18 April 2012

I've been a bit under the weather with a viral infection for the last few days but as I felt a bit better this afternoon I decided I'd have a little walk around the lake, it actually felt much warmer than earlier in the day with a temperature of 10c, there was a N breeze but it was very light, it pretty much rained for the entire visit, quite heavy at times, visit from 16.25 til 18.15.

As I entered the park I scanned the playing field looking for a Yellow Wagtail, no sign but there were four Pied Wagtails, with at least ten seen around the park, and among them a Wagtail that I was sure was a White Wagtail, Nick had seen one the other day, I managed to get a photo or two but when I got home it just didn't look right, it was possibly the photo it's self which was taken in poor light, but have a look below and make up your own mind.

You never hear as many Warblers singing in the afternoon than you do early morning but around the park I managed seven Chiffchaff, four Willow Warbler and seven Blackcap, there was no sign of the Whitethroat Nick had seen early morning, which was the first of the year. Most of the Mute Swans were on the boating lake and as well as the pair in the reserve another pair have been trying nest building along the top of the main lake, in total twenty were on site, also on the main lake, 25 Tufted Duck and just a single Great Crested Grebe, with the constant rain it brought a good number of 130+ Swallows over the lake with a couple of House Martins, but no sigh of the Swift I was hoping for, from the grass bank a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush and Grey Wagtail flew over.
In the reserve a single Coal Tit was near the top pool, as was a Willow Tit, Chaffinch and Jay, the old gas works had two Stock Dove and a Collared Dove with another along the canal by the old sewage works, along the top of the main lake a male Reed Bunting and lastly around Ted Heath Rock three House Sparrow.