Sunday, June 12, 2011

Saturday 11th June 2011

Nothing special this week although a Garden Warbler was singing in the car park when I arrived. There were also a lot of Swifts over the main lake (~50). The pairs of Mute Swans on the main lake and Fingers both have broods of fluffy youngsters, but the biggest surprise, on my return from holiday, was the Fingers Grebes. So much for 1 or 2 youngsters, they have 4! Also Coot families with 3 and 4 young on Fingers, they seem to be doing well this year, unlike the Moorhens. I also had 2 Cuckoos before meeting up with DK and JA, one over on the south side of the main lake and one in and around Fingers.

JA joined me for a walk along the 100 Acre side of the river where we had a single Kingfisher heading downstream. Also 2 Redshanks, 2 Oystercatchers and a Common Buzzard.

Back to the park and alongside the Long Hedge before Fingers JA spotted a Small Skipper butterfly in the nettles, which also held any number of insects including loads of Ladybird larvae, damselflies and Scorpion Flies.

In the Rough we met up with DK and the ringers. EG was have a good mornings ringing again having just extracted another 6 birds from the nets as we arrived. While chatting we heard a Lesser Whitethroat sing briefly. Earlier EG had a Turtle Dove purring in the Rough.