24th February

Bushy Park

I spent this morning working on improving the banks that were constructed last year around the edge of the Scrape. My aim is to attract either Kingfishers or Sand Martins. It was a cracking morning weather wise and the birds listed below only added to it.

Gadwall: I flushed a pair from the Scrape, they didn’t go far dropping down on to one of the pools.

Teal: a pair were feeding in one of the channels.

Water Rail: one was calling from wet scrub by the Longford River.

Common Snipe: one was on the Scrape until I flushed it, though it didn’t go very far. In fact it behaved more like a Jack Snipe, allowing me to get quite close (I couldn’t see it in the sedge) before taking off and dropping down a short distance away. Again I could exactly see where it was and was almost on top of it when it took off again. I stopped looking for it but bumped into it several times after that.

Kingfisher: a male landed on a reed stem and attempted to catch a fish in one of the channels.

Cetti’s Warbler: the male sang intermittently

Reed Bunting: 1 male and 2 females were present. 

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Comments

Sounds like a Jack for sure.
That behaviour certainly sounds like a Jack. My best flight views, we're low and away from me and then it's colour and lack of bold stripes on the back didn't convince me.