Spent 10 hours at the reserve today.
Starting at the
Flashes from 9am till 1.30pm and again from 5.30 till 7pm.
I opened the sluice full flow for 8 hours in which time the water dropped 1cm from 0.46 to 0.45.
I didn't witness any migration, but 2 green sands were reported.
A juv
goldcrest behind the hen pool hide must have bred very locally.
It was all about breeding birds today, with the following young seen:
LRP at least 2 (2days old max), Avocet 7, BHG 36 - 40 max, Coot 3 broods (1 hen pool), Moorhen 2 broods (1 hen pool), Mallard 6 broods (1 hen pool),
passerine youngsters include: chiffchaff, blackcap, reed warbler.Pied wagtail,
also of note: GCG 2 on 1st flash all day, Tufted 15, shelduck pr, Avocet 10 adults, LRP 6 ads, Lapwing 2, common tern, stock dove 10, linnets 10,
At the
Moors
The second brood of Oystercatcher with 3 chicks were still on the Broadmeadow island. The 2 juvs and parents were feeding on the grassland when a fox attacked, luckily the vigilant lapwing saved the day. The 2 GCG chicks were growing rapidly, so much so that only one can get on the parents back. There are at last 5 coot broods, 4 mallard broods, the 3 mute swan cygnets are doing well. Two pairs of common tern look like they have settled down, but no more than 12 BHG chicks have survived the fox onslaught.
Passerine breeding activity included : food carrying by sedge and reed warblers in front of the east hide, reed bunting in several areas, blackcap behind east hide. Two broods of chiffchaff one either side of east hide, the ones to the north hardly had any tails, must have just left the nest.
also of note. GCG 6 ads, Cormorant 2, tufted only 5, sand martin 20.
B
John