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.
Month: May 2025
Meet in the Legsheath Lane car park at 9.00am for a 9.15am start. The focus of this walk will be flora, and our common spotted orchids in particular. We will also be keeping any eye out for butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies and demoiselles on the wing as we walk through the reserve. There will also be the opportunity to look at nesting birds on our rafts – hopefully we will have common terns present. The walk will conclude back at the car park by 1.00pm. Conditions underfoot in the reserve are good – so unless we have sustained torrential rain – … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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. … Read the rest
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.
WeirWood early on again was misty, so I had a look along the north bank. Here a Whitethroat was seen, a bird that’s been strangely missing for me recently. Others inc’ Marsh Tit, a pair of Jays and 3 Green Woodpeckers. Back at the dam end it was still misty. I did however manage to see a Conmon Sand close up in. Moving to the west end it was clearer here. The Black-headed Gulls and 6 Common Terns were all settled on their nests. In the heronry still 2 Little Egrets present and in front of the hide the Reed … Read the rest