised stunt flights across the small patch of sky over my garden.

Poaching on the patchwork

I returned to Mote Park again today, for no other reason than it was another glorious day. Hopefully, Simon won't be too upset about me poaching on his patch. Just in case, this link will take you to the rightful Mote Park Bird Blog. This time I came in at the side gate for the path that leads along the bottom of Jenner’s Bank. The Chiff Chaff’s irregular song was easy to pick out again and the “Ticha Ticha” of the Great Tit was very noticeable.

A Red Fox at the top of the slope slunk into the deep bushes when it saw me. Two Sparrowhawks appeared in the sky above me. I could not distinguish sexes and assume that they were two males. For a moment, I wondered if the lower bird might be a cuckoo. Its wings seemed sharper and it looked a little bigger.

Blackcaps sang from the tangles as I walked down towards Old Pond and a female Blackbird sat for a picture on the other side of the stream.

On the lake a flock of Black-headed Gulls can usually be found. Today they counted a few Common Gulls in their number and a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over. A Mute Swan was feeding from the new leaves on a bankside Weeping Willow. I had not previously noticed them feeding on tree leaves which are notoriously difficult to break down in the gut. More commonly I see them feeding in the fields or on grass and bankside vegetation. Are tree leaves any more difficult to digest than other greenery?

I bumped into John who joined me for a while. The Old Pond held some Eurasian Jays in the bushes on the far bank, but the Water Rail has not been seen there for some time.

We sat by the bank of the lake to watch the Great Crested Grebes performing their courting dance. Two pairs could be seen from where we sat, but they didn’t come close enough for a really good look. Both pairs gave their rendition of the ‘head to head’ display, fanning and raising their crest and cheek plumes during the mirrored dance. Only one of the pairs was seen, distantly, raising themselves from the water in the climax of the courtship known as the ‘penguin dance’. We tried changing our position on the bank to get a closer look, but the birds were difficult to predict and we felt as though we were chasing them and left them to their intimacies.

We were not so considerate to the swans. The cob was blowing bubbles in the water to impress his pen, a behaviour that neither of us had noticed before. Intrigued, John and I stopped to watch and witnessed the full blown intimacy of swans. While the prelude had seemed playful with both birds blowing bubbles and necking, the afterglow was tender and the birds took the moment strengthen their life-bond with an elegant dance.

John headed home and I followed the River Len upstream, still hoping to see a Kingfisher. A beautifully marked Mallard shone in the uncommon sunshine.

I crossed the river at the top bridge, intending to pass through the Yew forest on the way back to my car.

On the northern slope beyond the river is a damp patch of rank vegetation and a small Ash tree. A harsh bubbling call attracted my attention from the lower branches of the Ash. A Common Whitethroat (07/04/11) was singing, but without any real commitment. It stayed low as if not confident in his performance.

Species seen; 38

Great Crested Grebe 4, Grey Heron 3, Mute Swan 12, Greylag Goose (Feral?) 1, Canada Goose 8, Mallard 20, Tufted Duck 4, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 4, Common Moorhen 4, Common Coot 6, Common Gull 4, Black-backed Gull 2, Black-headed Gull 80, Stock Dove 8, Common Wood Pigeon 35, Eurasian Collared Dove 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Grey Wagtail 2, Northern Wren 3, Dunnock 3, Mistle Thrush 3, Song Thrush 1, Common Blackbird 6, European Robin 8, Common Chiff Chaff 5, Blackcap 5, Common Whitethroat 1, Long-tailed Tit 2, Great Tit 20, Blue Tit 25, Eurasian Nuthatch 3, Eurasian Jay 4, Eurasian Magpie 12, Eurasian Jackdaw 5, Carrion Crow 25, Common Starling 1, Chaffinch 8, European Greenfinch 1. 

Mote Park is a large park of 450 acres in Maidstone, Kent. The site of a large estate purchased by the Maidstone civic authority in 1929 and is now a public park. Parking is available during the day, but vehicle access is restricted between 08.00 and dusk. Outside of these times, parking is available at the leisure centre and pedestrian access to the park can be had from there. Pedestrian access points can be used anytime.
Maidstone BC has produced a site with all the relevant details
http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/countryside_and_coast/parks_and_open_spaces/country_parks/mote_park.aspx

While the cat is away....

It seems a little ironic that during the week I am spending at home, the local patch blogger has packed his binoculars and taken to the other side of the Atlantic. With a beautiful morning at my whim, I thought it might be nice to maintain the continuity of Simon’s four years of hard work documenting the wildlife of Mote Park. I would like to stress that this is an unofficial, flagrant trespass onto Simon’s patch and for a more complete site with archived posts, links and bird lists, visit http://motepark.blogspot.com/

I parked by the Willington Street Gate and entered slowly hoping to catch a Kingfisher on the small River Len which flows through the park and into the large lake before overflowing at the far end and off through Maidstone to meet the River Medway.

First birds seen this morning were Eurasian Magpies and the abundant Common Woodpigeon. I could hear a Chiff Chaff singing from the bushes lining the path climbing the slope to the left. The path here proved productive with Eurasian Robin, Black Cap and the first Eurasian Swallows (06/04/11) of the year. Eurasian Wrens were very common this morning with the strident, trilling song seemingly coming out of every patch of vegetation.

I wanted to stay close to the river to stand a reasonable chance of seeing a Kingfisher as it passed up and downstream. The Kingfishers have had it hard in the UK during the last couple of cold winters and their numbers have been hit dramatically. My records show that I have only seen 2 in the UK during the last 18 months. They were forced to migrate to the coast to find unfrozen water where they can feed, but many perished nevertheless. Simon has reported just one in the park so far this year.

A bridge crosses the river about 300 meters along the wide tarmac path. There were plenty of small Dace and Roach in the river here and it looked like a good place to stop. Incidentally, today was a glorious day, warm and bright, so to have the time to sit in the shade waiting for Kingfishers was a real pleasure. Chiff Chaff and Long-tailed Tits kept me entertained during my vigil, but most exciting was a pair of Green Woodpeckers who came to inspect a hole in the Alder tree on the far bank. First the male with his black rimmed red moustache took a look.

He appeared keen, but she was less impressed. The female wears a plain black moustache and this particular female had a narrow gap between the black of her face and the red of her crown where the green showed through. They stayed on the alder while trying to decide, sidling around to the blind side when dog walkers or joggers crossed the bridge and returning to inspect the hole again when it was quiet. They flew off to make up their minds, but didn’t come back during the hour or so that I stayed. It is quite a busy path and this may have swayed their decision. I later learned from John that a pair of Green Woodpeckers had used this hole last year.

There was a lot of activity this morning. Blackcaps were competing with Robins, Wrens, tits and Chaffinches to fill the morning with song. Beyond the bridge Nuthatches were pairing up and a Carrion Crow looked to be feeding chicks already. A drumming from overhead was a Great Spotted Woodpecker who was playing hard to tick. Green Woodpecker “yaffles” were heard throughout the morning, though I didn’t see any more.

Species seen; 32

Grey Heron 2, Mute Swan 1, Canada Goose 8, Mallard 6, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1, Common Moorhen 4, Common Coot 6, Common Gull 5, Black-headed Gull 100, Stock Dove 6, Common Wood Pigeon 40, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Green Woodpecker 3, European Swallow 2, Northern Wren 8, Dunnock 2, Mistle Thrush 2, Song Thrush 1, Common Blackbird 4, European Robin 6, Common Chiff Chaff 5, Blackcap 5, Long-tailed Tit 3, Great Tit 15, Blue Tit 25, Eurasian Nuthatch 3, Eurasian Treecreeper 1, Eurasian Magpie 4, Carrion Crow 15, Common Starling 1, Chaffinch 5, European Goldfinch 1.

Blue Tit

 

Mote Park is a large park of 450 acres in Maidstone, Kent. The site of a large estate purchased by the Maidstone civic authority in 1929 and is now a public park. Parking is available during the day from 08.00, but vehicle access is restricted after dusk. For visits after dusk or early mornings, parking is available at the leisure centre and pedestrian access to the park can be had from there. Pedestrian access points can be used anytime.

Maidstone BC has produced a site with all the relevant details http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/countryside_and_coast/parks_and_open_spaces/country_parks/mote_park.aspx

 

Mote Park, Green Woodpecker,