Tuesday June 14

An ideal evening for a visit to the patch, light, but not too sunny, and warm with very little wind.

I was greeted by the sound of a Reed Warbler singing away. This bird seems to have an aversion to singing on a Sunday, I may have to dub him the Reverend Reed Warbler. Moving on to the pool, a single Sedge Warbler sang briefly there.

At this time of year you start to learn the outcomes of the breeding attempts of the local birds. I was particularly pleased to confirm that the anxious calls of the female Lapwing at the pool did indeed mean that she had a chick to care for.

Lapwing chick

This particular chick was quite well grown, but it has a very uncertain future. It never ceases to amaze me that any ground nesting waders manage to raise young to the fledging stage.

At the flashes the presence of two adult Shelducks and four adult Little Ringed Plovers may point to an unsuccessful outcome, but there is still a single Redshank present. A Little Owl started calling and suddenly two appeared in the oak tree. One was pursuing the other very vocally, and I am pretty sure that they were an adult and a juvenile.

juvenile?

adult?

They looked quite different from one another, the juvenile being more chocolate brown and hardly spotted on its crown. I have always assumed they were breeding, but it was good to see some evidence for it.