Started out at 06.10 this morning and it was 09.30 by the time I got home, so a nice long visit, and it showed with one of my best days of the year so far, the weather started off cold with a slight ground frost, it then clouded over with a slight shower, then clearing up with sunny intervals, the breeze was slight and northwesterly.
As soon as I entered the park it was noticeable that there was lots going on with bird song coming from all directions, there where a couple of Blackcaps singing at the entrance along with a couple of Willow Warblers, by the end of my visit I'd seen 8x Blackcap and 5x Willow Warblers, also I heard something unusual calling but couldn't pin it down, made my way to the main lake, 4x Little Ringed Plover on the grass verge and bank, as well as the 2x Great Crested Grebes on the boating lake there where five on the main lake, Mute Swans x14, Tufted Duck x17 and the Grey Heron fishing around the edge of the lake.
I met up with Nick Smith and told him about the unusual call at the entrance, so we went down to have a look, couldn't hear anything but almost immediately we picked up on a Whitethroat in the tree top, a first for the year.
We then went through to the nature reserve where the highlights were Chiffchaff x5, Reed Bunting x3, Bullfinch x2 and flying over in the Sand Martin flock were a handful of House Martins.
As Nick rushed off to work I had a look for the Sedge Warbler from yesterday that I'd missed but no joy, as I made my way along the canal side of the main lake I heard the Sedge Warbler singing from the very area I'd just been looking, so made my way back and after a few minutes searching I managed to locate it in the thick of the Dogwood, my 2nd year tick of the day. Here I meet up with Richard Sutton who had seen a Common Sandpiper earlier.
I decided too make another circuit of the lake and nature reserve, a single Jay was in the reserve and a Willow Tit without its tail was near the boardwalk bridge.
Back on the lake and the male Shoveler was back also a Cormorant was fishing on the lake, on the old gas works 2x Stock Doves, as I left there were good numbers of Swallows, Sand Martins and 5+ House Martins all flying around the lake.
Total number seen this morning was 45.
Went round the lake this morning 28/4/10 between 11 00am and 1 00pm, got some great photos which i have forwarded to Chris to add to the slideshow. I was photographing the Heron when it suddenly dipped in the water on the model boat pool, but didnt connect with the fish,the heron took flight and in doing so, a crow started to attack it. I assumed it thought the heron had a fish and was mugging it to retreive the fish from it. But earlier i was on the main lake, near to where the canadian goose is nesting, there was a pair of canadian geese with young chicks and a crow seemed to be harrasing them. Is this a commen thing as i have never seen it before.
ReplyDeleteHi Tony, yes it's not unusual for a Carrion Crow to attack them, they will take and kill the Goslings, already this year one set of Canada Geese had 6 Goslings and are now down to four, a couple of years ago I was a Magpie attacking the smallest Mute Swan chick in the group, it pecked and harressed it until it was dead and then flew off with it, the adult Swans didn't do anything, it was as though they knew it was the 'rut' of the litter and needed to be taken out.
ReplyDeleteHi went down the lake today at 10 30am 6/5/10, Heard a woodpecker but when i got to the tree is had taken flight,it was on the right jusyt as you go into the entrance to the terrapins. Took photo but only the tree with the holes on pic. Spotted a tree creaper to fast to photograph, on the next entrance up there is a nest in the tree next to the brige on your left, appears to be a duck in the nest ?? not sure. Spotted a reed bunting where the swan is nesting in the reeds. And manage get a photo of a Wren in the bush by the reeds also. Male shoveler in the small side pool.
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