Greylake offers a good chance of seeing yellow wagtails - however, there is a catch. You may have to work for it. On Saturday we had maybe a dozen separate sightings of these striking little birds however none of these were posing conveniently in front of the hide – they have nearly 200 acres to choose from so it shouldn’t come as such a surprise. To maximise your chances keep a watchful eye on the fields beyond the hide to catch the birds flying into the long grass or in areas where cattle are grazing – the disturbance of invertebrates caused by the cattle grazing provides great feeding opportunities for the wagtails.
The reed warblers were also showing well, flying from one reed bed to another in front of the hide and giving great views as they landed on the reeds. The lapwings could be seen in display flight and sitting on the nest – the lapwings are intolerant of any intruder and a whimbrel was only given a second on the ground before being briskly moved on. Other birds of note during the day included a curlew, redshank – one very close to the hide - hobby, cuckoo, sedge warbler and reed bunting.
A real treat was watching a grass snake swim across the water in front of the hide straight towards us. As the sunshine took hold we were also to watch four spotted and broad bodied chasers patrolling the water margins.
Nick Edge