05 July 2010

About 50% cloud coverage with sunny intervals, very little breeze of note, poss southerly, dry and temp was 17c, visit from 05.45 - 08.00.

No sign of the reported Black-necked Grebe and no one has come forward to confirm who it was who put the report in, another birder was down here at the time of the report and saw nothing and several birders came down with in minutes of the report and still no sign, all very strange!
Anyway onto this morning, the two young Great Crested Grebes on the model boating lake are really getting quite confident, following the parents around the lake and diving, there growing fast now, another 12 Great Crested Grebes on the main lake gave us a total of 16 this morning, a count of the Canada Geese came in at 266, along the edge of the model boating lake a group of 6 Moorhen chicks was unusual, Black-headed Gull numbers are increasing daily now with 26 this morning including 1 immature, as usual 4 Greylag Geese were with the Canada Geese and the hybrid CanadaxGreylag is still present, a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls went through early on over the main lake, a single Pochard was on the main lake with 34 Tufted Ducks these included a couple of very brown birds looking like this years young, Mute Swans continue to remain steady at 34 birds including the 1 cygnet, a nice find this morning was 2 Common Sandpipers which spent the morning flying all over the main lake.
Blackcaps numbered 3, 1 in the nature reserve, 1 on the old sewage works and 1 at the top entrance of the park, Mistle Thrushes numbered 3 in several places, the male Shoveler is still present this time on the boating lake and a single Little Ringed Plover briefly flew over the main lake calling, just a couple of Whitethroats with 1 in the middle of the nature reserve and 1 on the sewage works, at least 2 Willow Tits were also on the sewage works, 2 Stock Doves on the old gas works, a single Chiffchaff was heard on the sewage works and finally a Sparrowhawk flew across here.
As I was leaving Westport I received a phone call from Nick Smith informing me that Richard Sutton had just had a Nuthatch in the Tit flock along the edge of the main lake and nature reserve, I had a look around but no luck, this I assume is the same bird of last week and hopefully will stay around for awhile.

Total species seen 42.