August Sightings

 An unusual summer visitor seen on the island in front of the hide was a whinchat (30^th.).

Common sandpiper was a regular sight and other waders on the reserve included green sandpiper, dunlin, snipe and over 70 lapwing.

 Various warblers with their young have been seen regularly, particularly whitethroat, chiffchaff, blackcap, willow warbler, reed and sedge warblers. Lesser whitethroat was also seen but without any young.

 Amongst the hundreds of black-headed gulls, a mediterranean gull was identified, as well as a common gull and several juvenile herring gulls. 3 common tern, one of them a juvenile, visited for several days.

 Flocks of 40+ goldfinch, including young, were a common sight feeding on the teasel on the island or along the path to the hide. On the same path willow tit were also seen and in the car park near the temporary centre a green woodpecker. Other notable sightings included kingfisher, being seen almost daily, bullfinch, grey wagtail, greenfinch, starling, reed bunting, song thrush, long-tailed tit and stock dove.

 On Forge Mill Lake water birds included 2 little grebe with young, 2 great-crested grebe, also with young, and a pair of moorhen with 4 newly-hatched chicks, probably a second or third brood.  Also on the lake were 4 gadwall, 5 shoveler, mallard, a group of 8 teal, 3 pochard, 5 grey heron, 4 cormorant and 70+ tufted duck. The mute swan pair still has its 5 cygnets.

 Thanks to Colin Sedgwick for collating the above results.