08 June 2010

Rain, Rain and more Rain, from leaving at 05.30 til getting back at 07.50 it rained, very heavy at times with a few breaks of lighter rain, wind seemed to be from the south, temp was 14c.

Made it a bit difficult to see and list /count birds at times, unusually on the model boating lake there were 3 adult Great Crested Grebes and still 3 young, on the main lake another 10 Great Crested Grebes were counted, a Grey Heron was also on the edge of the boating lake, 8 young Mallard on the canal are well advanced and they ahve done well to keep this many, the male Shoveler was on the main lake and the Marbled Duck is still present on the bottom pool in the Nature Reserve, Tufted Duck numbers are increasing slowly but daily with 10 seen today on the main lake, the 4 Greylag Geese are still by the ramp and 17 Mute Swans plus the single youngster are all still crammed onto the main lake, the Canada Geese still number 42 young with the creche holding the most with 36, on the grass verge and beach 3 Little Ringed Plovers early on but they all flew north later.
On the old gas works just a single Stock Dove, by the top pool just one Reed Warbler heard, with a single Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, just 2 Whitethroats were seen.

In total 38 species seen, not helped by the weather.