Very pleased to see two Great Crested Grebes at Paxton Pits already paired up and performing mini displays. Beautiful light yesterday afternoon to birdwatch but difficult for photographs.with so much contrast and reflections. One of the pair came quite close and caught a very large fish which it eventually managed to swallow.
We counted around a dozen Great White Egrets, Little Egrets and Grey Herons collectively at Paxton Pits during our Third Thursday walk today plus a pair of Great Crested Grebes in winter plumage but still preening in tandem as in their spring displays.
Yesterday was the monthly walk at Paxton Pits and, unsurprisingly, only a small group ventured round the reserve. We did manage to record 37 bird species including Garden warbler, Chiffchaff, Common Terns hopefully nesting on the rafts, adult Cormorant ?teaching young about fishing and Great Crested Grebe pair. Back in the garden in the afternoon, many insects were sheltering on leaves and flowers while the spiders continued to monitor their webs.
St Aidan's RSPB Reserve has been transformed from an old, open cast mine to a reserve with a rich variety of habitats including reedbeds, wetlands, meadows and woodland. It has a breeding population of Black-necked Grebe, which I was keen to see as I hadn't seen summer plumage birds before. There were lots of Bittern booming and several took to the air during our visit. Otherwise the numbers of singing Warblers - Sedge, Reed and Willow were very impressive along with Reed Buntings and all the usual water birds
