Saturday 31st May

A slightly less than comprehensive report this morning due to equipment failure. Anyway the main lake pair of Mute Swans were out and about with their 4 youngsters this morning. The Finger lake pair were about on Thursday morning with their 7 young according to EN. Saw them today also. Both families sticking tight together making counts of young quite tricky. There were 28 Mute Swans in total on the main lake and c.45 Canada Geese. C.10 Common Terns over the main lake.

Had five singing Reed Warblers along the main lake reed bed from the main path but the Crescent was very quiet with just one. The Great Crested Grebe family were on east Fingers with the 2 humbugs now too large to ride piggy back, probably won't stop them trying though! Along the Spit a Blackcap was singing and a Kingfisher was seen on the east side of east Fingers.

Nesting Coot on west Fingers in one of the reed beds. Not much else of note. The Rough was very quiet with just a couple of Garden Warblers, a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff. A Cuckoo was vocal all morning around the finger lakes but I never saw it. Walking down to the Sedgewick Seat the usual Blackcap was singing before the S bend but it was joined, in the next tree, by a singing Garden Warbler, a great opportunity to compare and contrast these 2 similar vocalists.

The Woodland Walk was quiet, a theme this morning, with just a couple of Blackcaps. At the STW a few Reed Warblers were singing in the reed beds and a Blackcap was singing by the entrance. On 100 Acre no sign of the Lapwing family, just a group of Mallards and the single male Tufted duck. A few House Martins came down for a drink, no mud collecting today.

At Kramer hide just a single Heron and a Blackcap. At the south east corner of Fingers the usual Common Whitethroat singing and a Sedge Warbler. A couple of Herons were roosting on the far side of east Fingers. Around at the main hide Blackcap and Chiffchaff were singing. Reed Warblers were singing both sides of the hide and a few frisky fish were spawning in the reeds. A pair of Moorhen were nest building.

While walking along the south side a pair of Shelduck flew in and the female did a low pass over the island looking like she was going to land before aborting and landing on the lake with her partner. They then looked like they were trying to find a way onto the island but kept incurring the wrath of the Swan family who were nearby and weren't brave enough to go past the Cormorant who was on the end of the island.

That was about it, didn't hear the Common Whitethroat on the island this morning but there was one singing with a couple of Willow Warblers around the car park when I got back.

29/05/08 BTCV Bridge Construction

BTCV were in the park again on Thursday 29th May building a bridge at the back of Fenlake. The purpose of the bridge being to span the stream and allow the mower to cross (as well as being better for foot traffic!). The only birds I saw in the area (too busy with the task is my excuse for a poor total) were a pair of House Sparrow briefly sat on some cow parsley and a party of Long Tailed Tit's with the odd blue tit in there.

Below: Elly is removing soil from a post hole



Below: Post is being put in the hole by Tony



Below: Cutting the decking boards to the correct length.



Below: Jill springing into action!



Below: The final product

Have I won a prize?

28th May - wet day, still needed to high prune some of the overhanging vegetation. Didn't do any birding.

29th May - CES day, up early, put nets up (easy now that there's no overhanging stuff). Dull first half, then sunny second half. Or should that be 'good first half, dull second half?' A catch of 24 birds is about par at this time of year in 6 hours. As before, tally was:

Wren 3/0 (all fems), Dunnock 2/3 (new juvs & 2 old birds from '03), Robin nil, Song Thrush 1/0 (2CY male), Blackbird 3/1 (couple of new juvs), Reed W 2/0, LESSER W/THROAT 1/0, (there are 2 pairs in the 'rough' and this is the only one we've caught!),


Whitethroat nil, Garden W 1/0, Blackcap 1/1, Chiff 0/3, LTT 1/0 (a juv). Magpies annoying all the other nesters.
Report of 2 Otters "playing" by the main hide am, noisy kids frightened off the beasts.

30th May - not quite so early, rather damp but finished before 9am. Down on the 'crescent' we trapped:

8 Reed W (target sp.), 1 juv Blackcap, 1 r/t fem Reed Bunt., 3 juv LTT and already ringed 'dad', and a 2CY male Blue Tit.
Report of Otter fishing early am. off the main path, 'beach' end.