28 April 2011

Just a quick overview of what we saw today, after Westport we rushed off to Horton, Tittesworth, Dane river and finally Hanchurch Wood, when I got home fell asleep til 8pm, so no time to do a full account as some of us are working this Wedding Day Bank holiday.

Starlings increasing with up to 10 feeding on the playing field, just 2 Greylag Geese remain on the boating lake, just 5 Blackcaps heard and seen this morning, 2 Great Crested Grebes were back on the boating lake with another 6 on the main lake, 5 Mute Swans remain on the boating lake with the resident male patrolling the main lake and his partner in the nature reserve, 3 Little Ringed Plovers on the grass bank and verge to the main lake with a couple of Pied Wagtails, just 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen going through this morning, 13 Tufted Duck on the main lake and the first Great Spotted Woodpecker I've heard for a while was calling from the wood at the back of the boating lake, just 5 Chiffchaffs this morning, a few Swallows went through but only in small numbers, highlight bird of the day was a single Waxwing flying over quite high trilling, this is the latest ever record for Westport I believe, but will probably be corrected on that, a Sedge Warbler was again singing from the top pool also here a pair of Willow Tits and at last my first Reed Warbler of the year at Westport (year tick number 92), a couple of Willow Warblers were on the old sewage works as were 5 Whitethroats and a Garden Warbler, lastly 2 Stock Doves on the old gas works, oh and as I was leaving a single Black-headed Gull came onto the main lake and Nick and George had a Swift quite low over the main lake, phew, off to bed work in the morning and all weekend, boo hoo!