09 May 2012

Last few visits have been a bit of the quiet side after all the excitement from the end of April and early May, but so far we have managed too add Kittiwake, Cuckoo, Reed, Sedge & Garden Warbler to the Westport year list, leaving us a a not to bad 104 for the year to date.

After a Sunday visit to Flamborough Head and surrounding areas (see Nick's blog) and a rest to recover followed by a late shift at work, it was back to a later than usual visit to Westport, it was probably the warmest day of the year with the temperature reaching 17c, helped by a light SSE breeze, this showed with the large number of people already down and around the lake including a group of pensioners with about 15 small yachts on the model boating lake, I'd have some pictures to show but sadly while in Yorkshire my camera died.

On the Warbler front I heard/saw five Blackcap, four Chiffchaff, just two Whitethroat, two Reed Warbler on the top pool and a Garden Warbler around there as well, the main reason for my visit was Jeff Jones thought he'd heard a Sedge Warbler calling in the thicket on the top right of the main lake, but while looking for it a Reed Warbler had popped out so casting doubt as to what he'd heard, he needn't of worried as I approached the area I could hear the Sedge Warbler singing, another Westport year tick and probably the last of the Warblers til autumn migration.

On the main lake Tufted Duck have plummeted to just five!! Also on here three Great Crested Grebe, four Mute Swan with the other two in the reserve, seven Canada Geese goslings and a Common Sandpiper was flying around, going back to the Mute Swan in the reserve a strange sight was a Canada Goose gosling running around the Mute Swan nest and then getting under her wing as she continues to sit her eggs, no idea were the Canada gosling has come from but the mute Swan seemed happy to let it be. Other news on the chick front is at last the first Mallard chicks of the year with a family of eight on the top pool, these are very late compared to usual years when Mallard chicks are normally one of the first too hatch.

Other sighting of interest included two Treecreeper along the canal side of the main lake, a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the old sewage works as did a Grey Heron, a single Willow Tit was on the top pool and another around the model boating lake, very few Hirundines were about this morning with just four Swallows on the old gas works, a single Swift was over the main lake as was a Buzzard being mobbed by a Carrion Crow.