Greylake is now once again officially open to the public, after RSPB staff and volunteers spent yesterday clearing up the boardwalks from the leftover duckweed, silt, and mud. The carpark still remains a fantastic site for viewing the brambling and other small birds coming down to the feeding platforms. Nonetheless, walking along the trails you can now experience large groups of snipe, and even some jack snipe, flying low and directly overhead as they come up from in front of the hide, cirlce around it, and then drop back down. Looking out from the hide itself the ground seems to move with life as again more snipe and lapwing probe the ground. Then out on the water the likes of teal, wigeon, mallard, and some pintails can be seen. To utilise this food source peregrines, hen harriers, buzzards, and marsh harriers may be seen patrolling the skies, while joining the many little egrets there is also a great white egret around. Please do drop by either during the week, or at the weekend when an RSPB volunteer will inevitably be around and all too pleased to show you everything that's about...and in great numbers.
Photo of a snipe: John Crispin