Lewis's Saturday Blog 26th May 2012

First of all apologies for posting the blog on a Monday, I could not gain access to it over the week end. It seems like ages since I last posted a blog- two weeks ago I was checking gull nests on St Serfs island (they are doing well and now the eggs are beginning to hatch) and last week I was at the hugely successful first Scottish. On Saturday the reserve was full of birds with many ducks with ducklings, such as our pair of shell duck on the flood, and we also have some cygnets on the loch. There was a common sandpiper at the 3rd hide along with a now huge creche of goslings. On Friday a male garganey was seen on the flood, though there was no sign of it on Saturday. Whilst checking the nest boxes around the reserve today, for the BTO nest recording scheme, I was lucky enough to see many sets of chicks and also very pleased to find a single tree sparrow nest. Last week the woodpecker had got into the nest and has taken one chick during the week, though the remaining two chicks are doing well. The swallows are now on eggs and one Robin is sitting on it's second brood of eggs. This is a great time of year on the reserve!