We visited a National Trust property briefly just to check out what birds were on the lake.
We were surprised to see so many colourful Mandarin Ducks, as we usually see only a few. Plus, they had ducklings, which was an added bonus.
After breeding is finished, the Mandarins tend to moult, which I think is happening to this one.
Visitors can get fairly close to the birds, and everyone is very respectful. The birds seem unbothered as they know they're safe and are often fed by passersby.
The estate has many acres to explore if you want to go for a long walk, or you can simply drop by like we did. If you park on the road, you don't have to pay for parking within the estate.
There was a bit of activity on the rhododendron bushes as well with the bees searching for food.
There are red deer in this area, but sadly we didn't see any this morning. I guess you can't win them all!
