A couple of Swans were having a bit of an argument this afternoon…

A fine morning on No.3 bed produced some good records with 5 broods of Black- necked Grebes totalling 16 adults and 6 young. An adult at the Linley hide was feeding a well grown young,no doubt one of the mid-May broods. A female Pochard with 5 newly hatched young was on the north west pool.Two broods of Great Crested Grebes and 3 broods of Canada Geese with a total of 28 young. Two new Coot broods and also two broods of Moorhen. A Buzzard caused much disturbance to the B.H Gulls and may well have taken a young gull chick. 26 Mute Swans with a pair and 2 very small young at Latchford Locks.12 Pochard males and 2 females and at least 40 Gadwall.

B. Martin and D.Hackett

Reed Bunting from the John Morgan hide.

The year’s first brood of Shelduck was seen from the footbridge this morning.

A record shot of the Marsh Harrier which flew north over No.3 bed today.

The Wren is still busy feeding its young.

Yellow Wagtail seen briefly on the scrape.

Mediterranean Gull from the John Morgan hide

The Lesser Black-backed Gulls got a taste of their own medicine!

An immature Great Black-backed roosted on the scrape this morning and upset the Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls. It was joined briefly by a 2nd cy Mediterranean Gull. A Yellow Wagtail was also seen on the scrape. Unfortunately the Lapwing eggs have disappeared overnight but the male was displaying to the female, so all may not be lost. Other birds seen on the scrape included 1 Little Ringed Plover and 1 Oystercatcher. c14 Black-necked Grebes were present including 3 pairs with young. David Spencer, Paul Hazelhurst and John Barber

Loop of No.4 bed

No sign of any further problems and surrounding vegetation growing up well. On water a new brood of Mallard (7 tiny young) and a brood of Pochard (6 small young) near new hide.Reed Warblers singing in reed bed and at least 5 singing Willow Warblers. A Peregrine flew towards Loop from south bank.

Pair of Lesser Black Backed Gulls eating an egg…

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) taken from the John Morgan Hide

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) taken from the John Morgan Hide

Another lovely spring morning started with breakfast in the Morgan Hide, followed by a Breeding Bird Survey of No.1 bed and then finished back on No.3 bed. Highlights were: Cuckoo and Cetti’s Warbler (reported by Dave Riley), 9 Black-necked Grebes with three broods of two young each, 7 Little Ringed Plovers, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Peregrines and 3 Ruddy Ducks.

Photo of an Azure Damselfly from No.3 bed.

Cheers David (with Dave Steel, David Spencer, Alan Warford, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Diane Shepherd, George Dunbar and Les Jones)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)from John Morgan Hide

Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)from the John Morgan Hide

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)from the John Morgan Hide

Here’s a brief clip of this morning’s drake Garganey in front of the Linley hide on No.3 bed. First you have to watch a Stock Dove and then see how effective our bird scarers are at keeping the geese off our recently sown winter seed crop!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUNWGgcNTCo

Cheers David

Despite being well into spring birds continue to pass through on migration. This morning’s highlight was a drake Garganey, found by Carey Randall, in front of the Linley Hide. It was feeding well and still looking settled at 2.00 pm. Earlier, 4 Common Terns had passed through, heading north-west. Of the resident species, Cetti’s Warbler, Mediterranean Gull, Ruddy Duck and at least 8 Black-necked Grebes were worth a mention.

Photo of this morning’s Garganey.

Cheers David (with David Spencer)

Graylag Goose

Graylag Geese…

Coot on a mission…

One of a pair of Lesser Black Backed Gulls, dropping an egg, in an attempt to break it…failed…

Wren in front of the hide

A trio of waders on the scrape this morning.

No sign of the Avocet this morning but a breeding plumage Sanderling was a very welcome visitor. On the scrape were also 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin and the Lapwing is still sitting on two eggs. A 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull spent most of the morning on the bed before flying off east. The rainy conditions meant numerous hirundines were feeding low over the water and a Hobby scythed through them at one point. From the south screen, a pair of Black-necked Grebes were feeding one very small juvenile, the 2nd brood seen so far this year.

Click here to watch a video clip of today’s Avocet…

Cheers David

A photo of today’s Avocet, found by Brian Martin in front of the John Morgan Hide. It was still looking settled at 3.00 pm.

Cheers David

On a sunny but breezy morning, we completed a breeding bird survey on No.3 bed. Sightings along the way included: 2 Mediterranean Gulls, between 8 and 13 Black-necked Grebes, a Hobby which treated us to several high speed passes, a singing Garden Warbler, 3 Ruddy Ducks and 110 Gadwall.

The link below is to a video clip which includes a brief view of a distant Hobby, plus Little Grebe and Black-necked Grebes. The three Black-necked Grebes were probably new arrivals, based on their behaviour.

Click here to view a brief video of Hobby & Grebes

Cheers David (with David Spencer, Al Warford, Brian Baird, Paul Hazlehurst, Helen Allan and George Dunbar)

David Bowman’s photo of a fly looks like a Dance Fly Empis tessellate

Described in my book as 9-13 mm in length and particularly conspicuous on flowers or vegetation in late spring.

Douglas Buchanan

First two dragonfly sightings on No.3 bed today, with two Common Darters on the south bank.

Photo of an unidentified fly. Any ideas?

Cheers David

A few of us spent part of this morning sowing the winter seed crop on No.3 bed. The bed used to be a bit of a desert for passerines in winter, due to lack of suitable food. For the past ten years we’ve been sowing a spring crop of various seed bearing plants, which now attract hundreds of finches and buntings throughout the late autumn and winter. A bit of early birding beforehand produced a Hobby having a go at the massing Swifts, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, one Ruddy Duck and six Black-necked Grebes.

Photo of a Black-headed Gull with a fish.

Cheers David (with Brian Ankers, Brian Martin, Les Jones, Bert Lloyd and John Verdon)

Great Crested Grebe had just caught itself a nice big fish…

Canada Goose Family

Sun going down

Evening view from the tower hide.

Canada Geese about to splashdown

Mute Swan

Canada Goose

A dawn visit to No.3 bed this morning produced sightings of Hobby, Barn Owl, Dunlin, Little Ringed Plover and 10 Black-necked Grebes, including a pair with two small young.

No.3 Bed Brood of Black-necked grebe(at least 2 young) the earliest brood since 2005! Also the first brood of Great crested Grebe in front of the Linley hide.Not clear how many young on back as very small. From Morgan Hide,24 Mute Swans. Broods of Greylags appear to have adopted the paths in the centre of the bed walking in front of visitors. One Med. Gull.

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) from the John Morgan Hide

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)from the John Morgan Hide

A good day for migration, with an Osprey flying north-west over No.3 bed at 7.20 am. Single Dunlin and Curlew, 10 Black-necked Grebes,3 Little Ringed Plovers, a Peregrine and 3 Mediterranean Gulls were other good birds on the bed. Other migrants included: 150 Swifts, 220 Swallows, 65 House Martins and 50 Sand Martins. Away from No.3 bed, Cetti’s Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat were singing from near Woolston Weir and 2 Garden Warblers were reported from No.4 bed.

Cheers David (with Dave Steel, David Spencer, Alan Warford, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Kelly Ainsworth, Ste Dodd, Les Jones and George Dunbar)

On a cool morning, good news was that the pair of second summer Mediterranean Gulls were mating on a nest for the second successive day. If they manage to breed successfully, they would be a new addition to the Reserve’s long list of breeding species. In addition, two Little Ringed Plovers were on the Morgan Hide scrape, along with the Lapwing pair. The female of which has so far managed to lay five eggs but just two have survived. The video clip shows some of this morning’s action.

Click here to view the video clip of some of this mornings action

Cheers David (with David Spencer, Bert Lloyd and John Verdon)

Yesterday?, there was a steady passage of Swifts and hirundines, with 50 Swifts, 60 Sand Martins, 4 House Martins and 7 Swallows over No.3 bed in three hours from dawn. The two Mediterranean Gulls remain settled and 10 Black-necked Grebes, a Cetti’s Warbler (per David Spencer) and a Kingfisher were also noted. Later in the morning, David Spencer reported 2 Littlle Ringed Plovers and 20 Dunlin, which flew through.

Cheers David

Gadwall (Anas strepera) - from John Morgan Hide

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)- from John Morgan Hide.

Chiffchaff (Phyllocopus collybita), No3 Bed

With my body still on Greek time, I was up and out on No.3 bed by 5.30 am. Plenty of action, too. At last managed to catch up with the Otter which has been sighted sporadically over the past few months - it was harried mercilessly by the Black-headed Gulls till it disappeared in the south-east corner of the bed. Two adult Mediterrranean Gulls flew south early on, with another 2 second summers looking very settled. Two Yellow Wagtails were with 2 Little RInged Plovers on the Morgan Hide scrape, while 100 Swifts passed over in three hours and an Oystercatcher dropped in. Greylags had four broods (of 13, 6, 4 and 4), the Lapwing on a nest on the scrape had three eggs in the nest and another two a few feet away, both of which disappeared during the morning. Less pleasingly, an immature Great Black-backed Gull was seen attacking a drake Pochard, which eventually managed to tear itself away. David Spencer also reported Cetti’s Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat in song near the No.2 bed Weir.

Cheers David

No.3 bed. Following heavy overnight rain visited the Eyes in hope of seeing terns and sadly missed a Black Tern by 10 minutes or so the first at Woolston for several years. However,13 Swifts over the north-west pool was a great sight. The scrapes at the Morgan Hide held one Little Ringed Plover and one Common Sandpiper.At the same place a Lapwing was on a nest.A Coot with 2 young and the fifth brood of Greylags was near the south bank. Two second summer Med. Gulls were seen from the Morgan Hide but three Greater Black backed Gulls (2 adults and 1 immature) were not so welcome and have been around for several days.Only 10 Black necked Grebes found. Brian Martin and David Spencer

American Bufflehead Duck from Frank Linley Hide not a very good picture but best I have.

A Whinchat was seen by two permit holders near the enviroloo this morning. The lapwing nest on the scrape in front of the John Morgan hide now has two eggs. The pair are mostly off the nest; according to Birds of the Western Palearctic steady incubation begins with the last egg, earlier eggs are covered intermittently. This is a photo from yesterday with one egg.