Radar Pool was again the most populated of the pools and held over 450 Shelduck. In addition there were a group of some 30 Black Headed Gulls squashed onto the smallest of the islands, approximately 40 Avocets spread across the islands as well as a handful of Lapwings, Oystercatchers and Redshanks. Ducks were represented by a lone Widgeon, an equally lone Pochard plus 3 Mallards, but a further 40 Mallards were clustered together under a hedge on the far side of a field on the other side of the track.
Shelducks, some 100, were also scattered across the Black Barn Pools together with 14 Rdshank, 3 Dunlin, 16 Avocet, 7 Black Tailed Godwit and 30 Lapwing. A couple of pairs of Mallards and a pair of Shovellers were being kept company by what appeared to be a pair of Khaki Campbells!
Flamingo was relatively quiet, although there were 160 Shelduck, 18 Black Headed Gulls, 12 Avocet, 3 Oystercatchers and 4 Redshank o the "beach" at the northern end of the pool.
A few Shelduck, Black Headed Gulls and Oystercatchers were loitering around Ski and Crystal Pools, the latter also having a pair of Canada Geese with 2 goslings.
Across the reserve as a whole, Whitethroats are very prominent in the scrub and there are also 5 or 6 Nightingales a couple of Reed Warblers and some Sedge Warblers.
thanks to Les Edwins, resident volunteer, for this report