Intriguing Record !!!

 I think that it is fair to say that July tends to be a quiet month. Birds tend to be busy with breeding and looking after their offspring and migration doesn't tend to get started for another few weeks. However we shouldn't be complacent as you never know what will show up. Today over at Titchmarsh LNR  an adult Black Necked Grebe with 3 fully fledged juveniles capable of flight were discovered!!!! This is certainly an amazing record.  It is not known whether they somehow managed to breed here undetected or have flown in from elsewhere.   Best viewed from North hide they were still present late afternoon.          Very few birds reported from elsewhere.  Female Red Crested Pochard,  Redshank and Common Sandpipers at Stanford Reservoir.  At Hollowell Reservoir Ruddy Shelduck,  Greenshank,  Green and Common Sandpiper. 

On my early morning wander around Blueberry I came across a Common Redstart in one of their favourite hedgerows and in the afternoon I found another Common Redstart, this time at Harrington Airfield.  These birds seem to get earlier and earlier coming back but remain loyal to these favourite areas.  Harrington has been extremely quiet for birds. I regularly bump into Grey Partridge but they are all adult birds.  I haven't found any youngsters so far which is quite concerning.  The only other bird of note was a Hobby.

It will be interesting to see whether this family of Black Necked Grebes stay around for a bit longer,  I hope so as it will give me and anyone else a chance to catch up with this rather remarkable record.   And who knows what else could be found?

Regards Eleanor