Park Watch Sunday 26 April 06:00

Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io)

By Brian Osborne - FGCP Trustee

We are off for a wander to see what's about, there was light cloud cover, moderate wind and it was about 7 degrees Celsius.

From the Lambley Lane car park we took a stroll to the lagoons. We saw a Coot which was probably nesting and a very territorial and Little Grebe, which was feeding. From the lagoons we wandered up the eastern pathway around the solar farm. The trees are now bursting to their full potential.  There are numerous Skylarks singing their morning chorus (probably one of the most beautiful sounds of the English countryside, especially on a clear peaceful Sunday morning). We observed a magnificent Song Thrush feeding close to the solar farm fencing, a species which is sadly now in decline.

The cable trenches (coming from the solar farm passing alongside the pathway and veering east to Lambley Lane) are now covered over and trees have been replanted and are growing. We noticed that the scrapes to the left of the path are very dry and will require some remedial work this Autumn. 

We saw a Dog Fox slinking away around the northern edge of the solar farm, he looked in excellent condition. There was a Cuckoo calling away to the NW. My first of the season! We turned left and down the central path to the Lagoon, one Lapwing on the hillside, then diagonally along the south west pathway around to the southern perimeter of the park. There was a profusion of Cowslips flowering just over the park boundary and thankfully spreading into our area. There were also masses of Wild Strawberries flowering.

From there we walked on to the mainly dried up flash to the west where we could find no sign of the Southern Marsh Orchids that grow in this area. There were plenty of Rabbits around the banks grazing and also plenty of Violets in bloom. There was bird life a plenty on the grasslands in this area of the park: Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Whitethroats amongst others - all singing and probably nesting.
Another Cuckoo calling to the west!

Back around the pathway to the central lagoon and then a stroll to the two southern lagoons. We saw some super clumps of King Cups flowering in the western of the two Lagoons.

Now, it's ten o'clock and time for a coffee. 

It was a wonderful and inspiring walk for a Sunday (or any for that matter any) morning.

There were just a few downsides: dog poo still left around the pathways (in bags in some cases), dogs under no control whatsoever in the lagoons and over the nesting areas.

If we are to leave this very valuable environment to future generations more care and responsibility needs to be taken regarding these issues.

I would like to say a big thanks to FGCP member Mark Tyler for his enthusiasm, for acting as my guide for the morning and for the bird identification.

We saw or heard a total of 40 species of birds during the walk these are listed below.

I would like to encourage you all to keep a full record of all your finds on the park - bird, butterflies, dragonflies, moths, other insects, flowers, fungi, trees, lichens and anything unusual. We will need them for a record of the park – we have produced a short guide to recording wildlife in the park which you can access by clicking on this link http://www.gedlingcountrypark.org.uk/recording-wildlife.html

Have a good week and a great Bank Holiday!

Yours,  Brian Osborne, nature watcher and Friends of Gedling Country Park Trustee. 

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 

Mallard    Anas platyrhynchos 

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo  

Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

Coot Fulica atra      

Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Stock Dove Columba oenas

Collard Dove Streptopelia decaocto

Woodpigeon Columba palumbus     

Cuckoo Cuculus canorus

Green Woodpecker Picus viridis

Skylark Alauda arvensis           

Swallow Hirundo rustica

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis

Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba

Wren Troglodytes troglodytes

Dunnock Prunella modularis            

Robin Erithracus rubecula        

Blackbird Turdus merula

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos       

Whitethroat Sylvia communis

Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla

Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita    

Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus

Goldcrest Regulus regulus

Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 

Blue Tit Parus caeruleus 

Great Tit Parus major

Magpie Pica pica

Jackdaw Corvus monedula       

Rook Corvus frugilegus

Carrion Crow Corvus corone            

Long-tailed Tit  Aegithalos caudatus

Greenfinch Carduelis chloris

Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis         

Linnet Carduelis cannabina

Bullfinch  Pyrrhula pyrrhula 

Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus

Greater Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major