Mainly cloudy, calm and dry till light rain arrived at 08:15. (Whisper it quietly, but today could be the last wet one for several days at least: finally, the jet stream is veering north toward its normal location west of Scotland, taking the storm track with it. Temperatures are forecast to rise to the high twenties next week.)
A paucity of passerines showing in the Park this morning, and none singing apart from the two noted below.
Reed Warbler 1 (male singing in area-2 reed bed at 06:20).
Chiffchaff 2 [Queen Mary's Gardens: male singing in area 19 at 08:10; dull (juvenile?) with no discernible eyestripe in area 17 at 08:15].
Great Crested Grebe 3 (one on nest while mate added material around it, just off NE tip of Heron Island, area 8 - at the opposite end to a massive coot roost of 100+ birds!; another bird sleeping in customary location off E shore of Bandstand Island, area 7 near two occupied coot nests).
Little Grebe 5 (pair feeding two half-grown young off Longbridge at 06:10; another adult feeding off Bandstand Island.)
Common Tern 1 (fishing off Longbridge at 06:10).
Black-headed Gull 50 (roosting on rowboats moored in Boating Lake at 06:15, with nary a juvenile among them).
(The pinioned female Shelduck was feeding off area 36 at 06:10, apparently no longer accompanied by the free-flying drake, which appears to have finally left.)
Comments
Mainly cloudy, calm and dry till light rain arrived at 08:15. (Whisper it quietly, but today could be the last wet one for several days at least: finally, the jet stream is veering north toward its normal location west of Scotland, taking the storm track with it. Temperatures are forecast to rise to the high twenties next week.)
A paucity of passerines showing in the Park this morning, and none singing apart from the two noted below.
Reed Warbler 1 (male singing in area-2 reed bed at 06:20).
Chiffchaff 2 [Queen Mary's Gardens: male singing in area 19 at 08:10; dull (juvenile?) with no discernible eyestripe in area 17 at 08:15].
Great Crested Grebe 3 (one on nest while mate added material around it, just off NE tip of Heron Island, area 8 - at the opposite end to a massive coot roost of 100+ birds!; another bird sleeping in customary location off E shore of Bandstand Island, area 7 near two occupied coot nests).
Little Grebe 5 (pair feeding two half-grown young off Longbridge at 06:10; another adult feeding off Bandstand Island.)
Common Tern 1 (fishing off Longbridge at 06:10).
Black-headed Gull 50 (roosting on rowboats moored in Boating Lake at 06:15, with nary a juvenile among them).
(The pinioned female Shelduck was feeding off area 36 at 06:10, apparently no longer accompanied by the free-flying drake, which appears to have finally left.)