Happy Families

Juvenile Common Terns, Rixton

Common Blue, Rixton

Tufted Ducks with young, Rixton

Yellow Wagtail, Culcheth

Linnet in rape field, HGF

Southern Marsh Orchid, Rixton

Canada Geese, Rixton

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Got home late Sunday and went to HGF for dusk and guess what – it was relatively busy. I stress the term relatively here….13 Coots on the water is the highest count since the pool froze in early Jan while also present were 4 drake Tufties, 2 drake Pochards and 2 Great Crested Grebes. A pair of Little Ringed Plovers were on the south bank and best of all a Yellow Wagtail came down briefly on the north bank to drink. It stayed only briefly and then flew off high to the north – in the general direction of Highfield Lane. I wonder if they have decamped to this area and are breeding here with only occasional visits to the pool? I did used to see them in Highfield Lane several years ago….
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This morning almost predictably the aythya ducks had left HGF, however another pair of GCG’s had arrived and the Coot numbers had increased by one. No sign of the LRP’s. A family of Skylarks appeared to be having fun in the south field and two broods of Pied Wags were seen. By Midhops 2 male Corn Buntings were singing. One was seen at the back edge of the potato patch, near where I last saw one. The other was in the middle of the rape field and could not be seen.
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At lunch today five Corn Buntings were on Holcroft Lane while 3 Yellow Wags were flitting around near the grit store. I watched them – a male and 2 females which seemed to be having some sort of Ménage à Trois! I just wonder if the supposed missing female from Dam Lane has appeared here???? I stopped at Dam Lane for half an hour in the rain – unfortunately no sign of any Yellow Wags here. Tried again after work but still no sign.

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An after work visit to Moat Lane paid dividends. The first spot was a pair of Tufted Ducks with two youngsters just a few days old - nice one! At least eight Common Whitethroats were singing around pool 1 and lots of other little brown jobs were flitting around. I watched one (turned out to be a female Reed Bunting) visit a nest site, unfortunately a Jay was watching too and the corvid robbed the nest. Two other male Reed Buntings were seen and a Great Spotted Woodpecker moved around the pools.

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I walked around to pool 2 and immediately all the Black-headed gulls present went bananas! The sole Common Tern also starte dive bombing me and I soon found the reason - the eggs had hatched and two cute little balls of fluff were present on the island. Superb! I couldn't find any evidence of the BHG's having bred so where they sticking up for the Common Terns? At any rate I quickly left them in peace. Back at pool one the Lesser Whitethroat had started singing and the Mute Swan Blue JP4 is still present. It seems to be getting good use of the pools as the usually resident pair have taken up squatters rights on the fishing pools with their sole youngster. The Great Crested Grebes are incubating -I can only think after all this time that the first attempt failed and they have re-laid. At home this evening the pair of Bullfinches were present on the feeders.