04 May 2011

Another dry sunny day with almost zero cloud coverage, having just got back from seeing Steve Seal's Wyrneck, my only thought is why not Westport! anyway back to my early morning visit, the wind was south easterly and visit from 06.00 til 08.00.

The first of 7 Chiffchaffs was calling by the bottom entrance and a single Mistle Thrush on the playing field, a couple more were seen around the park, the 5 Mute Swans remain on the boating lake with the resident male patrolling the main lake and his partner in the nature reserve, the Canada Goose Goslings have gone up by just 1, what happened to the rest of it's brood can only be guessed at, a single Collared Dove flew over the main lake, 5 Starlings were feeding around the boating ramp with a further 9 on the playing field, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were on the main lake with a further 6 flying over the sewage works, just 6 Tufted Ducks remain with 4 on the main lake and 2 on the boating lake, 5 Great Crested Grebes are present, a single Pied Wagtail in front of the main lake and a pair along the canal side, small numbers of Swallows were going through with the largest group containing just 5 birds, the Domestic Geese are still holding on to all the 8 youngsters which is unusual, a single Little Ringed Plover was briefly on the grass verge and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling from the canal side, a single Black-headed Gull flew through, a male Bullfinch was in the small wood near Prices Field were the first of just 4 Blackcaps was heard, just a couple of single Swifts flew through, on the top pool a single Reed Warbler was singing as were a couple of Willow Tits, on the gas works a Garden Warbler and 2 Stock Doves while on the sewage works, 2 Willow Warblers, 6 Whitethroats plus one along the canal side of the main lake and the Grasshopper Warbler is still present.

At last I've managed to download some rather terrible photo's from the Egyptian Goose and Snow Goose from the other week, they are really bad as taken through my bins, but it's a record shot at least, also below is one of several huge fish that seemed to be spawning along the edge of the boating lake.