A summary of visits on Sunday and today at the Sculcoates patch. Today it was mostly overcast in the morning, with cool temperatures. I walked to the patch via Fountain Road and first looked around the Barmston Drain, moving to Wilcolmlee next.
View of the Barmston Drain from the Fountain Road bridge, looking South.
I found the family of Mallard sunbathing, a duck with five grown ducklings (top shot). They've done very well. They looked at me, stretched and took to the water.
Mallard family.
A Song Thrush was foraging for chicks. It got a slug and wiped it on the ground several times.
Spot the Lesser Black-backed gull sitting on the nest. Quite cryptic isn't it?
After looking around the river, I moved to the cemeteries. At the cemetery in Air Street, a pair of Chaffinch were nervous. The male came quite close, all fluffed up and tail open, I wonder if they have a nest nearby.
The reason I got close to the Chaffinch nest is because I have been looking for Garden Snails in the Sculcoates patch for a while. I drew another blank today.
I was more lucky with slugs. I found an Arion (probably vulgarins) and a cluster of Limacus maculatus under a broken vase
The walk by the railway line gave me a male Bullfinch feeding on dandelion seeds.
And in the drain, I found this Great tit inspecting a natural tree hole.
Two male Reed Warblers seem to have settled on territories along the drain.This one even sung quite exposed on brambles over the reeds.
From Sunday morning, a much quicker visit. Swifts are now at Sculcoates! Unfortunately no photos.
Recently fledged magpies exploring near the railway line.
This Carrion Crow was mobbing the Lesser Black-backed gull. It didn't stop until the gull flew away.
The vegetation growing on the bare patch by Wilmington bridge.
Arion vulgaris.
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