Last Friday Old Moor welcomed Branston U3A Natural History Group. Its eleven members clocked up an impressive list of 59 bird species. Well done all!
Here’s what was seen around the Old Moor today…
For the record, 57 species of bird were seen by visitors today. But before I go on to that, remember that unusual roe deer sighting from Sunday? Here’s a photograph from Matthew Christou. Thanks Matthew.
Right, back to those birds. I didn’t see one today, but I could hear a yellowhammer singing near the Tree Sparrow Farm. Colin Beck had better luck and sent in this shot of the singer! Thanks Colin.
Today’s more unusual sightings included a lone common tern, first frequenting the Wader Scrape and then moving across to Wath Ings.
Also on Wath Ings, a summer plumage dunlin made an appearance around midday. Here it is, complete with black belly and black-headed gull for scale.
Despite the grim weather this afternoon, an enthusiastic sedge warbler bounced around the reeds and brambles to the left hand side of Wath Ings hide.
Finally, a pair of great crested grebe were seen courting and then mating on an island to the right of Wath Ings. Trouble is, that small island is already occupied by a nesting pair of coot. I predict a riot. The first skirmishes of which were seen today.
To finish up, here’s the grebe pair so engrossed with each other, they failed to see the problem just to their right.
Until next time.
Yep. I would also back the coot! Mind you, that GCG bill is pretty fearsome! One to watch I think.
My money is definitely on the coot!
Talking of gc grebes, on a recent visit to Rutland Water, we spent some time watching a pair of them building their nest. This involved swimming off in opposite directions from the site, diving for a huge bill-full of weeds and then speeding back and flinging it up onto the growing pile. After a while, the male bird got up and jumped on the heap to squash it down.