My Walk Today

One thing is for certain, it was a lot colder than I thought it would be! The Ice was really thick in places. None the less, I had the most wonderful walk in one of the places I love the most. Upton Country Park. It just has everything anyone could want in a wildlife walk. Ponds, Marshes, Wetlands, Farmland, and Woodland. It really is wonderful, and wildlife watching is never boring that's for sure. Every visit seems to encounter something different, and varies massively through the seasons. The Winter is my favorite time to walk there.

First up, was a visit to the small pond. This is where I encountered something I have never encountered at Upton. A Squirrel that was prepared to practically eat out of hand. Normally, the Squirrels are very wild and incredibly skittish around humans. On top of this, it was clear that a fair few species of animal were hungry, and once I produced the food, they were desperate for a share. It was clear who was boss though, as the other animals were not prepared to step inside the Squirrels territory. So where is the picture of this territorial scary monster?

I couldn't resist it. It put it's "Shrek, Puss In Boots" pose on, and it had my full attention for a while :) It was either continuing to fatten up in preparation of another cold spell, or was hungry after the recent one. Either way, the experience was unique for Upton, and I rather enjoyed it. :)

Next up was a walk round the Shoreline. I just love the Shoreline. As you walk round, on the left there are Wetlands, Marshes and a view over Poole Harbour. On the right is Farmland and in the distance, Woodland. This often provides surprises, but today another. It is usual to see Geese on the Grass, but today there were a few Lapwings joining them.

About halfway round the Shoreline, is the perfect place for a picnic. I always put some bird seed down, enjoy my food and the company of the invited birds. Today was different yet again, in that the small birds were reluctant to feed. Robins are usually the number one species this time of year that happily feed on the seed, whilst treating us to a nice song, but not today. The Robins were skittish, as well as the other small birds. Maybe there was a threat about that was hungry and just waiting to pounce on a small bird. None the less, a few species did join me, be it brief.

A Dunnock, and I have to say, one of my best pictures to date :)

A beautiful Blue Tit :)

A Robin, that allowed me to photograph his tail! But believe it or not, the photo below is actually the same Robin :D

I saw him puff up and deflate a few times. Maybe he had wind? :D Although the logical explanation, was that he was making himself look bigger either for territorial reasons, or to scare off preditors. :)

Also during my lunch, I was treated to a brief flypast of a Buzzard. The Buzzard was being chased off and harassed by Crows and Jackdaws. It is fascinating to watch such a large bird of prey being bullied off by Crows!

After lunch, I continued round to the Woodland trail. Plenty to see brief glimpses of, but nothing to photograph. Skittish Robins, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatches, Blackbirds, Magpies, Crows, Pigeons and another Buzzard to name a few. It led me towards the end of the walk and a sight I just can't stand or understand. A dog poo bag thrown into the trees, hanging from the branches.

Just why do people do things like this? I think it is a disgrace. Such a beautiful place to walk, with wonderful wildlife, and people disrespect it by throwing bags of dog poo into the trees. It is also common to see poo bags tied to fences, and an abundance of dog poo lining the paths. I can't abide lazy dog owners, and whilst I'm on the subject, I have to mention the amount of dogs being walked off lead! It is a nature reserve, and people obviously walk their dogs there, because Upton is such a wonderful place. So it confuses me as to why they break the law by walking their dogs off lead? It endangers the wildlife, and spoils the enjoyment of those watching it. Upton used to have ten resident Peacocks. They had two left that were removed for their own safety. It is thought that at least two of the Peacocks were killed by dogs. How sad is that? It is a shame to end a blog with such negativity, but it is an important issue I want to highlight, in the hope that one day, it might just sink in to someone to do something about it.