Month: May 2019

WeBS Report
All reservoir:- 41 Great Crested Grebe, 48 Cormorant, 19 Grey Heron, 40 Mallard, 2 Coot, 2 Stock Dove, 5 Pied Wagtail, 2 Jay.
Dam End:- 1 Greylag, 5 Egyptian Geese, 1 Red Kite, 1 Kestrel, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 imm Lesser Black-backed Gull, 4 Swift, 4 Swallow, 9 House Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Lesser Whitethroat heard near dam wall, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Treecreeper, 3+ Rook, 2 Raven, 4 Goldfinch, 1m Bullfinch, 2m+1f Yellowhammer, 1m Reed Bunting.
West End:- 1 Mute Swan, 1m+2f Mandarin plus a brood of 15 chicks seen with an adult female out on the water, pair of Tufted Duck, 2 Common Buzzard, An immature Peregrine flew around swooping for a few minutes causing panic among the 21 Common Terns seen, and 20+ Mallards on Pintail. Possibly 8 pairs of Common Terns look like they are taking nesting positions on the rafts with birds sitting. 2 Buzzard, 1 Moorhen, 1 Lapwing, 12 Herring Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Kingfisher seen carrying food, 1 Reed Warbler singing in front of hide
Whillet’s:- pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker nesting, 4 Reed Warbler plus 2m+1f Reed Bunting at reed bed.  Also noted were 3 Common Lizard, 2 Grass Snake, 3m+2f Orange Tip, 2 Green-veined white, 2 Peacock butterfly, 1 Speckled Wood, plus a Wood Carpet Moth & Red Twin-spot Carpet Moth and mating Bluebottle flies.  1 Beautiful Demoiselle, 1m Broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, 1 White-legged damselfly, 2 pairs of Large Red damselfly seen egg laying, 2 Azure damselfly.

North Bank:- 1 Nightingale singing near the picnic area late morning.

North Bank:- Afternoon visit to picnic area – 1 Hobby seen, the attraction for the hobby was probably the huge numbers of mayflies on the wing in this area, also Swift, 6+ Swallow and a House Martin.
DAM END wall:- 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Pied Wagtail also a Beautiful Demoiselle.

Sightings from the water DAM END: a pair of Hobby have been  hawking over the water around the picnic area on Monday &  Tuesday, Wednesday 15th seen over dam area.

Shore Line – NORTH BANK: 5 Greenshank, 1 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Coot, 4 Black-headed Gull, 6 Common Tern,  WHILLET’S: 1 singing Lesser Whitethroat, also Small Copper bfly, 1 Roe Deer.

Late evening – WEST END: 1 Coot, 1 Mandarin, 56 Cormorant.

Whillet’s:- Ringing Whitethroats, Garden Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaff, and Great Tits.

Other birds of note – Raven, Red Kite, Buzzard, Yellow Hammer, Reed Bunting, Reed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher (single bird).

DAM END: Female Whinchat in the paddock briefly.

Morning visit – WEST END: 19 GC Grebe, 2 Common Tern at rafts, pair of Tufted Duck, 1 Coot, 2 Swallow, 1 Nuthatch, Treecreeper & Jay, Many young Grey Heron & Cormorant in heronry area.    Singing birds in WHILLET’S: 1m Yellowhammer, 2m Reed Bunting,  3+ Garden Warbler, 2+ Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Song Thrush. also 1m Orange Tip bfly, 2 Muntjac deer.

Dam End:- 1 Black Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 7 Common Tern.