Category Archives: wildlife

River Ock in Abingdon – June 2023

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The Ock Valley Walk in Abingdon has become more crowded in June. There are more people walking, and the Kingfisher canoe club visited the weir this week. But I have not seen the Kingfisher during June, not even a blue flash.

A heron was seen earlier in the month, and people have been sharing pictures of it on social media. It is a good indicator of a healthy ecosystem, as it feeds on fish and other small animals.

Fish were visible earlier in the month, but are harder to see now.

The grey wagtail can also be seen near the water. It is a good swimmer and diver, and it feeds on insects and small fish.

The blossoms and fresh leaves of May have been followed by mature foliage. Horse chestnut leaves have already started showing signs of aging as the Horse chestnut leaf miner, the larvae of a small moth, tunnels through the leaves, turning them brown. Elderflowers were abundant earlier in June and many are starting to develop into berries.

The nettles have grown tall, and some were cut back near the paths. Small brown butterflies flutter about in the vicinity.

Ducks and moorhens are frequently seen, but I have not seen them with young on the Ock Valley Walk near town.

Yellow flags are visible along the walk, but further out from town, beyond the Ock Bridge, they look larger.

Extending from Tesco to Mill Lane, the River Ock is more overgrown and the channel looks reduced. There are probably lots of wildlife and their young hiding among the sedge and reeds, away from the crowds.

Geese and Swans

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I was watching, from a distance, a pair of Canada Geese with four goslings near a mother swan with five cygnets. They were on the bank while the male swan was on the water some way away.

The geese came closer and closer to the swans and just before reaching the swans, the geese got into the water.

It was at that point that the male swan came towards them looking like a a war galleon from the Spanish Armada, and attacked the first defending adult goose a number of times. The swan did not attack the goslings, and the mother swan did not get involved in the conflict.

The geese and goslings then went back onto land, and after that the male swan ignored them.

The female swan took the cygnets out on the water and brought up water weed which she strew in the way of the cygnets to feed.

After feeding for a few minutes, the swan family then swam away under Abingdon Bridge.

River Ock in Abingdon – May 2023

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A Kingfisher can sometimes be seen as a blue flash, but then is hidden by all the foliage that has grown in May. A heron is much easier to see.

I have not seen any ducklings on the River Ock, but a goose and goslings grazed on the grass in front of Mill Stream Court, beside the Ock.

Falls of white hawthorn blossom are alongside the River Ock. This wood pigeon was eating the little flowers.

Somebody asked me if there was a bench on the walk, and I told them there were three. Cow parsley had surrounded two of the benches but a mower then cut back the path borders.

I am beginning to notice fish in the River Ock during May. That could because fish are most likely to spawn in May.

Damson flies, and butterflies fly about among the many nettles that now border the River Ock.

Further out of town, where the River Ock meanders through fields,

ten alder trees were planted by Abingdon Carbon Cutters last October as part of a church twinning eco event. Seven of the ten alders are still alive this May.

River Ock – February 2023

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River Ock - Feb 2023
The best time to see Muntjac deer is in the early morning when they are less likely to be disturbed. These two were in one of the extended gardens that stretch from St Amand Drive and Bailie Close towards the River Ock.
River Ock - Feb 2023
A heron was wading as I walked along the Ock Valley Walk. Its long sharp beak can spear through the water without warning.
River Ock - Feb 2023
Kingfishers can sometimes be seen flying fast and low along the River Ock. I was lucky to see this one perched halfway along the Ock Vally Walk. The blue body just showed in front of the green leaves. Like the heron, it has a long sharp beak, but in the case of the Kingfisher, that beak is half the length of its body and just as spear-like.
River Ock - Feb 2023
Robins can be heard throughout the winter at regular intervals along the Ock Valley Walk. They are singing a delightful song to humans. But to rival Robins, the territorial song says, something different.
River Ock - Feb 2023
Many grey squirrels live on the Ock Valley Walk. I remember seeing a grey squirrel in a park in Boston, North America. Grey squirrels originated in North America and were introduced to England in the late 19th century.

On the way back, the heron was swallowing a fish. The heron’s neck looks like a python. It swallows fish whole.