Just one visit to the Sculcoates patch this week, this morning. It was a bit misty and cool, but it cleared up later and the sun shone, although not too strongly. I counted the Woodpigeons on the playing fields and spotted two Pied Wagtails. A Song Thrush sung from its usual territory by the cycle lane. A surprise were the Greylags, which I usually see as fly-overs. A pair were at the drain early in the morning, and later four were on the playing fields.
Pied wagtail.
Greylag Goose on the drain.
On the drain there was a Mallard duck with 7 young ducklings, presumably a different one from last weeks. Two moorhens on eggs and the single Coot.
I had a walk around both cemeteries, only interrupted by the Lesser Black-back colony taking to the sky alarm calling, as a female Sparrowhawk hunted. A Chiffchaff started singing. Greenfinches were very vocal and excited today, there are so many on the patch at the moment.
Greenfinch singing.
Goldfinches were feeding on seeds on the ground, probably green dandelion.
Then I went to the River. The tide was ebbing and halfway down. Despite the exposed mudflats there were no Redshank to be seen. In compensation a few Herring Gulls and Lesser black-back gulls were drinking, a Mallard swam past and a Moorhen was feeding by Wilmington Bridge.
The mud banks by Wilmington Bridge with Moorhen.
A Sparrow colony lives under the roof of the old power station.
Singing Song Thrush.
Song thrush.
By the Bridlington Avenue stretch of the drain, I heard a singing Willow Warbler (top shot). I manage a couple of shots after several tries. It was feeding on a sycamore. In the last week I've seen several species feeding on sycamore aphids, including chaffinch, blue and great tit, blackcap, goldcrest and willow warbler.
Singing Willow Warbler.
This Moorhen had a break from incubation to tidy up her nest, revealing the eggs.
Moorhen
Four Greylags on the field.
After each trip to the patch I walk through Pearson Park. In the morning, an adult Black-headed gull in breeding plumage was by the pond. On the way back I noticed the lame Moorhen is no longer on the territory by the island, but there is a nest with an adult. As I was checking the Greylag (incubating in the island), a small dark bird came up and dived, a Little Grebe! This is a first for Pearson Park. It was fishing and diving constantly at first around the island, emerging just for a second before diving again. Surprisingly it stopped on the shore to preen for a few minutes allowing my closest shots of a little grebe ever!
The gulls alarm called and as I looked up a Buzzard was soaring on thermals over the park.
Buzzard.
Little Grebe.
Greylag on nest.
Great Spotted Woodpecker wood-chips, evidence of nest construction. I could hear the chiselling, but the woodpecker must now be doing the inside of the nest in an ash.
Moorhen on nest.
This Canada Geese lost its right eye and seems reluctant to leave the park. It used to look very scruffy, maybe recovering from its injury, now it is quite active. I saw it practice flying from one end of the pond to the other, but it is roosting in the park every day, often joined by a pair of Canada during the day.
Black-headed Gull.
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