Evening Chorus Rathescar Lakeside Walk and Wildlife Reserve

Thanks to the 20 odd people who showed up at Rathescar on Sunday evening.

Looping around the outisde of the walk we had the following singing males:

song thrush (6)

blackbird (4)

mistle thrush (1 pair)

robin (4)

long tailed tit (1 family group)

blue tit (1)

great tit (1)

willow warbler (1)

chiffchaff (2)

coot (at least 6)

moorehen (at least 4)

mallard (only 2 females showing)

little grebe (at least 1 pair)

chaffinch (8)

greenfinch (1)

wood piegon (3)

pheasant (2)

wren (9)

magpie (1)

and also distant rookerie but curiously no rooks in Rathescar itself!

A cuckoo was heard just before we arrived and called once or twice distantly. The woodland consists mainly of beech with some very fine oak. Willow dominates around the lake with dense stands of dogwood. There is a good deal of laurel and some rhododendron. The woodland floor is dominated by ivy. The canopy is generally closed. It is interesting to note that the more diverse wood and garden around Listoke house held about as many species and numbers despite its much smaller size. Nevertheless Rathescar is a beautiful place to go for a walk at any time of the day or year.