A patch year tick and a punch the air moment...for a Moorhen.!! bird number 72 for the year, seems the deep water isn't to their liking as they're usually found along the non existent muddy edges of the flashes (hopefully we'll get these before the waders start to move through).
At the weekend just gone an early calling Green Woodpecker was back, this is a usual summer resident attracted by the hordes of ants that are on the bund.
.jpg)
Another attempt to get some photos of the Lesser Redpoll flock that's still about on Ashton's flash didn't happen so I got one of these fellows instead.
Saturday and a two hour circuit of both flashes doesn't add anything new to the year list but the suns out and there's lots of avian activity. 45 species which included 6+ singing Reed Buntings, a displaying pair of Buzzards, two (a pair) Great Crested Grebes and 11+ Lesser Redpolls. Best of all though the dog flushed my 4th Woodcock of the year out from the small bamboo patch in the corner of Ashton's. I think it was a Eurasian one but 'out of the bamboo'...different what?
.jpg)
The #theflashes local pair of Buteos were up and over thermalling nicely.
.jpg)
Unfortunately as is the way these days the local riff raff have been at the hides again and The Old Hide has taken another hammering...more ventilation panels have appeared. The view though hasn't changed just a few flattened reeds from the huge Starling roost each night.
.jpg)
#PWC 72 species 76 points
TTFN
