13 April 2011

Another cool morning 7c although not quite as bad as yesterday, wind has turned back around to southeasterly and heavy cloud with rain in the air, visit from 06.20 til 08.15.

On the boating lake the pair of Great Crested Grebes have lost there smallest young leaving just one rather fat youngster to feed, another 5 Great Crested Grebes were on the main lake, back to the boating lake and 2 Mute Swans and the male Shoveler were also present, the 1st of 8 Chiffchaffs could be heard singing, along the grass verge 2 Little Ringed Plovers were flushed by a dog walker and on the main lake just 19 Tufted Duck and single Goldeneye was seen, in all 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls went through and 12 Black-headed Gulls in groups of 3's, 4's and 5's, a single Pied Wagtail was on the grass bank and a single flew over the old gas works, 9 Blackcaps were seen around the park with just one being a female, in the nature reserve the pair of Teal were at the top end of the 2nd pool and a single Willow Tit was calling near here as was a Treecreeper, just 3 Willow Warblers were heard singing this morning, bad news from the top pool were the pair of resident Mute Swans have been nesting there had been 3 eggs in the nest but this morning they have all gone, not sure if by human hand or possibly the likes of a Mink but sad news all the same, on the old gas works 4 Swallows flew over with another 15 on the main lake later with around 20 Sand Martins, at least 3 Stock Doves were on the old gas works and a Grey Heron on the small pool here, a female Pheasant was again on the old sewage works and just as you exit here back onto the park a single Great Spotted Woodpecker and Mistle Thrush, back down by the visitor centre a couple of Starlings were feeding, it's only from now for a month or two that you actually get Starlings on the ground at Westport, also the 2 Greylag Geese had returned to the main lake.