Bicycling to Kilvington Lakes

I've been meaning to get this ride in for a while, and with the good weather today compared to the pregnant grey clouds we had scudding over yesterday I figured that it was best to go today, rather than yesterday.

I remember the one time I went before a couple of years ago, I remember that the direct route, although a country road, had a lot of HGVs blasting about which always makes me feel very nervous and exposed on my little mountain bike, so I took a quiet route that took me through Shelton and the alpaca infested vilage of Flawborough - well there were three of them - and Alverton before I arrived in Kilvington and found my way onto the lakes.

Unlike Langford, where the RSPB has ensured that the filled pits have been landscaped, the three lakes at Kilvington are rather unprepossesing water filled holes in the ground surrounded by empty grasslands strewn with pink gypsum. But they have a good record for attracting birds, and indeed there were plenty about today, if nothing terribly interesting that I could spot.

I came to the East Lake first, which had a small fleet of mixed ducks trundling up and down; tufted ducks and the first pochard of winter by the looks of things. There were some large gulls, mature and juvenile sitting on the water too, herring gull and black blacked gull of some kind, and every so often they took to the air to engage in dramatic, tumbling flights back down to the surface of the water.

Further from the road, there was the West Lake, a larger body of water which again despite the barren surroundings, was full of waterfowl. Lapwing wheeled in the distance, and large numbers of various duck species sailed across the water; mallard, pochard and possibly wigeon too, as well as other species I probably haven't noticed.

In the field next to the lake, was the largest flock of geese I've ever seen, several hundred canadas and greylags just milling around on the grass. Other geese flew in to join them, honking mournfully.

Common darters were mating, the females holding on the males as they laid their eggs in the water. But the chill at night tells us the obvious about the arrival of autumn.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.10.16

Kilvington Adventure a bit of a Bust

So, in attempt to never waste any holiday time, and do new things, I set off this afternoon for Kilvington Lakes, past Staunton in the Vale. I'd read that this was a really good place to spot birds, and it was within cycling reach.

Sadly the sun had gone in after a bright start, and the road turned out to be a rat run between the A52 and A1 for lorries thrashing along quite a narrow lane. Didn't like. But I got to the site in one piece, to find this view;

Kilvington Lake

I'd read of interesting birds to see, and a comfy seat to watch them from - well, a park bench - but there was no sign of that here. Just a rather bleak vista of scrub, and open water populated with coots, a couple of herons, and a mixed flock of gulls containing some lesser black backs by the look of things.

There were no waders, and not even any ducks.

Of course, I had gone to the wrong lake. The better lake is further on, but my legs were tired and I really didn't fancy another mile along that road. I swept with binoculars, but didn't really see anything of note. Far better birders than I might well have had better results, but it really didn't feel a very inspiring location.

Luckily, on the way home I came across flocking immature swallows, forty or fifty strong, playing over the road at Cotham Flash paddocks and lining up on the telegraph wires. As ever, birds even a fair ways off always know when a camera is being deployed, so the shot I got was rather less impressive than it might have been. But I was still pleased, and hopefully soon I may have a rather better camera for this sort of thing!

Swallows in E