Month: May 2025

West End (Late morning visit):- 6 Common Terns. Seem to be nesting on two separate rafts. Reed Warbler singing in the sallow on the edge. The pair of Black Headed Gull, 6 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Mallard. No Little Egrets. No raptors. Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush and Blackbird all happily singing away.

Dam End (afternoon):- 9 Hobbies, 2 Swifts, 3 Swallows, 10 Herring Gulls, 1 Little Egret, 1 Egyptian Goose.
West end:- 2 Little Egrets still on nest deep in middle of Heronry, Black Headed gulls still on eggs, 4 Common Terns sitting 8 birds in total, 3 Coots, 13 Mandarins 1 female with 4 ducklings, Reed warbler still singing, Kingfisher heard, 17 Great Crested Grebes.

Dam End:- WeirWood early morning with light rain and a very light breeze. First of all 6 Common Terns, 12 variously aged Herring Gulls, a male Grey Wagtail, Little-ringed Plover and 2 Common Sands. On the dam slope a male Green Woodpecker plus 2 Jays. As the rain eased a very early Hobby appeared along the north bank. At 6:14 an Osprey showed up from the west end being harassed by the gulls and then made its way along the north bank, then returning to the west end much to the annoyance of the gulls. Superb bird appearing to be … Read the rest

At West End:  pair of Black-headed Gull & up to 4 pairs of Common Terns nesting on rafts. Little Egret pair are in heronry. 

2 Lesser Black Back Gull, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Reed Warbler singing near car park, 2 Garden Warbler.  3 Speckled Wood & 1 Common blue butterflies were seen.  Also 1 Hairy Dragonfly.

At Whillet’s: Green Woodpecker & 1 male Reed Bunting.

Butterflies – 2m Orange Tip, 1 Small Copper. 1 Common Carpet moth.

Dragonflies: A nice sighting was a Red-eyed Damselfly at meadow pond, a species last seen in 2022 at the pond, also at pond both … Read the rest

West end:- adult male Peregrine over west end, Kestrel, 2 Little Egrets deep in Heronry, 1 Coot, 1 Swallow, Reed Warbler singing in front of hide, Black headed gulls still nesting on rafts with 3 or 4 pairs of Common Terns. 6 Great crested grebes.

Whillets:-

  • 2 singing male Reed Buntings, several Reed Warblers and 2 Water rail chasing each other all at Reed bed. 3 Whitethroats, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Bullfinch.
  • Butterfly’s: -1 Small Copper, 1 Painted Lady, 2 Peacock, 4 Orange Tips, 2 Green veined Whites, 1 Speckled Wood & 2 Burnett Campion.
  • reptiles:- 3 Grass Snakes
  • Dragonfly’s:-
… Read the rest

West End (evening):- Still 3 Little Egrets in the heronry, 1 Lapwing on Pintail, 12 Mandarins, 10 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Common Terns, 1 Black Headed Gull on the nest, still a Reed Warbler singing in front of the car park.

West End:- 1 x Greylag Goose, 2 x Canada Goose, 2 x Mallard, 3 x Common Woodpigeon, 1 x Eurasian Coot, 8 x Common Tern, 7 x Great Crested Grebe, 37 x Great Cormorant, 2 x Little Egret, 9 x Grey Heron, 2 x Common Kingfisher, 1 x Eurasian Hobby, 2 x Common Reed Warbler, 2 x Barn Swallow, 2 x Common Chiffchaff, 3 x Eurasian Blackcap, 1 x Song Thrush, 1 x Dunnock

WeirWood in a cold northerly wind produced a lot of the normal species with Little-ringed Plover male on the dam, with a Common Sand. Several Common Terns, maybe 6. A single ad Great Black-backed, Black-headed and Herring Gull plus a 2nd year bird, a Common Buzzard, several Swifts and juvenile Pied Wagtails were out of the nest, still being fed. At 8:41 an Osprey appeared mid reservoir for a few minutes before coming over the dam and disappearing over the north bank. A few Barn Swallows were hanging out at the dam and a male Grey Wagtail made up the … Read the rest

Dam End:- Red Footed Falcon briefly early on but not seen since, 6 Hobbies, Osprey, Red Kite, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Lapwing, 10 Swift, 5 Swallow, 4 House Martin, pair of Tufted Duck, 2 Egyptians + 3 Goslings, Mallard + 3 Young, 1Lesser Black Backed Gull, 1 Great Black Backed gull, 2 Herring gull, 1 Black Headed Gull,6 Common Terns, 64 Canada Geese, 4 Greylags, 1 Mandarin.