Sunday 22nd April

As I haven’t been over the Park since last Tuesday it was nice to be over there and seeing what’s about, even though the time was later than I’d hoped. The visit was between 9.15am and 10.55am, it was fairly hot and there wasn’t much of a breeze at all.

A few Goldcrests called in the Yews along Laurel Walk, and a Blackcap sang from a Cherry tree at the top of Jenner’s Bank. A Chiff Chaff sang from the Wet Woodland. The Long Hedge seemed alive with bird song, but alas they were mostly residents. There were 8 Blackbirds, 4 Robins, 5 Great Tit, 3 Blue Tits, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Chiff Chaff, a Blackcap, 3 Chaffinch and a flock of 13 Greenfinch. 3 Cormorants sat on ‘Cormorant’ Island, and 2 Red-eared terrapins basked in the sun on their usual submerged branch. A Chiff Chaff sang from the Marsh Alders. A Reed Warbler sang from the middle of the Marsh, and in the Scrub were 1 Woodpigeon, 1 Pheasant, 3 Chaffinch, 1 Song Thrush, 2 Linnet, 1 Blackcap and 3 singing Common Whitethroat. A Pheasant called from Len Wood and a Green Woodpecker, a Jay, a Wren, a Song Thrush and 2 singing Dunnocks were the only birds in the East Hedge.

A scan of the Lake produced 5 Great Crested Grebes, a pair of Tufted Ducks and 6 Mute Swans, together with the usual Canada Geese, Mallard, Coots and Moorhens. The flock of Black Headed Gulls and Common Gulls on the Lake had a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gull with them.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into the first larch along Jenner’s Bank. A total of 6 Chiff Chaffs, 6 Blackcaps, 1 Reed Warbler, and 3 Common Whitethroats were singing throughout the visit. The fry numbers in the Len had really dropped, and during the visit the following butterflies were seen: 4 Small White, 1 Peacock, 2 Speckled Wood, and 1 Red Admiral.