This page was updated on Friday, 28-Oct-2022 10:17:28 BST

WICK COUNTRY PARK WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS - October 19th 2022

The October wildlife walk in the park took place on Wednesday 19th. The first walk this year that felt like autumn - mild but windy with the trees changing colour and losing their leaves - although of course, there is still plenty of cover for the birds to hide when trying to see them. And it was all birds this month, with no insects recorded at all! First highlight of the day was a Skylark, seen and heard by Stuart, which was flying overhead along the car park road. Second highlight was a very large mixed flock of Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tits moving through the hedge near the lake. All searching for food and giving great views. Third highlight were three Chiffchaffs feeding in the lake reedbeds and being rather elusive looking quite yellowish and probably this year's youngsters. Finally, one of the highlights of the year, spotted in the reedbed by Stuart, and then flying to the hedge where it sat for a few seconds before flying along the hedge and off ...... a Kingfisher! Seeing a Kingfisher at any time is great but getting one on our wildlife walk is excellent - that electric blue colouring as it flies off is really something to see. Let's hope it hangs around for the rest of the winter - there are certainly plenty enough small fish in the lake to keep it well fed.

Details of all species seen/heard have been tabulated below.

Just a reminder of the remaining dates for the walks this year:

November 16^th

December 14^th

All starting at 10.30am from the Pavilion car park. Please note these dates in your diaries but as usual I will confirm by email / WhatsApp whether the walks will go ahead depending on weather etc.

The dates are also available on the News Headlines page.

Martin Singleton

Birds - 20 Species

Common Name	Scientific Name	Date	Total Count	Notes
Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus ridibundus	19/10/2022	1	Just one bird flying around the park today
Carrion Crow	Corvus corone	19/10/2022	1	Just one overhead
Common Blackbird	Turdus merula	19/10/2022	2	One after the boardwalk and one near the bridge
Common Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs	19/10/2022	1	A bird Stuart and I nearly stood on near the bridge!
Common Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita	19/10/2022	3	In the reedbed feeding on the "right" of the lake - probably this year's youngsters
Common Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis	19/10/2022	1	Flew from the reedbed into the hedge where it sat for a few seconds to give us some good views. A first record for our walks and very good sighting for the park.
Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	19/10/2022	1	Only one at the lake
Common Wood Pigeon	Columba palumbus	19/10/2022	16	Usual birds around the park
Eurasian Blue Tit	Cyanistes caeruleus	19/10/2022	14	Very active today in good numbers - forming winter flocks with other small birds
Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra	19/10/2022	1	Just one at the lake
Eurasian Jay	Garrulus glandarius	19/10/2022	1	Flying along the hedgerow after the bridge
Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica	19/10/2022	16	Large numbers in the park - looks like they had a good breeding season
Eurasian Skylark	Alauda arvensis	19/10/2022	1	One overhead on the car park road - sadly not in the teasel field!
European Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis	19/10/2022	11	Good numbers in the park with a nice flock feeding on alders near the lake
European Green Woodpecker	Picus viridis	19/10/2022	1	Heard twice and presumably the same bird?
European Herring Gull	Larus argentatus	19/10/2022	1	One overhead
European Robin	Erithacus rubecula	19/10/2022	8	A few singing and one in the stand of willows at the start of the walk
Great Tit	Parus major	19/10/2022	4	A few in the small bird flocks - probably more we missed
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	19/10/2022	1	Just one in the pavilion car park as we left
Long-tailed Tit	Aegithalos caudatus	19/10/2022	22	At least 22 in a large mixed flock moving through the hedge near the lake - very good views of this nice little bird