Tuesday 17 May 2011

There were some sunny spells for my afternoon walk to the Scrubby Woods and lake area today, but a strong, chilly wind still blew, keeping most of the butterflies and Damselflies hidden up, I did see a Speckled Wood though, as well as a couple of Small Whites.

I checked the lakes first, and found one adult COOT, plus four CANADA and two GREYLAG GEESE, just two MALLARD and one MOORHEN with them, however later on, just before leaving, I scanned the main lake again and was very excited at finding a female MANDARIN DUCK with her ten ducklings! This is the first breeding for this species occurring on my patch :-)

Over in the Scrubby Woods today, the first and most obvious songster was a LESSER WHITETHROAT, it rattled away for almost the whole 90 minutes I was there, and not deep inside a bramble bush, as is normally the case, this one sat amongst the very top section of a conifer tree! Three or four BLACKCAPS, two CHIFFCHAFF, and eventually the CUCKOO all sang, and both the SONGTHRUSH were also singing against each other again. Still no sign of a Garden Warbler though, or any other species that would increment the month or year list.

There have been sightings of a Common Crane around these parts recently, so I did a bit of skywatching at the Tree Nursery later on, no luck with it though, all i saw were HERRING and LESSER BLACKBACKED GULLS and a KESTREL :-) The resident WHITETHROAT, two LONG TAILED TITS, a GREEN WOODPECKER and a pair of PIED WAGTAILS were all seen in the surrounding shrubs.

I took a few photo's today, most of the birds were just too far away, but I put them on anyway. Below is one of the Greylag Geese, then one of the Canada Geese.






Above and below is the Lesser Whitethroat singing fro the top of a conifer - quite out of character!


Next up is the family of Mandarin Ducks, I just got a shot off before they swam into cover.


This photo below is of an unidentified Moth, one for Dean :-)


Lastly, these two photo's were taken yesterday evening from my garden, the fox was clearing up the sunflower hearts spilt from the feeders, tonight he gets a chicken carcass :-)





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