Month: August 2026

Dm end from 07;15

Highlights my first Lesser Whitethroat of the autumn moving through the scrub NE corner of the dam.
Green Sandpiper on north shore feeding under willows in shallow water,6 Common Sandpipers scattered around.
217 Canada Geese,2 GBB gulls,1 LBB gull,90 BH gulls & 3 Herrings.
Juvenile Green Woodpecker and female Kestrel on dam slope.
1 Sand Martin,1 Swallow,4 Swifts and 6 House Martins noted,8 Pied Wags in Paddock.
Few Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap seen but bushes quiet.
Finally as I left a Kingfisher strangely flew through the car park.

Whillets
Just had a Lesser spotted Woodpecker flew across the Reed bed and land in Willows on far side.
Seemed to be with some Nuthatches,still Reed Warblers present but only saw 2.
Marsh Tit,Bullfinch,pair of Garden Warblers & 2 Kingfishers around Reed bed.

Whillet’s Butterfly’s

1 Comma
8 Common Blue
7 Gatekeeper
18 GV Whites
2 Holly Blue
55 Meadow Brown
9 Painted Lady’s
6 Small Copper
3 Small Heath
1 Small White
5 Speckled Wood

4 Grass Snakes

4 Willow Emerald Damselfly
1 Southern Hawker
2 Brown Hawker
2 Common Darter

Beautiful crystal clear and still morning, started at the west end 0600 with numerous sand martins and swallows easier to spot now that the tree has been cut down
The swan was busy at the pintail end today
9 mandarin, 5 mallards and 2 gc grebes on the water
Counted 4 adult terns plus the chicks on the raft, 9 adult BH gulls
2 raptors this morning were a kestral and low goshawk flying over the rafts which set off a lot of alarm
Reed warbler and a very active kingfisher just in front of the hide

Dam end also beautiful
~150+ BH guls, 1 LBB gull and some immature herring gulls (although still working on my gull age ID)
King fisher flew the length of the dam too which I havent seen before
2 c sandpipers and 2 moorhens on the north bank
5 herons on the dam and dotted around the banks
3GC grebes and 5 mallards on the water.