It is not only the human and canine species that enjoy the facilities of our park. Or the resident fox and visiting black and white cat! We have a number of other regular visitors, albeit that some are seasonal.
A group of these seasonal visitors have recently put in an appearance along the shoreline, whether they are just passing through or are going to take up residence for the winter months remains to be seen. Pictured is one of them, a Turnstone, some of whom may be staying here until next spring when they will return to their Arctic breeding grounds.
As their name implies they can often be seen turning over stones and other debris such as shells and seaweed hoping to find some tasty morsels – one of their favourites being sandhoppers. These waders, although at times quite numerous, can often be unobtrusive as their upper parts provide a camouflage that blends in with the shoreline.
So take the kids down to the Eastern end of the park (the bridge end) and see if you spot these wonderful birds busy foraging for food on the shoreline of the bay.
If you’ve spotted some unusual wildlife in the park, send us your pictures and we’ll put up a gallery of all the wonderful wildlife of Hamworthy park.