There was a real spring feel to the patch today, many of the Blackthorns in the northern scrub have a fuzz of blossom and other trees including Alder and Hawthorn are starting to put out leaves; many species are singing including Dunnock, Song Thrush and Greenfinch with at least two males of the latter performing their butterfly-like display flights, and a pair of Long-tailed tits have almost completely finished building their beautiful domed nest in a bramble, I've seen them carrying nesting material in previous years but this is the first time I've seen a nest. Common Teal numbers have dropped with just 103 counted today, other wildfowl included two Shelduck and 28 Tufted Duck, very little water is getting into the basin but there is a good series of better than 6 metre tides starting tomorrow and staying high until the end of the month so we have a good chance of picking up a Pochard, grebe or something rarer, Garganey is well overdue and Little Egret has become unaccountably scarce in recent years. Redshank numbers are also down with just ten in the high tide roost, as the high tide was so low plenty of feeding areas were still available to Common Sandpipers and I only managed to find three this morning, this would have been a good count most years but I know there are more out there, a big tide is needed to put them all in the roost. Three Stock Doves were feeding on the Pura Foods peninsula and were the only year tick of the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment