Great White Egret pays a visit

Cloudy all day, the rain starting in earnest after lunch. A light variable north breeze.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Alan Wilson spotted this Great White Egret on the main pond yesterday. They have been seen passing over the reserve many times in recent years, but this is the first record of one feeding here.

Great White Egret yesterday 

Migrant Hawker also by Alan

This morning's ringing report by Alan (Draper)

I only set two nets this morning in view of the forecast early rain - the rain didn't happen until around 11.30. However, six more Grey Wagtails were colour ringed making the total 26 so far this Autumn. A flock of 12 Meadow Pipits passed through but no hirundine movement was evident (one Swallow did pass through, but northwards).  Swallows were on the move elsewhere so Middleton was clearly not on a flightline.  A large flock of at least 60 Goldfinch were again roaming the reserve.  Late in the morning the whole flock dropped into bushes adjacent to one of the nets and I approached expecting a netful but only three were caught.

Robin  3

Grey Wagtail  6 (For details of the Grey Wagtail colour ringing scheme see sidebar)

Blackcap  7

Chiffchaff  2

Goldfinch  3

Sedge Warbler, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Willow Warbler & Chaffinch   1 of each.

I had a quick look at the two main ponds later in the morning (Malcolm)

Cetti's warbler 1 singing

Mute Swan pair plus a cygnet on the main pond. Lone adult on the "no swimming" pond. It (presumably she) was stood on the nest where the paired female hatched three cygnets earlier this year. There are at least three eggs on the nest. Not really sure what's going on, perhaps they were three eggs that didn't hatch, although I'm sure the nest was empty when the paired female left it. I'll watch this space!

Mute Swan stood on nest with at least three eggs.

Tufted Duck 13 (11 male). Two males were on the "no swimming" pond the rest were on the main pond. This is the largest group feeding

But when the female left all the males followed.

Mallard 10

Coot 17

Moorhen 3

Little Grebe 2

Tufted Duck, winter plumage Little Grebe and Coot

At 14:00, after the rain had started, Janet saw 30+ hirundines feeding high above the main pond. Unfortunately she had no optics with her and they were too high to identify.

Red Nab to saltmarsh mid morning (Malcolm)

Shelduck 8

Robin 3

Wheatear 8

Pied Wagtail 10

Linnet 2

Meadow Pipit 2

Male Wheatear

A particularly rufous female/immature Wheatear

Meadow Pipit

Two Meadow Pipit and two Wheatears

There was still the odd butterfly coming down the sea wall, this Red Admiral 
choosing to rest on one of the bollards at the beginning of the wall

There hasn't been many Small Tortoiseshell so far this year

Janet took these shots in the Nature Park yesterday 

Showing the abundance of Peacocks

Peacock and a Red Admiral