Wolburn Safari Park

Promised Jacob a day at the zoo as soon as the second lockdown was over so today we had a family day at Wolburn Safari Park. Still on the mission to find a rarity at one of these family attractions (spurred on by the Black-throated Thrush at Whipsnade last year and my Corvo mate Fred Jiguet once found a Kelp Gull in a Paris zoo). 

The best I could find today was an adult and sub-adult Yellow-legged Gull, three Wigeon on the Dwarf Forest Buffalo watering hole and excellent views of Raven feeding on a carcass put out for the Wolf. 

Seems to be a healthy population of melanistic Grey Squirrel in the park and also good naturalised populations of deer in the surrounding countryside and Abbey grounds.

I spent yesterday afternoon on Oakley Airfield Ebird list here. Highlight was the good numbers of winter thrushes feeding in the plantation and also the Golden Plover flock is back (only about 250 now though). 

Adult (above) and sub-adult (below) Yellow-legged Gull 

Raven

Melanistic Grey Squirrel (had five or six of these today) 

Chinese Water Deer with Red and Fallow Deer in the background. Red Deer (below)  

Fieldfare (above) and Golden Plover (below) at Oakley Airfield