Wild at Hull: Londesborough Park

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Londesborough Park

For a change, I went for a walk in the Wolds this monday. I chose an area of pastures that used to be a deer park, with a lake in the way, with added some interest. The crop had been harvested on the fields and groups of Rooks and Woodpigeons fed on the ground. I spotted a brown rat by a field margin.

Rook

Brown Rat

I walked to the lake, where three young swans fed. On my map there appeared to be a path around the lake, but, although there was a path by the weir, it stopped at the lake shore not far away. Amongst the shore plants, I could see a large flock of Gadwall, moorhens with young, adult swans and a coot. Pheasants fed on the path, and I flushed many more on the walk. As I walked uphill towards the village, I disturbed a Mistle Thrush, who rattled and fled from atop a lime tree. The path was lined by old lime trees, and those missing had recently been replaced by saplings.

View towards the lake

I arrived at the pretty village of Londesborough and walked on the church grounds. A young, sleepy woodpigeon sat atop a headstone. The feathery remains of another woodpigeon, possibly its sibling lay on the grass a few meters away. Most front gardens had bird feeders and one of them had an amazing range of visiting birds. In a random shot of one feeder I managed to get five species. A woodpigeon was feeding underneath, and a robin sung nearby.