At the Dam End: We started the BTO WeBS survey at 8 am at the dam wall which produced 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 each of Grey & Pied Wagtails and 10 Canada Geese including a family with 4 young (see photo below). On the water were: 2 Mute Swans, 2 Coot, 4 Moorhens, 2 male Tufted Ducks, 1 Mandarin, 32 GC Grebe, 1 Grey Heron and 20 Mallard. In the air were: 6 Swifts, 2 Swallows, 4 House Martins and a Buzzard being mobbed by a Crow. By the lagoon were 2 more Mallard and nice views of singing Garden Warbler. In the nearby bushes were: several Blackcaps, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush and a male Bullfinch. A walk around the paddock added: a singing Skylark, a Green Woodpecker, several Goldfinch and a flyover Little Egret. Finally a Goldcrest was seen in the car park.
At the West End: Starting around 10 am we added: 25 GC Grebes, 2 Mute Swans, 1 Herring Gull, 2 Moorhen and 11 Mallard plus one pair with 4 ducklings. 2 pairs of Common Terns were on the rafts. Only 22 Grey Heron could be seen but these included a white-plumaged individual. On Pintail Bank were: 4 Cormorant, 7 Canada Geese and 1 Lapwing. 2 Buzzard and 2 Stock Dove were flying. A terrapin was sunning on a potential grebe nest near the water’s edge. Later 2 Kingfishers were seen. By lunch time the sailing boats had pushed most of the GC Grebes into the undisturbed nature reserve and a high count of 55 was taken.
At Whillets: From late morning: a Reed Warbler was seen and a pair of Canada Geese are nesting at the pool. The survey includes the restricted area meadows, which added: several Whitethroat, a male Reed Bunting, 5 LT Tit, Garden Warbler, Blackcap & Chiffchaff. A quick look under the corrugated metal sheets in the meadows revealed: 4 Slow Worms, 2 Grass Snakes and a Toad. A Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly was seen flying.
