9/08/17

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Nice and warm and very patchy today with relatively strong gusts of wind. So to start of the day it was towards to Mainlake were instantly 3 Kestrels were picked up with to being seen and one call. Further on was 1 Male Chaffinch which I don't often see on the Moss. 2 Cormorants flew over and a Single Carbo Cormorant was on the Backpools as with a single Cormorant on the Burket.
1st Summer Carbo Cormorant at Backpools (Image by Luke Anderson)
The usual on the Mainlake with an abundance of Mallard and Coot with a single tufted duck on there. Residence such as the Mute Swan and the 4 Cygnets were still there along with 6 Great Crested Grebes including their chicks. The only other bird on the Mainlake was a pair of Reed Warblers and a possible Grasshopper Warbler based on my view on it but it didn't call so I couldn't get a better identification. Sadly the 2 Common Sandpipers have moved on from the Lake.  Next, it was down to the Backpools where there was an interesting discovery, an Ichneumon Wasp had started to lay eggs on a Tetraganatha as a host body for its young.
Ichneumon wasp laying eggs on a young Tetraganatha (Image By Luke Anderson)
When reaching the Backpools it was full of life, hundreds of fish were in its waters and the lonesome Tufted Duck chick had become larger and its now getting some of its adult plumage.
Tufted Duck Chick (Image By Luke Anderson)
Another unexpected discovery was also made at the Backpools today as well, the Little Grebes have bred there again this year with not just the 1 but 2 chicks and possibly 3 along with the 2 Adult Little Grebes which are there also. I managed to watch the behavior and I finally had gotten a glimpse of a Grebe carry its chicks on its back as with watching one of the parents go back and forth with fish for the chicks.
Little Grebes (Video By Luke Anderson)

















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