Today on the reserve 7/8

Lovely day to be walking around the reserve

Draper Hide

quiet but still managed to see 

little Grebes having  a dispute

Stock Doves  pair going in the right hand owl box

pm one Green Sandpiper

Canada Geese - Magpie - Jay

Tern Hide

water levels are lower now - lots to see

Gadwall, Shoveler, Tufted, Pochard, Mallard

Heron Little Egret

Lapwing- Coot - Moorhen

Common Tern- Black Headed Gulls

Egyptian goose x1 - Canada Geese- Swan 

11 Swan 6 Cormorant on first lagoon

Gadwall Hide

Terns still around on raft

Black headed Gulls with young still

Tufted Duck families various sizes some very engaging small duckling very adeptly diving with a very attentitve mother seeing off some over enthusiastic coot young great behaviour as the mother headed off to chase off the coot the 3 chicks all stuck together and stayed completely still until she returned

Kingfisher Hide

Heron sitting on top of the kingfisher bank

Some lucky visitors saw a juvenile Cuckoo in the dead tree to the right of the hide -  they managed to open the side window and get some fantastic

photos unfortunately we missed it by 5mins

nest above door to kingfisher hide still has young in - not sure what? if you stand quietly you can see them moving about in the nest

Warbler Hide

Patience payed off with some good views of Reed Warblers and a male Reed Bunting

Around the reserve lots of Butterflies today

including Comma - Gatekeeper -Peacock - Small White - Common Blue

 lovely black and orange Caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth on the ragwort around the first dipping pond

other Caterpillars and insects around especially on the nettles