Thanks to Gary for his report and photos from Tuesday.
As soon as I opened the car door in the car park I could hear a nightingale singing, and on the trail proper, at least five could be heard at various places, including a ridiculously tame one on adder alley that was more intent on feeding than worrying about people – so much for them being skulking!
Also on adder alley was a mating ball of grass snakes. It was difficult to count the number present, but at least six with others in the area – a really exciting find.
Three lesser whitethroat were also dotted around the reserve and for once, two gave reasonable views in the sparsely leaved trees. On the other hand, common whitethroats were few and far between with only two seen today. Blackcaps were everywhere and it was quite amusing to watch three males competing at singing and fighting over one rather disinterested female. While I was watching the blackcaps, a shrew was at my feet dashing from one patch of undergrowth to another. They are so fast that they must dwell in a different time dimension.
A solitary sedge warbler was near Nettleys and a reed bunting was posing nicely. The male american wigeon was on view for most of the day, but still has the habit of disappearing if you take your eye off it for a minute. The usual peregrine was in its tree and a red kite drifted over the north brooks. Swallows and both sand and house martins made the odd appearance. A large flock of linnets were in the ploughed field near the centre and small flocks and individuals were encountered all-round the trail, as was the occasional bullfinch.
Small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies could be seen spiralling upwards in their mating dance in the warm afternoon sunshine. Hopefully this means even more later in the summer.
To finish on a high note, a short-eared owl was sitting on a fence post near West Mead hide – shame the deer-proof fence slightly marred the view.