Sunday, July 22, 2007

w/e 22 July


Not done alot in the park this week - but interesting, none the less. Tuesday - whilst watching two Common Terns over Fingers, picked up a Buzzard over Summerhouse Hill. Moved to watch some more - and a Hobby came up river very low and slowly too. Some young Broom colour-ringed terns over the main lake. The two Coot youngsters seem to be graduating OK. The pair of Swans on Fingers had three cygnets last Saturday and have trundled them around all of Fingers this week. The Grebes now only have three half-grown young. Had 60-90 Mallard and the Mandarin most days from the Spit. The wet weather is suiting the Blackbirds!

Went ringing on the Crescent on Thursday - 18 birds, 13 of which were Reed Warblers & 4 of those were this year's young. Other birds included a second male Reed Bunting (nesting in Crescent, too), a young Blackcap caught 4 weeks earlier and now starting its PJ moult (won't be long before it's off), a very fresh juvenile Sedge Warbler probably from over by the lock, a male Greenfinch from Oct.'05, a Blackbird from Mar.'05, and a female Reed Warbler that was at least 5 years old and first caught in June '04.
Took a walk along the cycle track on Sunday. Plenty of Sand Martins sitting on the wires, and Pied Wags "Chiswick-ing" over the sewer farm. At Meadow Lane pit, there were 2 Green Sands, 2 LRPs, 2 young Moorhens, a brood of Mallard with mum, a Grey Wag and a Tufted. Opposite, in the elder, 2 Whitethroats were trying to out-sing each other. A bit further along, were Sky Larks and Linnets and, from the by-pass bridge, a party of Greylags and fg young, with a family party of Green Woodpeckers calling from the trees towards the Cople road. Lots of butterflies, damsels and other insects in the rough grass.

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