Wednesday, 7 April 2021

Visit to Gloucester Park – 7th April 2021

Date: 7th April 2021

Time: from 7:15 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, moderate wind, -1°C to 1°C

On my way to Gloucester Park, I heard a singing male Blackcap as I crossed the road near the St. Nicholas Lane/Cranes Farm Road/Upper Mayne roundabout.

This morning was again very sunny and colder than yesterday when I visited my St. Nicholas Church local patch site. However, despite the sub-zero temperature and extensive ground frost, it didn’t feel quite as cold since the wind had dropped.

There were several highlights to my visit this morning but 4 notable records in particular.

Firstly, I saw a Little Egret flying westwards high over the main lake. This was my first record for the site and brought my site total for bird species to 46.

Secondly, I added 3 species to my site list for the year: Blackcap (see below), Lesser Black-backed Gull (a single bird amongst the Black-headed Gulls on the small lake at the southern edge of the site) and Grey Wagtail (a presumed female foraging on the edge of the main lake at the eastern end).

The sighting of a Grey Wagtail was not just my first at the site this year but also my first record anywhere in the UK this year.

On my last visit to the site on 27th March 2021, I recorded my first Chiffchaff of the year, albeit a distantly singing male which I failed to see. This morning, I saw my first singing male Chiffchaff and again heard another distantly singing male. In addition, I recorded the other common summer visiting warbler with the sighting of a male singing Blackcap plus 2 other singing males around the site.

The other highlights from my visit were 2 Green Woodpeckers flying through the area between the main lake and the small lake at the eastern end of the site, a distantly calling Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Grey Heron perched at the side of the main lake.

With regard to water birds, I saw the following scattered across the main lake and the 2 smaller lakes: c.50 Canada Geese, 8 Greylag Geese, c.10 Mallards and a few Coots and Moorhens. There was a Coot sitting on its nest on the small lake at the eastern end of the site.

In addition, there were 5 Cormorants perched in the trees on the island in the main lake.

With regard to mammals, I saw a single Brown Rat at the edge of the main lake at the eastern end (it had clearly been in a fight given its bloodied right eye) and a single Grey Squirrel in a tree in the area between the main lake and the small lake at the eastern end of the site.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Goldfinch
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Jay
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Mallard
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Coot
Moorhen
Cormorant
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Black-headed Gull

Brown Rat
Grey Squirrel

Here are some photos from my visit:















Photo: Grey Wagtail

Photo: Grey Wagtail















Photo: Grey Wagtail















Photo: Grey Heron















Photo: Grey Heron















Photo: male Mallard















Photo: female Mallard















Photo: female Mallard















Photo: Canada Geese















Photo: Canada Goose















Photo: Canada Goose















Photo: Greylag Goose















Photo: Greylag Goose















Photo: Coot















Photo: Moorhen















Photo: Black-headed Gull















Photo: Black-headed Gull
















Photo: Magpie















Photo: Woodpigeon















Photo: Goldfinch















Photo: Goldfinch















Photo: Grey Squirrel















Photo: Grey Squirrel















Photo: Brown Rat















Photo: Brown Rat















Site totals to date (2021 totals in brackets):

Birds = 45  (39)
Mammals = 2  (2)
Butterflies = 1  (0)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 0  (0)
Reptiles = 0  (0)
Amphibians = 0  (0)

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature


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