Shelduck for the Year

Heading to the Mill Lakes before sunrise produced two pair of Bullfinch together the the trees along the Sustrans path by Dawson's Corner, and a male Kestrel near the Vehicle Bridge on arrival. A Song Thrush was singing from the usual tree at the back of the Dipping Ponds, and a Pied Wagtail flew over the nearby grassland. Two men walking their dogs said hello on the near side of the lake, before letting them run wild on the far side, flushing a couple of the few remaining Snipe onto Mud Island. The gull flock was notably larger than on my previous visit, but I headed to the Leen Pastures before returning to count them later on.

The adjacent farmer's field looked to have been ploughed recently, and a small group of Feral Pigeon were feeding there with a single Stock Dove amongst them, and a couple of Woodpigeon, too. There was nothing about at the Feeding Station, or on the Golf Course, but another Bullfinch pair were in the trees alongside the track back to the lake. I bumped into Norman, and we went back to look for the Snipe, without success. The Black-headed Gull flock numbered around 120, with a few Common Gull in amongst them. We were about to head to the southern end, when I picked up on a male Shelduck amongst the gulls, just as Julie turned up to join us. Brian also joined us, as I attempted some VidiScoped footage the Shelduck, which had apparently been there in the week, too. However, most of the close-up footage just featured its rear end!

We all walked to the southern end, and Brian headed off home. At the far side we picked up a pair of Great Crested Grebe, and a pair of Moorhen were displaying. Back up at the Leen Pastures, the pair of Willow Tit were now on the Feeding Station, as was Blue Tit, Great Tit, and Chaffinch. A Green Woodpecker called from the northern end of the pastures, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into one of the large trees on the bank of the Leen.

Back at the lake, I got another year tick in the form of the Grey Wagtail on the shore of Mud Island, a Skylark was singing over the farmer's field, and a Song Thrush was singing near the Double Gates. As we left, a Collared Dove was seen by the entrance, carrying nest material , but apparently the pair in Julie's garden was already on their third attempt at breeding this year! It was a satisfying morning, with two year ticks and over forty species recorded.