Sunday May 17

A beautiful sunny morning gradually became a cloudy one with a chilly westerly breeze. Dave and I set out as usual, and soon noticed that the Cuckoo was calling after an apparent week long absence.

By the time we met Jon on the walk down to the pool we had seen little of any consequence. Jon on the other hand was doing rather well. He reported a female Whinchat and a pair of Shelducks, and also showed off his new bridge camera with which he had evidently photographed a Large Red Damselfly this morning. I am yet to get off the mark as far as odonata are concerned this year.

Our only riposte was that I had at least managed to photograph a Small Heath butterfly, my first this year.

Small Heath

Jon had to get home, so we carried on, and soon saw the female Whinchat. It unfortunately did a disappearing trick shortly afterwards. The pool contained eight Tufted Ducks, two Little Grebes, and the second brood of Mallards this year, while around its fringes were at least five male Reed Buntings.

At the flashes the pair of Shelducks were still present and were therefore added to my year-list. Also in residence was an adult Black-headed Gull, two Little Ringed Plovers, and the pair of Teal.

Shelducks

On the pool behind the hedge there was initially no sign of the sitting Mute Swan, but the reason why soon became apparent when we found the pair tending four cygnets. This is the first successful breeding record for the patch at least since I started watching it, in 2007.

Ahhh!

We resumed the circuit, but by the time we got to the dragonfly pools the cloud cover had scuppered my chances of any dragonflies. Never mind, there was still time to confirm another successful hatching as the Pied Wagtails which had been nesting in the barn were now feeding two fledglings.

Fledgling Pied Wagtail begging to be fed

The pools themselves have a muddy edge, much to the delight of the local House Martins and Swallows which were busy collecting mud for their nests.

So it feels as though all the likely spring migrants have arrived, and summer is just around the corner. Expect an increase in insect photos.