Saturday 23rd July 2016

Sightings today from Joe Hughes and myself.

An excellent selection today, particularly waders with eleven different species as return passage moves up a gear.

Stoneybeck Lake - 1 Pochard, 1 Little Grebe, 9 Little Ringed Plover (including 3 chicks, possibly two separate broods, a good breeding record), 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank and a Common Buzzard).

Castle Lake - 44 Greylag Geese (numbers not building as quick as previous years), 1 Teal, female Pochard with two ducklings, Great Crested Grebe pair still sitting, 2 Cormorant, 3 Little Egret including a juvenile, 2 Grey Heron, 10 Oystercatcher, 1 Ringed Plover, c40 Lapwing, 7 Snipe, 1 summer plumage Black-tailed Godwit, 42 Curlew, 4 Green Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 4 Common Sandpiper, 10 Black-headed Gull, 1 Peregrine, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Little Owl, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 3 singing Corn Bunting near Alan's Pool.

Two mediocre pictures of the Wood Sandpiper

A1 Flashes - (not much water left, but some great looking mud!) 1 Greenshank, 6 Green Sandpiper and 12 overflying Curlew.

River Stell - a female Tufted Duck with 7 ducklings, 2 Grey Heron and a Common Sandpiper.

Low Hardwick - a singing Grasshopper Warbler.