A SHORT VISIT TO SUTTON BINGHAM RESERVOIR
WEATHER: dull and obercast with drizzling rain for most of the day, windy too. Temp 14C
Pete Ackers, a local birder and Sutton Bingham Reservoir watcher, found a Gargnaey on the main causeway this morning. Other people reported it still prsent mid-afternoon so at 5pm I decided to get some fresh air and take a look for myself.
Great Crested Grebes, the female on the left is carrying a very young chick on her back
you can just the head of the chick on the back of the right-hand bird in this shot
The bird was still present, it was settled in well with the very tame Mallards sitting just below the raodside on the concrete causeway. It didn't budge when I got out of the car and its 'tame behaviour' hinted of the bird's true credentials as a wild bird. However, it was nice to see a female type bird at such close proximity.
The 'tame' Garganey on the concrete causeway at Sutton Bingham
Scanning the water on either side of the causeway produced sightings of Little Egret, Great Crested Grebes, Great Cormorants and a host of gulls. Most of gulls were immature Herring Gulls, but also present was Black-headed Gull, Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls.
In the garden today I checked on my colony of Bush-crickets, I still have 5 and they are all growing nicely even though I have yet to see them catch anything to eat!
one of my garden Bush-crickets, this one had a curved tail and lacks any brown colouring and therefore it is a female