17 April 2011

Weather was much the same as yesterday with plenty of sunshine and a light mist over the lake, as the morning progressed it began too cloud over slightly with a light north/northwesterly breeze, temp was still 9c, visit from 06.10 - 08.55. First bird I heard on entering the park was a singing Chiffchaff, this was the 1st of at least 10 seen during the visit, also the 1st of at least 9 Blackcaps were singing nearby, on the boating lake the male Shoveler and just 1 Great Crested Grebe feeding it's only youngster, on the main lake there were another 6 Great Crested Grebes with 14 Tufted Ducks, 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over during the visit with a couple stopping off on the main lake, a single Pied Wagtail was on the grass verge and 2 Cormorants flew over heading east, strange how we always get Cormorants flying over every weekend, where are they during the week? 6 Mistle Thrushes were seen during the visit and 3 Chaffinches around the park, unusually 2 Starlings were feeding on the playing field and later probably the same two flew over the nature reserve, in the nature reserve the 1st of 6 Willow Warblers were singing, a single male Bullfinch was in here with a couple of others seen around the park, the resident pair of Mute Swans were on the top pool although the male came onto the main lake when two 1st year Mute Swans flew in before he quickly chased them off, a single Grey Heron flew south over the nature reserve and probably the same flew back north later when I was on the gas works, at least 4 Willow Tits were seen around the reserve today and a single Jackdaw flew over the old gas works were I also had a single Swallow and single Stock Dove, while on the old sewage works 3 Lapwings flew over heading south west and lastly back on the main lake a single House Martin flew through.