16 April 2011

The first chance I've had to get down to Westport in the mornings for a few days after a run of late shifts at work, a couple of days previously Nick had seen the first Common Sandpiper of the year but nothing much else of note over the last few days. Weather was cloudless, bright and sunny with quite a heavy dew on the grass and a light mist over the main lake, the air was still with the lake looking like a sheet of glass, temp 9c, visit from 05.55 til 08.50. As I entered the park by the bottom gate a single Swallow was flying around the old canal buildings, this was the only one I saw during the visit and was still there when I left, the 1st of at least 13 Chiffchaffs was singing by the small bottom wood at the back of the boating lake, on the boating lake the male Shoveler was present and 2 Mute Swans although these were soon chased off by the dominant male from the resident pair, the Great Crested Grebes continue to feed a rather fat looking single youngster, another 6 Great Crested Grebes were on the main lake with just 16 Tufted Ducks, but no sign of the immature Goldeneye all visit, 11 Blackcaps were heard and seen with the 1st one along the edge of the boating lake, also the 1st of 4 Bullfinches here all of them were males today, 2 Grey Herons flew over the main lake north and a single Pied Wagtail was on the grass verge, I then heard a wader calling and looking up spotted 2 Oystercatchers flying over the main lake, they attempted to land on the boating lake before flying back off north over the main lake, luckily as I was texting Nick too inform him of them he turned up and had already seen them from along the canal side of the main lake, another Westport year tick out of the way (84), the 1st of 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over the main lake all heading north, as we made our way along the main lake we flushed a Common Sandpiper from the waters edge, another Westport year tick for me (85), 2 Willow Tits were heard calling today around the nature reserve, and the highest count of Willow Warblers so far this year with 6 heard singing, just 2 Mistle Thrushes seen today around the top entrance and a single Cormorant flew north over the main lake, as I walked down along the canal side of the lake 12 Sand Martins went through and a single Herring Gull. A Common Morel'its (I think that's right) taken by Phil Jones near the old sewage works.