a Winter Walk around 'Moor Green Lakes' Nature Reserve in Berkshire.....

 
This Tawny Owl has made its home here and was happy to show itself.

I had never visited 'Moor Green Lakes' before, but I recently found myself staying nearby and spent some very enjoyable days exploring these wonderful wetlands.

Formerly, a large area of working gravel pits, it has been sympathetically re-wilded in recent years and now offers a home to a wide range of flora, fauna and birds.

Made up of a series of lakes (which includes a 'leisure' section at the far end with a Café), the remaining wetlands are recognised as a 'nature reserve' and work is ongoing to extend the area to utilise further gravel workings, which have now ended their commercial life. This can only be good news for the local wildlife and biodiversity.

Currently, there are 2 very good 'hides', which can be utilised by members of the 'Moor Green Lakes Group' (who are a very welcoming bunch). - membership is only £10.00 per year!

The following pictures are some of my favourite images, taken whilst visiting 'Moor Green Lakes' and I urge you to visit the 'reserve', if you find yourself in this part of Berkshire.......you will not be disappointed.

Cormorants seem to be everywhere at the moment and there is a small colony here.

Always nice to see a Deer and this one was nicely back-lit through the trees.

During my visit, there was a family of swans, including 3 youngsters from last year.

Tufted Ducks in flight.

A number of Herons were busy feeding around the shallows, but this was an unusaul angle to capture in flight.

and a very nice close-up!

A beautiful Egyptian Goose.

This Common Buzzard was often seen in the same tree.

I saw a group of 6 Little Grebe, including this one, which was enjoying a 'Newt' for lunch!




Little Egret.......Big Fish     -     After this Pike for breakfast, it took a while before the Egret resumed hunting!

This female Goosander, was not giving up her catch.

Greylag Geese were regularly seen.

A Male Shoveler Duck at speed.

Lots of Grey Squirrels.

This Moorhen was coming to terms with taking-off from the frozen lake!

Little Egret portrait!

Female Goosander.

This was a 'first' for me.......a Mallard eating a fish!

Crested Grebe.

Coots struggled with the ice as well.

Reflecting on another catch!


Canada Goose, showing off its wingspan.

Cormorant giving a 'close up'.

Parting Shot!


It's fair to say, that 'Moor Green Lakes' is so much more than these images and I genuinely hope to return in a few years to see how the place has developed and also photograph some of the land based birds and mammals. 



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Comments

  1. RhodesiaFebruary 3, 2024 at 6:19 AM

    I am not surprised these photos are your favourites, some excellent in flight shots. Well done.
    Cheers Diane

    ReplyDelete

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