Friday 24 April 2015

Besor patch update

Nothing unusual in the past few days, just a very pleasant few hours watching the Besor Reservoir patch. It's great to see the migrants moving through and the summer breeders arrive. Each day is different but very birdy. Early in the morning large numbers of Swifts, Swallows and House Martins hawk over the main pool. Today Pallid Swifts arrived in force. The Purple Swamphens make brief and distant appearances - I know exactly which areas they frequent but there's never a guarantee of seeing them. Little Grebes, Moorhens, Coots and Acrocephalus warblers are calling/singing continuously. Yesterday I heard what I thought was a Locustella - a River Warbler type song from the Tamarisk trees by the stream side. However, I couldn't confirm it either it by repeated song or sighting so it  remains a mystery. No Bluethroats recently but many Thrush Nightingales are calling from the thickets. Huge numbers of Blackcaps around and a single Wryneck this morning around the reservoir trees. A few Whiskered and Common Terns have been moving through and Purple Heron numbers have increased to seven.
Tricky birds to get good photos of.

I don't know whether this is one of the Cuckoos from a couple of days ago or a new one moving through.

A couple of Marsh Harriers (this one diving into the reeds)

and Hen Harriers around and yesterday this Osprey was fishing.

Rollers seem to have tripled their numbers since year.



Bee-eaters are always good to see. I like the colours in this shot.

Squacco Herons by the dozen and each one in a slightly different plumage.

Glossy Ibis, Little Egret and Squacco Herons. A single Night Heron didn't make it into the frame.

Patch watching - I thoroughly recommend it!

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