Saturday 14th April

It was a warm and slightly overcast morning between 6.40am and 8.10am.

A Chiff Chaff and 2 Blackcap sang, and a Pheasant called from behind the Park & Ride on my arrival. A Chiff Chaff sang from the Wet Woodland, and a Willow Warbler fed and sang from an Oak on the north side of ‘Mote House’ View. In the Long hedge were 5 Blackbirds, 1 Woodpigeon, 3 Robins, 1 Great Tit, a Chaffinch, several Blue Tits, 1 singing Song Thrush and a Chiff Chaff. A Cormorant sat on ‘Cormorant’ Island. A Chiff Chaff sang from the Marsh Alders, and another in the Marsh Willows. Along the Weir Track a female Reed Bunting was picking up dry grass and reeds, after watching for a few minutes it flew off into the Marsh. In the Marsh was a singing male Reed Bunting. I wonder if a pair is nesting? – this would be a first for the Park, to my knowledge. A Mute Swan was sitting on its nest in the Marsh.


In the Scrub were 1 Blackbird, 1 Mistle Thrush, and a singing Chiff Chaff. A second Willow Warbler was singing from South Wood. 3 Song Thrush, 1 Robin, 1 Blackcap and 1 Chiff Chaff were in the East Hedge. A Pheasant called, and a Blackcap sang from Len Wood. 2 Grey Herons fished along the Len.

A scan of the Lake produced 7 Great Crested Grebes, and 7 Mute Swans, together with the usual Canada Geese, Mallard, Coots and Moorhens. There was a flock of Black Headed Gulls and Common Gulls also on the Lake, plus there were 5 Lesser Black Backed Gulls. A Grey Heron fished on the Lake’s west margin, and 3 flew over in a northerly direction.

The Little Owl perched in the Old Oak in ‘Mote House’ View throughout the visit.

A total of 7 Chiff Chaffs, 7 Blackcaps and 2 Willow Warblers were singing throughout the visit. There were still lots of fry visible in the Len by the ‘Kingfisher’ Bridge.