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Friday, 19-Feb-2021 20:59:10 GMT
The Wick Country Park (WCP)
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
The Friends of the Wick Country Park (FoWCP)
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Wick Weeders and the Pavilion Gardens
Wednesday, 25-Mar-2020 11:02:22 GMT
Volunteering at The Wick Country Park Tuesday, 17-Dec-2019 14:19:09 GMT
Events Calendar
Saturday, 25-Jul-2020 10:10:03 BST
Past Events: Reports and Photos
Saturday, 04-Jul-2020 09:43:33 BST
Facilities at the Park
Wednesday, 25-Mar-2020 11:13:24 GMT
Directions to the WCP
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Why not Join Us?
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Nature Notes
Sunday, 31-Jan-2021 10:39:14 GMT
The Visitors' Log
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
Useful Links
Friday, 12-Jun-2020 14:20:10 BST
Contact Us
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:39 GMT
On-Line Archive
Wednesday, 03-Feb-2021 20:47:41 GMT
Tour with The Ranger.
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
History & Development of WCP
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:37 GMT
Find us on Facebook
See an on-line Gallery provided by Martin Singleton
Watch the Aerial Video (provided by Keith Savill) [3 mins, 5 secs]
Watch (and listen to) the second Aerial Video (provided by Keith Savill) [3 mins, 20 secs] February 2016
Home Page
Friday, 19-Feb-2021 20:59:10 GMT
The Wick Country Park (WCP)
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
The Friends of the Wick Country Park (FoWCP)
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Wick Weeders and the Pavilion Gardens
Wednesday, 25-Mar-2020 11:02:22 GMT
Volunteering at The Wick Country Park Tuesday, 17-Dec-2019 14:19:09 GMT
Events Calendar
Saturday, 25-Jul-2020 10:10:03 BST
Past Events: Reports and Photos
Saturday, 04-Jul-2020 09:43:33 BST
Facilities at the Park
Wednesday, 25-Mar-2020 11:13:24 GMT
Directions to the WCP
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Why not Join Us?
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Nature Notes
Sunday, 31-Jan-2021 10:39:14 GMT
The Visitors' Log
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
Useful Links
Friday, 12-Jun-2020 14:20:10 BST
Contact Us
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:39 GMT
On-Line Archive
Wednesday, 03-Feb-2021 20:47:41 GMT
Tour with The Ranger.
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
History & Development of WCP
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:37 GMT

See an on-line Gallery provided by Martin Singleton


This page was updated on Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Every year the Friends of The Wick Country Park organise events at the Park that are designed to enable the general public - especially the children - to 'get closer' to the Park's wildlife - please see our 'Events' page via the link to the left. Towards the end of this page, we have reproduced a report on one of these events as an illustration of specific and dated sightings at the Park.
Nature Quest [Updated on Sunday, 28-Jun-2020 10:09:06 BST]
Bird Song Walk [Updated on Saturday, 21-Mar-2020 10:49:06 GMT]
Crickets & Dragonflies [Updated on Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT]
Yule Ramble [Updated on Thursday, 20-Feb-2020 16:47:14 GMT]
THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS OF THE PARK
This page is 'work in progress'
If you have any good wildlife pictures taken in the Park that you would be happy to share - animals or plants, big or small - please get in touch with us. Please see the 'Contact Us' link to the left.Acknowledgements
We are very appreciative of the help with the development of this page given by members of the Wickford Wildlife Society and by Mark Williams, Park Ranger, The Wick Country Park.The Park's Habitats
Situated adjacent to open countryside and developed from what were once active arable fields, the Park offers a range of habitats that collectively attract a huge diversity of of both plants and animals. Those habitats include open meadows, mature hedgerows, newly planted woodland areas, developing scrub-lands, the open lake, an open stream, and several smaller ponds. Man-made interventions such as bird-boxes have also helped to make the Park an enticing home for a huge variety of life. A Botanical specialist from the Wickford Wildlife Society has even spotted rarely-seen plants growing through the gravel on the borders of the car-park! Recognising the importance of the overall food-chain, plans are being developed for the introduction of insect-friendly cladding to the storage container, and, further into the future, plans for the development of some of the open meadowland to make it more appealing to skylarks are being considered.Every year the Friends of The Wick Country Park organise events at the Park that are designed to enable the general public - especially the children - to 'get closer' to the Park's wildlife - please see our 'Events' page via the link to the left. Towards the end of this page, we have reproduced a report on one of these events as an illustration of specific and dated sightings at the Park.
The Birds, Insects, and Other Animals of The Wick Country Park
The Lake and its environs
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The (Mute) swans sometimes breed on the lake, but not every year. But even when not breeding, they visit regularly. | Great Crested Grebes sometimes breed at the Lake. You need to keep your eyes peeled as they often disappear from sight as they dive for fish. |
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Canada Geese are seen very frequently swimming on the lake or resting on the Islands or on the fore-shore. | The beautiful little reed bunting can be seen on the reeds and sedges at the margins of the lake - not to mention, also occasionally on the fence-posts, conveniently posing for the
camera! |
Other waterways
Text and pictures in preparationHedgerows and Scrub
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During January and February, you may see large numbers of both Fieldfares (left) and Redwings (right) visiting the Park in search of food and stocking up on fuel for
their long flight back to Scandinavia. Their usual source of food is berries, and the birds can normally be seen gorging on the red berries of the hawthorn bush. They also have a liking for soft fruit, especially
fallen apples. When the weather is better and the ground is neither hard nor covered in snow, they will feed on insects, worms, snails and slugs but they will be most noticed in the trees and bushes. |
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Robin | Chiff Chaff |
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A pygmy shrew, which is the smallest mammal found in the UK. It is in fact smaller than some of our insects, and can sometimes be found sleeping in the burrows of some beetles.
It is approximately 60mm from tip of nose to base of tail, with the tail being around 40mm long. As you will agree, in size it is very small. Having such a tiny body, the pygmy shrew needs to consume food at regular
intervals in order to maintain its body temperature. In fact it needs to eat every two hours otherwise it may die. For this reason, when you see one they are usually frantically searching for their next meal. They
generally eat woodlice, spiders and insects and can normally be found around the hedgerows. A fully grown pygmy shrew is about a quarter of the size of a house mouse. The average weight is around 4 gm - about the same
as a penny coin. In the autumn they put on a thicker coat of fur, but this is no guarantee of surviving the cold winter months. They are often referred to as "annuals" since their life span, at best, is around 15
months. |
Open Meadows
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Skylarks - in flight and at rest. They were once very common at the Park. Indeed, this lovely and familiar bird forms the basis of our Logo, and we also
name our two 3K races after them - see the 'Events' page via the link to the left. Sadly, they are now rarely seen as the charactersitics of the open areas have changed as the Park has matured. Skylarks like open
farm-land. The good news is that plans are developing to revert part of the open meadows back to arable use - especially for the benefit of the Skylarks! It will be some time before that work can be completed, though,
because the plan is dependent on the completion of other projects on the 'wish list'. |
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Emperor Moth |
Speckled Wood Moth |
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?? Moth |
Wasp Spider on web |
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?? Grasshopper | ??? Lizard |
The Planted Woodlands
Text and pictures in preparationThe Plants of The Wick Country Park
The Lake and its environs
Text and pictures in preparationOther waterways
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Found in the 'Alder Grove', a marsh area adjacent to the North Benfleet Creek in the north-east corner of the Park - Alder cones with galls caused by alder tongue fungus Taphrina Alni | Also in the Alder Grove, but this photo was taken in Summer, when the sedges were in full flower. |
Hedgerows and Scrub
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Spindle Berries | ??? Something on a rose |
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Hazel catkins are abundant in late Winter |
Open Meadows
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Teasels - in flower in Summer they are great for attracting skylarks! But in a snowed-up winter they make a lovely picturesque photo! |
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The Planted Woodlands
Text and pictures in preparationFurther References to the Park's Wildlife
For further information about the plants and animals found in the Country Park, please refer to these pages on this website:Nature Quest [Updated on Sunday, 28-Jun-2020 10:09:06 BST]
Bird Song Walk [Updated on Saturday, 21-Mar-2020 10:49:06 GMT]
Crickets & Dragonflies [Updated on Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT]
Yule Ramble [Updated on Thursday, 20-Feb-2020 16:47:14 GMT]