Sunday 4th May

A Black Tern day today, after yesterdays single bird 18 in this morning, possibly increasing through the morning as DKs early count was just 10 although from the north side there may have been others hidden behind the island. When I left the park at about 11am there were still double figures despite the sailing which had started. It was amazing to see Black Terns out numbering Commons, and seemingly pushing the all the Commons off the lake at one point, the Commons being demoted to the marina! A shame about the overcast conditions again as some Black Terns were quite close in, especially at the Beach end.

Black Terns

Not as close as the Common Terns though:

Common Tern

Plenty of other birds about although the Wood Warbler, from yesterday, seems to have moved on, or was keeping very quiet. The hobby DK reported was glimpsed before it disappeared over the trees of the Finger Lakes. We nearly missed it altogether as myself and DK were trying to photograph the Black Terns but DK called and I saw it just before it disappeared. Ed joined us just after and we wlaked around Fingers before DK departed to complete his circuit of the park.

Plenty of Mute Swan action on the main lake with the resident male busy seeing off interlopers.

Mute Swans

A Common Whitethroat on the south east corner of Fingers posed for a picture, the second we had seen down that side of the Finger Lakes:

Common Whitethroat

On the way back to the car a Reed Bunting was singing in the plantation behind the visitor centre and a Lesser Whitethroat was singing from the plantation opposite, the second of the day following on from one seen earlier in the Rough.

Reed Bunting

At Kramer hide a Muntjac was laying up under the willow at the front left of the reed bed in front of the hide. A pair of Coot were nest building in the left hand reed bed.