Month: May 2025

West End:- Great Crested Grebe with 4 young in front of hide another by Plaw hatch stream with 1+ young. Now 2 Black Headed gull chicks with adult still sitting, another pair of Black Headed gulls were on left raft all afternoon. 2 Kingfishers, 3 Coots, 27 Herring gull, 2 Lesser Black Backed gulls, Reed warbler, 35 Greylags but no sign of any Little Egrets.

West End:- 10 x Greylag Goose, 3 x Canada Goose, 4 x Mandarin Duck, 1 x Mallard, 2 x Common Pheasant, 7 x Stock Dove, 2 x Common Woodpigeon, 1 x Common Swift, 1 x Eurasian Coot, 5 x Black-headed Gull, 1 x Great Black-backed Gull, 5 x Common Tern, 9 x Great Crested Grebe, 27 x Great Cormorant, 17 x Grey Heron, 1 x Common Kingfisher, 2 x Common Magpie, 2 x Carrion Crow, 5 x Eurasian Blue Tit, 2 x Great Tit, 1 x Common Reed Warbler, 2 x Barn Swallow, 1 x Common Chiffchaff, 2 x Song Thrush, 2 x Eurasian Blackbird, 2 x European Robin

West End:- 2 fledged young Kingfishers being fed.

Dam End:- 3 Hobbies along north bank viewed from sailing club (pm). Twice a Hobby seen high over the clubhouse. Loads of Mayflies still.

Dam End:- WeirWood from 6:30 at the dam. Still a pair of Little-ringed Plovers but little else other than a adult Great Black-backed Gull and Common Tern.

West End:- the terns and Black-headed Gulls were still sitting, there were 5 birds present today. The Little Egrets have at least one nest in the heronry I’m delighted to say. Not easy to see admittedly and there maybe another. Other species inc’ 2 Kingfishers, several Mandarins, mostly males and 24 variously aged Herring Gulls all bathing in a tight group just behind the nesting platforms. 2 Reed Warblers were still about, 3 Stock Doves and a Barn Owl were along Pintail bank. The Common Terns did not like any of the gulls approaching their nests driving off all comers. A male Peregrine appeared at 7:26 over the west end and moved off west. A pleasant visit.

West End:- Two Reed Warblers singing at west end. One in RH sallow and the other in the willow in front of the hide. 2 Lapwing fly past.
Possibly a second Little Egret nest 4’ to the right and 4’ up but much deeper. Keep on seeing some white moving there and it doesn’t look like a heron.

All Reservoir:  19 GC Grebe, 15 Mallard, 3 Buzzard, 4 Stock Dove. 

Dam End: 15 Greylag, 23+3Y Canada Geese, 4 Canada/Greylag hybrid Geese, 2+3Y Egyptian Geese, 2 White Feral Farmyard Geese, 7 Mandarin Duck, 1 Red Kite, 1 Kestrel, 9 Hobby, 1 Moorhen,  1 Ringed Plover, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Lapwing, 4 BH Gull, 2 GBB Gull, 1 Barn Owl (early morning), 17 Swift, 1 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Song Thrush, 10 Mistle Thrush flock (Nearly all Juveniles), 3 Pied Wagtail, 1 Blackcap, 1 Jay, 8 Rook, 2 Crow, 6 Starling (flyover), 3 Goldfinch.  

West End: 41 Cormorant, 6 Little Egret (2 seen at nest), 13 Grey Heron, 2 Black Headed Gull (At nest), 2 Lesser Black Backed Gull, 21 Herring Gull, 9 Common Tern (4 sitting on nests), 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Kingfisher. Also 1 Terrapin.   

Whillet’s:  1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Reed Warbler, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler,  1 Goldcrest, 1m Reed Bunting.  

Also seen:
Animals – 2 Shrews, 2 Field Voles, 2 Grass Snakes (All noted under refugia tins). 
Butterflies – 2m Orange Tip, 1 off Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Peacock & Common Blue, 2 Green-veined White. 
Moths –  5 Burnet Companion, 1 Cinnabar, 1 Straw Dot. 
Dragonflies – 1 Four-spotted Chaser, 3 Broad-bodied Chaser, 3 Hairy.  
Damselflies – 20 Beautiful Demoiselle, 2 Blue-tailed, 4 White-legged, 1 Red-eyed, 20 pairs of Large Red, 100 pairs of Azure (very common)  
Plants: A Southern Marsh Orchid just coming into flower.

Dam End:- Still at least 4 Hobbies along the north bank and 1 over the sailing club. 2 Little Ringed Plovers on the dam, 20+ Swifts, 10+ Swallows, 1 Red Kite, 50 Canada Geese, 2 Egyptian Geese with the 3 youngsters, 2 Mistle Thrushes, Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Garden Warblers but singing has declined.