Saturday 5th May

It was chilly this morning and the sky was overcast during the visit between 6.15am and 8.15am. A Nightingale sang along Laurel Walk in the same place, that’s a week now. A total of 13 Blackcaps, 5 Chiff Chaffs, 3 Reed Warblers, 1 Willow Warbler and 18 Whitethroats, two of whom were singing from the Golf Course.

A scan of the Lake produced around 6 Great Crested Grebes, and 5 Mute Swans, together with the usual Canada Geese, Mallard, Coots and Moorhens. There was a flock of around 22 Black Headed Gulls and 3 Common Gulls on and above the water, and there were 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the area of the Lake by the Inlet.

Whilst scanning the Lake a Common Sandpiper called and flew from the muddy edge of the Lake next to the Inlet. It flew a further 15 – 20 yards along the western edge and decided to land in one of the small muddy bays where the fishermen usually sit.

There was a total of 3 Cuckoos calling. 2 were around the edge of the Lake, whilst the third flew into the marsh and started calling. A Grey Heron fished along the Len and another flew over, heading north. A total of 4 Pheasants called, a pair of Bullfinches fed in the hawthorn hedge opposite the Downswood entrance, 3 Treecreepers sang from along the Len, a Goldcrest sang in a hawthorn by the Waterfall, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker fed one of the peanut feeders in the Mansion Cottages.