The KBC Walk - Saturday 10th June

The KBC went by various names yesterday - predominately the Kids Birdwatching Club and Kids Bug watching Club but it actually started off as the Swan Rescue Club.

An immature Mute Swan had mis-jusdged things in the strong winds and crashlanded on the tarmac part of the river wall. Now, the weight of swan and wind direction decides whether it can take off from this runway. Both factors were not in its favour and with many people and dog walkers out for a stroll I deemed it prudent to affect a rescue attempt to reacquaint it with water.

I approached confidently and got within a couple of feet of while it stood to its full height and stared me in the nose while I kept a sideways view of it before trying to grab the huge male bird. I failed and the resulting dive and roll down the bank earned me a 10 point score from the kids. He attempted a take off at this point but never made more than a couple of feet of air before coming back down. I was quicker this time and managed to bundle him up under my right arm and hold his neck gently just below the head with my left with the all important squirty end facing away from my t-shirt - you only make that mistake once!

I was then left with a good yomp along the path to the turnstile gate with this beast along for the ride. He was the heaviest Swan I have ever had to manhandle and I was glad that Phil was there to take on head duty so that I could switch to a two handed hold! I dropped him off the bridge into the ditch and he swam off none the worse for wear. The kids and their parents were very impressed with my swan wrangling skills.

And so it was back to birding and immediately we found a family party of Bearded Tits in the channel just beyond the Ant Hill. They followed us all the way onto the Dragonfly Pool and excellent views were had of these stripy orange gems. Reed and Sedge Warblers sang and Reed Buntings were once again showy and while watching a kettle of gulls rising in a thermal we actually saw the point where the warm air met the clouds and caused them to likewise swirl around. It was like looking at a recently stirred cup of sky sized coffee.

Around the corner we found a Lizard sunbathing on the fence and a bit further on a Redshank was kicking up a fuss because she had two recently fledged chicks feeding on the path in front of us. Both birds could fly and were a little fluffy on the head but it was great to see actual proof of breeding success.

Anxious Mum...

Young Redshank - not a Wood Sandpiper

The Marsh Harriers put on a good show out over Wennington and in front of the Butts Hide there was a new brood of Lapwing and the first Tufted Duck brood of the year with five chocolate fluffballs with their mum. Four young Grey Herons were thankfully more interested in frog hunting.

Lapwing family

Tufted Duck brood

Grey Herons and Coot

There was still a brood of Pochard on Aveley Pool and we got great views of Marsh Frogs as we walked along.

There were plenty of great insects to see including Seven Spot and Harlequin Ladybirds munching on aphids, the orange winged Noon Day Fly, some spiky Peacock Butterfly caterpillars and even the first Common Darter of the year but it was the superbly named Golden Bloomed Long Horn Beetle that stole the show - especially with it's awesome scientific name of Agapanthia villosoviridicens....

Common Darter

Agapanthia villosoviridicens....