Author: Linsey Gooding

Weir Wood from dawn – Whillett’s:- 2 Water Rails were vying for my attention in the reed bed.
West End:- Green Sandpiper, Teal and 3 Shovellers.
Dam End:- 2 Curlew flew over (good bird here), 2 Common Sandpipers. A trio of hirundines and a Yellow Wagtail. Also Wigeon, juvenile Green Woodpecker and 2 Kingfishers.

Ringing this morning in Whillet’s saw a movement of warblers showing migration is underway for them at least. One of the first birds caught was a Lesser Whitethroat along with very bright Willow Warblers. Other species of note: two juvenile Reed Buntings, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Blue Tit.
Other observations included: juvenile Buzzard and juvenile Kestrel, both calling throughout the morning. A Common Lizard was a nice surprise.

Dam End:- 1 Whinchat below dam, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat, 4 Chiffchaffs, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Goldcrest, 3 Greenfinch, 1 Starling, 1 Swift, 1 Sand Martin, 60 House Martin, 60 Swallow, 4 Grey Wagtail, 2 Rook, 1 Jay, 1 Moorhen, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Tufted Duck, 10 Mallard, 4 Shoveler, 9 Egyptian Geese, 9 Canada Geese.
West End:- 2 Coot, 2 Mandarin, 248 Greylags, 3 Mute Swan, 2 Moorhen.
Whillet’s:- 2 Water Rail including juvenile, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Buzzard, 30 Goldfinch.
18 Grass Snakes, 1 Golden-ringed Dragonfly, 3 Brown Hawker, 3 Southern Hawker, 4 Migrant Hawker, 8 Common Darter, 1 Willow Emerald on river, 1 Blue Tail Damselfly. Volucella pellucens (large hoverfly). 4 Brown Argus, 4 Common Blue, 1 Small Heath, 4 Small Copper, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Red Admiral, 9 Meadow Brown,5 Speckled Wood.

West End:- (late afternoon) 26 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Mute Swan, 23 Greylag, 1 juvenile Moorhen, Stock Dove heard, 2 Kingfisher.  Also 19 Mandarin, 2 Gadwall, 2 Teal and 27 Mallard. All these ducks were spread over the open water furiously pecking at something edible on or near the water surface. As the sun lowered the event stopped and the ducks dispersed.
Whillet’s:-  2 Spotted Flycatchers at meadow pond, one was probably this year’s young as it still had a red gape with first winter plumage.
Dragonflies: Brown and Migrant Hawkers were numerous also several Southern Hawkers
The Branched Bur-reed is now flowering at Whillet’s Pool.

Ringing saw a very slow trickle of birds, mainly Blackcaps, though not the numbers I would have expected at this time of year. Other warblers included Whitethroat and Reed Warblers. There were a few Chiffchaff around calling. Two Kingfishers fishing around the pond were a nice sight as was a Grey Wagtail.

Dam End:- Arctic and 2 Common Terns all juveniles. Juvenile Wheatear, Common Sandpiper and Greenshank on the dam, 2 Yellow Wagtails over south.
Whinchat in the first big field along the north bank from the west end, quite a few Willow Warblers plus an 18 strong Long-tailed Tit flock.

Dam End:- 1 Juvenile Arctic Tern.
West End:- 2 Gadwall, 1 Coot, 2 Kingfisher, 1 House Martin, 25 Swallows, 2 Mandarin.

Osprey at 10:30 flying along the north ridge headed south west.
2 Common Sandpipers on the dam, 5 Lesser Black-backed and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls and 3 Common Terns.

West End:- 1 Green Sandpiper on tern raft.