22 Mar 24

RSPB Radipole Lake

It was another visit to Radipole this afternoon in hope of seeing my first Sand Martins for the year and I'm pleased to say that a pair were flying around the North Hide, where the Sand Martin colonial nesting site is located.

Other highlights were 4 Grey Herons, 3 Marsh Harriers and 5 Chiffchaffs. The latter all singing.

Birds Recorded:
2 Great Crested Grebe

5 Mute Swan
5 Cormorant
4 Grey Heron
2 Canada Goose
Mallard
Gadwall
Tufted Duck

Pochard
3 Marsh Harrier
1 Water Rail (heard)
Moorhen
Coot
1 Snipe
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
2 Sand Martin
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
5 Cetti's Warbler
5 Chiffchaff (all singing)
8 Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

A pair of Great Crested Grebes

This lone Mute Swan thought about landing on the main lake, but thought otherwise when it saw the resident pair.

An adult Cormorant dries its wings. I think the bird on the right is another adult and a juvenile in the foreground.

The Grey Herons were busy flying about on the reserve.

Here's another one.

A pair of Gadwall. The drake is on the right.

And a pair of sleepy Pochard. This is the drake and.......

...........this is the female.

And these were the three Marsh Harriers circling over the reserve. This is no #1

#2

And #3.

For a split second I thought I had my first hirundine for this Spring. It turned out to be a Snipe.

My first two Sand Martins............

............this year.

And on the reserve there were at least 5 singing Chiffchaffs.

A male Reed Bunting, but I'm not sure why it doesn't have a full black head. A first year male maybe!!

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)


Hoverflies Recorded:
2 Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)

A male Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) and close-by..........

......... I expect this is a female.

General Shots:

Marsh Harrier territory.