Bushy Park
Nothing new to report.
Common Shelduck: still 3 pairs present but know evidence of breeding. They seem to be holding territories but the female is always present and not down a burrow.
Common Buzzard: a male flew low over the Woodland Gardens in stealth mode.
Skylark: at least 9 males were singing in the 2 Skylark areas.
Sand Martin: a pair have been checking out the man made banks.
Garden Warbler: a bird was singing near the bird hide.
Chiffchaff: 3 males were singing, have they had one brood already?
If only I was carrying my camera 5 minutes before these shots. There was a cluster of at least 7 birds on the trunk of a tree but by the time I had retrieved my camera from the car they were all over the place.
Disappointing news was the finding this years first cluster of Oak Processionary Caterpillars in an Oak just east of Warren Plantation. They were at about the same stage as these caterpillars (photo taken last year) but right at the top of a tall tree.
A few damselfly pics taken by the Longford River
Comments
Fledglings are more & more in evidence.
5 Great Crested Grebe (the Bandstand Is pair has lost its young but but the Heron Is pair still has at least one), 3 Kestrel (happily, both nest boxes are still active), 2 Common Tern (pair again fishing till late morning at least), 22 Swift (one third the number of a few days ago, which presumably included late migrants), 3 House Martin, 1 Common Whitethroat still singing at edge of Leaf Yard Wood/area 41, 2 Reed Warbler singing in area-2 & -5 reedbeds, 34 Starling (flock of 15 ad & 19 juv feeding nr area 5), 6+ Mistle Thrush (group of 1-2 ad & 5 juv feeding on the green S of Cricket Pen a.31), 1 Grey Wagtail juv still feeding at Holme Green lakeshore a.9.
The Barrow Hill Reservoir copse in area 48 has been reduced to a single hawthorn.