Month: April 2025

Dam End (windy and cold) :- 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Common Tern, 2 Mute Swan, Red Kite, 2 House Martin, 10 swallow, Willow Warbler at north end of dam, Garden Warbler at Millennium Picnic site, 2 Whitethroat, Early Purple Orchid, Common Twayblade.

Common Tern seen by the working party at Weir Wood this pm

Whillets: Reed warbler heard singing.

West End:- 9 x Canada Goose, 3 x Egyptian Goose, 6 x Mandarin Duck, 2 x Mallard, 3 x Stock Dove, 5 x Common Woodpigeon, 1 x Common Moorhen, 6 x Great Crested Grebe, 37 x Great Cormorant, 34 x Grey Heron, 1 x Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 x Common Magpie, 1 x Coal Tit, 1 x Marsh Tit, 4 x Eurasian Blue Tit, 2 x Great Tit, 2 x Barn Swallow, 2 x Common Chiffchaff, 1 x Eurasian Blackcap, 1 x Eurasian Wren, 2 x European Robin, 1 x Dunnock, 1 x Common Chaffinch, 2 x European Goldfinch

Dam end and north bank footpath as far as picnic site. 2 Common Sands, 3 Swallows, 5 Sand Martins, 1 Red Kite, 1 Kestrel, 2 Green Woodpecker, 5 singing Whitethroat, 2 Mandarin, female Mallard with 8 very young ducklings, Speckled Wood, Comma, Orange Tip, Early Purple Orchid in flower.

All reservoir counts: 21 GC Grebe, 13 Mallard, 4 Buzzard, 3 LBB Gull, 5 Stock Dove, 3 Pied Wagtail, Chiffchaff & Blackcap song was numerous everywhere, Nuthatch & Song Thrush also heard.  

Dam End: 4 Greylag, 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 White feral Farmyard Geese, 1 Mandarin Duck, 3 Herring Gull, 1 Common Whitethroat, 6 Jay, 30 nests at Rookery, 3 Crow.

West End:  35 Cormorant & 38 Heron at heronry, 18 Canada Geese, 6 Mandarin Duck, 1 Teal, pair of Tufted Duck, 1 Red Kite, Up to 4 Common Sandpiper were on a raft, 4 Med Gulls flew over, 8 BH Gull,  2 GBB Gull flew over, 1 Collared Dove, 1 Kingfisher,  8 Swallow, 6 House Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Marsh Tit.     

Whillet’s: 2 Green Woodpecker, 1GS Woodpecker, 1+ Common Whitethroat.

(butterflies) 2m+1f Orange Tip, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Green-veined White.  Also – 2 Grass Snake & 4 Common Shrew noted.

Dam End:- 2 Wheatear – m briefly outside the new cafe flew towards car park and I lost him. F in the horse paddock behind the dam. V quiet. 1 Red Kite, 2 LBB Gull, 1 GBB Gull, f Grey Wagtail, 3 GC Grebe, no waders on the dam, no hirundines and no Osprey.

West End (late afternoon):- 2 Teal, 6 Mandarin, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Egyptian Goose, 3 Lesser Black Backed Gull, 1 Swallow, 2 Blackcap (m&f) in car park.

Dam End:- WeirWood, another 6:30 start, calm and frosty -1c today and shrouded in mist, the dam wall being the only part viewable, here 2 Common Sands remained. So a check around the bushes and north bank was in order. No sign of the Nightingale today, a Green Sandpiper was in the overflow however, plus Grey Wagtail female. On the grassy slope Mistle Thrush and Green Woodpecker male. On the pumping station a pair of Kestrels seem at home. Along the north bank 3 Treecreepers were noted plus Marsh Tit, Goldcrest, male Sparrowhawk and seemingly several Nuthatches. As the mist slowly cleared early on an Osprey appeared over the dam catching a small fish then flying off east.

West end:- 2 Kingfishers were still at their favoured spot as the mist had slowly cleared by now. A couple of Stock Doves were looking lovely in the sunshine and several Blackcaps were present now. A few Mandarins were around whilst on the feeders both Coal and Marsh Tit were present.

West End:- 3 x Greylag Goose, 15 x Canada Goose, 8 x Egyptian Goose, 6 x Mallard, 1 x Stock Dove, 3 x Common Woodpigeon, 27 x Great Cormorant, 34 x Grey Heron, 1 x Common Magpie, 3 x Carrion Crow, 1 x Coal Tit, 1 x Marsh Tit, 5 x Eurasian Blue Tit, 2 x Great Tit, 12 x Common Chiffchaff, 2 x Eurasian Blackcap, 1 x Eurasian Nuthatch, 1 x Eurasian Wren, 1 x European Robin, 1 x Pied Wagtail, 1 x European Goldfinch