A fortnight's neglect...

Hadn't visited Birchwood Pool on the patch for two weeks and so figured I really needed to check it out this morning during yet another flying visit (household chores - say no more...). One of the Little Owl parents on the Big Hand Ranch roof as I drive by on the way in. Quick check of Pumphouse Pool before togging up. Male Kingfisher on his usual perch and nowt else obvious after a bin and scope scan. Slight further digression to Eastern Reedbed finds just Mike, Roy, Mike's new kit and a few Anatidae.

Right. Birchwood Pool. Park up and something biggish and white is low flapping behind the trees bordering Pumphouse. takes me a while to realise it's a Little Egret. It alights briefly in one of the low trees by the track before spotting me and flying off over Birch Wood towards the pool. Five minutes later I'm at the east hide expecting it to have dropped in on the big island. It hasn't.

Two species had dominated the BWP avifauna back end of July when I was here last; Coot and Tufted Duck so I was curious to see if they'd gone up even more. They have. 67 adult Tufty now compared to 46 then and there's an extra Tufty brood. The female with 5 ducklings is still pottering about at the far end, but there's another female with 4 ducklings in the NW corner. Coot have shot up to 139 from 95 a fortnight ago so looks like the moulting flock has probably peaked. I'll check it in another couple of weeks time. Other stuff as follows...

5 Pochard,   2 Great Crested Grebe,   7 Mallard,   20 Gadwall (looks like the 2 big broods and their mums),   3 Mute Swan,   3 Canada Geese,   2 Grey Heron,   2 Moorhen,   5 Little Grebe, including a pair with 2 well-grown young that i don't recall being there last time. Good few scopes of all shores and the big island yields nothing. I had thought maybe there's be a Snipe or two after the one dropped into Pumphouse the other day. Ah well...

SO. Heads up peeps!!! If you want to get some good stuff at Moore, best time will be Thursday 12th until Monday 16th because that's when I'm off to the BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL. Sod's Law being what it is, it's also the time when something cracking is just bound to drop in. Happy Hunting ;)