With thanks to volunteer Graham Jacobs for his report on yesterday's sightings:
On a lovely dry day (it seems that Graham's regular Thursday slot is usually characterised by rain) visitors were welcomed to the reserve by a Nightingale singing away in the car park, and several more were in full voice at the Zig Zags, Fattengates courtyard and Adder Alley. Blackcaps were also serenading us all over the reserve and Common Whitethroats were establishing territories from Redstart Corner to Adder Alley.
Blackcap by Gareth Hughes
The reserve was particularly busy today as the reported sighting of a Green-winged Teal had attracted birders in search of this unusual visitor. Even during the day several reports of sightings came in from The Hanger, but naturally after checking all 40+ Teal on show neither Derek, Graham nor I could pick out the interloper - I gather it is all down to a vertical rather than a horizontal white stripe and from several hundred yards away that is not an easy spot.
At West Mead a particularly sneaky Snipe was hiding in the rushes in front of the hide, several Tufted Duck and a few Redshank out on the water. Sparrowhawk, a Red Kite, 2 Buzzards and a number of House Martins up in the sky.
En route to Winpenny we encountered singing Chiffchaff & Common Whitethroats and a resplendent male Reed Bunting, and from the hide we added Sedge Warbler, 3 Avocet and half a dozen Little Ringed Plover.
Little-ringed Plover by Graham Osborne
On then to The Hanger where we started our in vain search for the American visitor (the Green-winged Teal) but we did find a further 7 Avocet, 3 Little Egrets, a lone Black-tailed Godwit and one remaining Pintail. I then drifted down to Nettley's Hide for lunch and spied a sandpiper that was being particularly furtive. A visitor said he thought he had seen a white rump which would have suggested a Green Sandpiper but I was not sure so kept my bins on it for ages and eventually it did take to the air and there was no white rump so the final call was a Common Sandpiper - a nice spot.
A Kingfisher had been seen by several people on North Brooks but I couldn’t find it, but Graham A (one of my fellow Thursday volunteers) called in a sighting from Little Hanger - I really must visit this hide more often. On the way back to the visitor centre I heard my first Cuckoo of the year and it was obviously quite mobile; initially calling from the area around Wiggonholt Church and then from Holly Bush Hill - I never did manage to catch sight of him .
Finally, a scan of Uppertons Field yielded a very smart, very upright Mistle Thrush.
Mistle Thrush by Phil Thornton
A nice end to a lovely day.