A little tardy with my updates again. I've called several times in the last few days though not a great deal of change bird wise.
Some good news and some bad news though.
The good news is that Francis Tasker has been asked to rejoin as a voluntary warden. He does a very good job of keeping an eye on things in the park both the wildlife and on problems often sorting them before they escalate. Also the Sparrowhawks seem to be doing very well with at least four chicks now well developed.
Not so good for the Sand Martins though. Last Friday Francis saw a mink emerge from their nest hole with a mouthful of Sand Martins. The adults are still feeding over the lake but there's no sign of any nesting activity now. Bad enough that the nest got raided but especially so as they can't have been far off fledging. I suspect the second brood of Kingfishers may have gone the same way. As I mentioned previously I'd seen a mink stretching up towards their nest. For the last four days now I've not seen one Kingfisher on the lake which makes me think they may have been robbed as well. Even the young have gone to ground with just fleeting glimpses of one bird on two visits.
Away from the lake there's still lots of birds around with families of Great Tit, Blue Tit, LTT, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Dunnock, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Blackcap, Wren, Robin etc. - I'm sure I've missed a few out! Not always that easy to see in the leafy bushes and trees though a Whitethroat posed nicely today as it hunted damselflies in the reeds by the lake.
This morning there was an increase in Sedge Warblers with at least six singing/displaying birds around the car park area alone. I don't know where they've suddenly appeared from. The ones still nesting still have nestlings rather than fledglings.
A nice sight today on Claxton Beck was a fox wandering along the water's edge as the tide went out. Not so welcome in the same area 20 mins later was a mink and shortly afterwards a hare. Usually it's just rabbits I see here.
The lake was pretty quiet still with no young birds at all. Just the usual Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck and Little Grebe. A Heron spent most of the day either perched in the tree or on the stone island. Several flcoks of Curlew passed over and one or two Shelduck.
I actually caught a glimpse of a Water rail as well. It was heading into the reeds on the scrapes. My arrival must have split the family as several were still calling from the reeds in front of the hide as well.
Very few dragonflies around today with jus tone Emperor seen and four Four-spot Chasers though that could have been down to the heavy rain overnight and the overcast morning.