Thursday 22 July 2010

16:00 White cloud 17 o C. Wind ENE 10mph. Humidity 77%. Pressure 1013 mB. Visibility Good. High tide today 21:46, 7.99m

July's birdwatching has been divided between terns and garden birds. Watching the terns, so quick and graceful in flight, is a pastime that never palls. There are between 8 and 10 to be seen most days.

Garden species have included:
Bullfinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Sparrow - these are nesting under the eaves of the house
Blue tit
Great tit
Greater spotted woodpecker
Blackbird
Wren
Dunnock
Thrush
Collared Dove
Woodpigeon

Not bad for a small city garden.

This weekend sees the Riversway Festival, and quite a few visiting boats have already arrived. The birds seem unconcerned, though a few visitors may soon learn it's not a good idea to feed a lone gull. Around 200 of its 'friends' will appear as if by magic, and can soon make a mess of a boat.



Hope the weather stays as fine as it has been today, people work hard to get things ready and it will be nice if they can relax for a while and enjoy the sun.

It's not all about Terns

This handsome cormorant is feeling the heat


You can see the fuzzy red heads of the coot chicks inside this tyre nest. I'm not sure if any eggs in the 'rubbish tip' nest near the Green Frog have hatched yet, the adult is sat there every time I go to look.


The tern chicks don't like to be ignored


And finally .....


The tyre nests on the pontoons have been a great success so far, and I'd like to see more of them. I wonder how many people who pass the dock each day realise what is going on a few yards away? It would be great to have some identification boards, similar to those used on RSPB reserves.

Terns on Film

Have now been able to get some really good pictures of the terns. Click on a picture to enlarge.

There are at least 3 chicks, 2 in one nest and one in the other. The single chick has been spending quite a lot of time out of the nest, and is possibly slightly older than the others.

I have counted 8 adult terns in the last few days, and think there are at least 2 more.

The 2 chicks are clearly visible on this photo


The other chick inspects his surroundings


You can see the reflection in the water of one of the adult terns (top right in this picture)


Returning with a fish


The lone wanderer


Landing the catch


In flight

Monday 21 June 2010

16:00 Sunny 20 o C. Wind W 8mph. Humidity 50%. Pressure 1022 mB. Visibility very good. High tide today 06:14, 8.24m

A beautiful day for the solstice.

The terns are very active, feeding and guarding. There are 2 chicks, one has been walking around outside the nest, the other just peeping over the rim occasionally.


The adults are fiercely protective, and will go after any gulls, no matter how big, that intrude on their territory.

The swan family are down in the dock basin just now, probably waiting for the lock gates to be opened for them.