Fairly quiet this morning for the WeBS count. A very different situation for the Common Terns compared to last year at this time when there were still good numbers and a lot of juveniles. Just 9 adults this year and no sign of any youngsters this year. The vegetation on the spit, where they nest, has been cut back since my last visit so whether this had an effect or not is uncertain. It's possible that the flooding that has occurred throughout the summer so far has affected the breeding success. The Spit has been much reduced in size due to the high water level on the lake and it can't have been easy for the adult birds to find fish in the swollen river.
A surprising number of Pied Wagtails were on the site with at least 20 noted, many of those were juveniles.
Full counts follow:
Common Tern 9
Coot 1
Cormorant 4 Also 8 over high north east.
Great Crested Grebe 3 Including a well grown juvenile still showing striping on the head.
Grey Heron 1
Lapwing 1
Mallard 66 1 adult with a single duckling and 1 with 5 ducklings.
Mute Swan 7
Oystercatcher 1
Pied/White Wagtail 20
Total number of species: 10 Individuals: 113
Other birds seen/heard were:
Chiffchaff 1
Reed Warbler 1
Swallow 2
Green Woodpecker 1
Blackcap 3
Common Whitethroat 1
Sand Martin 1
House Martin 12
No Swifts was a bit of a surprise.
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