Guided Walk - Sunday 28/04/2013

A cold and breezy morning to greet the group for the guided walk. 10 people joined me and after a quick overview of recent arrivals we set off down the main path. First stop was the dipping platform to have a look at the Hirundines hunting over the main lake. Swallows and Sand Martins were present. Next stop was the Spit where a Sedge Warbler was singing at the junction with the main path. Conveniently a Reed Warbler was singing on the other side of the main path giving all a great opportunity to compare and contrast these two, oft confused, songsters.

Reed Warbler

A Common Whitethroat sang briefly nearby but that was the only one we had all morning and most people missed it! A Lesser Whitethroat had also been singing in the same area, earlier in the morning when I did my recce.

We walked along the Spit getting at least 4 more Sedge Warblers singing spaced out along both sides and a single Garden Warbler burbling away in the closed section at the end. These guys have only recently arrived in the park and haven't really started singing properly as yet but the bubbling quality to the voice is still quite evident.

Retracing our steps we walked around to the Rough and had Lesser Black-backed Gull, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Robin and Song Thrush on the way. We stopped by the gate to the Rough and listened to a Chiffchaff singing in the Willows opposite while a Willow Warbler sang from Sheep Pen. We moved a little to hear the Willow Warbler better, before moving off down to the Sedgewick Seat.

We continued along the edge of the Woodland Walk and found a Blackcap singing strongly half way along. A Greenfinch was wheezing up at the Kissing Gate and a couple of Sedge Warblers were singing from the reed bed under the STW bridge. We struggled to find a Sedge Warbler to see but eventually one showed along the edge of the path along the east side of the river. 100 Acre was disappointingly quiet although as we headed back towards the park a pair of Oystercatchers flew over from there, displaying noisily.

We finished off with a walk along the New Cut and had the usual brief Kingfisher view as it flew down the cut. It stopped briefly on a branch but as I moved to set up the scope it continued along the Cut. A loop around the hedgerows around the car park for a Whitethroat proved fruitless but arriving back at the Visitor Centre we had 10 Swifts flying about overhead, my first of the year.

The next walk is the Dawn Chorus at 04:30 on Sunday 12th May but if you aren't an early bird the next of the normal walks is May 26th at 9am. Meet outside the visitor centre for both.