Highlights, Patch Birding and Upton Warren

22/06/12
An evening walk on the patch revealed little, however, it was great to see that the female MANDARIN still had one chick in attencence, sadly having lost 3 chicks in the 20 days since i last saw her. The bird is incredibally elusive this year, and can be very hard to pin down.

23/06/12
Upton Warren revealed my first returning GREEN SANDPIPER'S and indeed my first of the year! A flock of 3 birds were feeding close to the hide throughout the evening. A poor passage at the start of the year and no winterers ment i hadent caught up with one, but it was nice to have these back again, hopefully for a few months yet.
Also 'new in' was a drake TEAL, a failed breeder or one thats left the partner to do all the work?
The Avocet had now well grown young, 10 adults and 7 young were around the flashes.

24/06/12
Again patch birding, a rare opporotunity of sun led me to venture south on the patch, walking to the 'gadwall' lake from Lickhill,  Butterflys had yet to emerge on Moorhall field and similarly, Moorhall Marsh was completly dead for dragonflies, only a few Banded aned Beautiful Demoiselles.

The Gadwall lake was completly dead, and very overgrown, a few Reed Warblers chattering away. While walking back north, on approaching the Baisins, 2 COMMON TERN circled above me for a good few minuites before flying off towards Wilden pool.
I had gotten into the habit of checking the baisins now, and today it had a reward, and on the riverside basin, the drake MANDARIN was moulting, and showing very welll, down to a few feet!

Continuing north, while again reaching Moorhall Marsh, i saw a raptor circling and drop behind a tree. Waiting for it to re-appear, fully expecting it to be a Kestrel, i was supprised when a stunning adult HOBBY re-emmerged. My 4th sighting this year of this normally rare patch falcon. I was allowed some great views in good sunlight, allowing me to savour such a wonderful falcon, One of my favorite summer visitors.