Damp Squib!

Hi

Hardly conducive conditions for finding migrants passing through the county today, but I tried with a pretty negative result.  So far May has been something of a damp squib with few birds being discovered out of the norm.  At least breeding birds are now busy in first attempts at nesting and there are Canada and Greylag Goose goslings at many of our water bodies now.  Also moderate numbers of Mallard ducklings and the Pheasants have been laying clutches ever since the first new greenery emerged.  Some early juvenile Blackbirds can be heard rather than seen, particularly in urban areas, and most of the tits are now laying and incubating.

At Pitsford Res this evening, a flock of 12 Common Terns north of the causeway quite quickly increased to 38 just before dusk.  The pair of Oystercatchers remain on their raft and there were a couple of hundred Swallows keeping low over the water in very windy conditions.

Regards

Eleanor