Wednesday 18th July

The 1st summer drake Common Scoter was still present in the evening although it took flight a couple of times with the Rescue Boat out on the water. There was a single Common Sandpiper but little else.

Monday 16th February (sorry July)

The 1st summer drake Common Scoter was still present this morning joined by a female Common Scoter.

Saturday 14th July

The summer continues in a similar vein – mixed would be a polite description! I was at work most of Saturday but managed to get out for a bit and cover Coleshill Quarry for the first time in a while but although it is full of water there wasn’t much around apart from a few Reed Warbler, one of which was carry nesting material.

Anyway I received a text to say S Haynes had found a Common Scoter at Shustoke. The bird was quite active out from the car park, but I only had my bins with me so I left it and headed home for my scope. On returning Bobby D was returning to the car park from photographing the bird but it had flown to the far end. I dropped the scope on it but it was by now asleep.

There was also a Shelduck present with around 30 Common Tern with a juveline with them, the first of the year for me.

Common Scoter, Bob Duckhouse

Common Scoter, Bob Duckhouse

Common Tern numbers continue to rise

Steve Cawthray email me to say he had 32 Common Tern at Shustoke on Thursday. Another couple of weeks and we should be seeing a few more birds passing.

Wednesday 11th July

I think I scored my lowest total of birds for Shustoke today, although I admit I wasn’t really trying and the path to the small pool didn’t appeal to me. I could hear the river roaring from 100 yards away so I didn’t bother. There were around 20ish Common Tern and the only other bird of note was a Wigeon.

Friday 6th July

Well, where do I start, I has been tipping down today. While not as violent as a week last Thursday where my garage was under two inches of water. But as I left the house the water was rising on the drive. There has been so much that the ground is saturated. So I left my oldest in charge with the orders to hold back the water – the kind of challenge that he rises too.

I came home at lunchtime to survey the damage to find he had rigged up the pump from this aquarium to a hose and was pumping the water into the field. You can’t buy that kind of thinking! I hope the weather turns soon because I for one have had quite enough. I’m going to end up talking like one of the baddies in Stingray if we get much more wet!

I have been over Shustoke but it has been very quiet, I missed Mondays Little Gull but there are plenty of Common Tern and there were a couple of Lapwing which no doubt if it follows the pattern of previous years, numbers will build up slowly over the summer to a flock of around 100 before the end of August.

Gurgle, gurlge glug glug.

Which is Stingray talk for thank you and good night.

Monday 2nd July

Despite the terrible weather there was a 1st Summer Little Gull at the Reservoir today along with 27 Common Tern (Steve Haynes).