Yesterday's recce promised a good day - and so it turned out.
38 birds made up as follows:
Wren - 4 young juvs, Dunnock 1 r/t,
Robin - 2 juvs turning red and a grown-up young-un,
Blackbird - 1 fresh (3rd brood?) youngster,
Song Thrush - 2 fledglings, the first of the year,
Reed Warbler - a new adult and 2 juvs (all 'fluffy' as they are moulting their body feathers)
Lesser White - our first juvenile to ring,
Whitethroat - marvellous! 1 adult and 5 juvs, all new,
Garden Warbler - 1 new adult, a new juv and a retrap. This bird was originally ringed last year as it fledged and it is now carrying a mass of fat for migration. It was a female bird.
Blackcap - 2 juvs, Chiff - 3 juvs, Willow Warbler - DK reckoned there were 5, and we managed to catch 3 of them.
Blue Tit & Great Tit - 1 unringed juv of each,
Goldfinch - our first youngster of the season.
Greenfinch - right on schedule - 2 juvs, 1 of each sex
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Wed 6 Aug
Mid-morning walk: 6 Common Terns over main lake.
Young Green Woodpeckers. A few Reed Warblers still 'singing'. Family party of Bullfinch continue to be present around the spit. Little Egret sitting on fallen tree at far end of 'Lilypads' until pushed off by a Heron c.12 noon, when it flew towards the old channel.
At the centre, Jon's garden produced the following in a 5 minute period: Great & Blue Tit, quite a few House Sparrows (inc juvs), Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, juv Reed Warbler, juv Chiff, juv Garden Warbler in heavy body moult, a cracking juv Lesser Whitethroat and a Greenfinch. All viewed from the back door steps c.12:30.
Young Green Woodpeckers. A few Reed Warblers still 'singing'. Family party of Bullfinch continue to be present around the spit. Little Egret sitting on fallen tree at far end of 'Lilypads' until pushed off by a Heron c.12 noon, when it flew towards the old channel.
At the centre, Jon's garden produced the following in a 5 minute period: Great & Blue Tit, quite a few House Sparrows (inc juvs), Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, juv Reed Warbler, juv Chiff, juv Garden Warbler in heavy body moult, a cracking juv Lesser Whitethroat and a Greenfinch. All viewed from the back door steps c.12:30.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Saturday 2nd August
Highlights were:
c.20 Whimbrel over. Came in from the north over Kingsmead and turned west before disappearing behind the trees around Fingers. Initially thought they were Godwits but once I got the bins on them the distinctive downward curving beak, curving more sharply at the tip, gave them away. Later we checked out Fenlake in case they had dropped in there but it was dry as a bone over there excepting the fact it was chucking it down, so we got a good soaking for no reward.
On the east side of Fingers we flushed 3 small waders from the north end of east Fingers. Still not convinced of their ID but suspect they were Common Sandpipers although the call was a bit odd. Any suggestions welcome. I flushed some Common Sands at Box End Park this morning and although the visual was similar the call was different with this mornings the usual Common Sand call.
At Meadow Lane GP we had at least 1 Little Grebe, 6 Common Sandpipers, 3 Ringed Plovers and a Lapwing. No sign of the Little Egret and Green Sandpiper of previous weeks. On the new workings on 100 Acre there were a large number of gulls, mostly BH but also Common, and more Lapwing and a Grey Heron. Difficult viewing from the cycle track, we need a window in the hedge!
Back in the park at the coppiced section of the Sheep Pen, opposite the Rough, we watched a male Bullfinch feeding 2 youngsters.
That was about it, the rain really started to set in as we got back to the visitor centre but, foolishly, we still decided to check out Fenlake. The rain eased a bit after waiting in the car for a while but it was only enough to lure us out of the car and get over to the main "lake" where we found a dry mud flat. That's when the rain really set in again. Oh well if you don't try you don't see! I think I still have water in one ear :-(
c.20 Whimbrel over. Came in from the north over Kingsmead and turned west before disappearing behind the trees around Fingers. Initially thought they were Godwits but once I got the bins on them the distinctive downward curving beak, curving more sharply at the tip, gave them away. Later we checked out Fenlake in case they had dropped in there but it was dry as a bone over there excepting the fact it was chucking it down, so we got a good soaking for no reward.
On the east side of Fingers we flushed 3 small waders from the north end of east Fingers. Still not convinced of their ID but suspect they were Common Sandpipers although the call was a bit odd. Any suggestions welcome. I flushed some Common Sands at Box End Park this morning and although the visual was similar the call was different with this mornings the usual Common Sand call.
At Meadow Lane GP we had at least 1 Little Grebe, 6 Common Sandpipers, 3 Ringed Plovers and a Lapwing. No sign of the Little Egret and Green Sandpiper of previous weeks. On the new workings on 100 Acre there were a large number of gulls, mostly BH but also Common, and more Lapwing and a Grey Heron. Difficult viewing from the cycle track, we need a window in the hedge!
Back in the park at the coppiced section of the Sheep Pen, opposite the Rough, we watched a male Bullfinch feeding 2 youngsters.
That was about it, the rain really started to set in as we got back to the visitor centre but, foolishly, we still decided to check out Fenlake. The rain eased a bit after waiting in the car for a while but it was only enough to lure us out of the car and get over to the main "lake" where we found a dry mud flat. That's when the rain really set in again. Oh well if you don't try you don't see! I think I still have water in one ear :-(
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