Steve Blain has sent me a photograph, which I've added to the Fen Drayton Lakes Gallery. It shows a coot, in the Covell's Drain next to Swavesey Lake, and was taken on Saturday. Nothing unusual in that, but look closer. On it's right leg you will see a blue ring with the letters CV in white. Individually marking birds in this way tells us a lot, so what did we learn about this bird? Well, it was ringed on 26th October 2005, so it's five & a half years old. Not bad, but some way to go to reach the age of the oldest ringed bird - 18yrs & 3mths! We also know that it was ringed at the RSPB nature reserve at Radipole, in Dorset, so it is possible that this bird arrived with other birds moving north following last winters freezing conditions.
Bird sightings around the lakes continued the recent run of good form, with 2 red kites over the car park at Holywell Lake at lunchtime, cuckoo and nightingale still present, up to 3 hobbies around and at least 4 swifts in a large flock of hirundines over Drayton Lagoon.