GARGANEY!

Roy Hargreaves discovered a drake GARGANEY first thing this morning, he and Dave Bilcock 'scoping it for a while before Stuart Wilson watched it disappear into the creek to the right of the hide. Steve Rodwell, Charlie, Francis, Mike Campbell all searched for it later but it wasn't until mid morning that I relocated it close-in to the jetty on the east side. It then remained in this vicinity for much of the afternoon.

Otherwise, Roy & Dave had a COMMON SANDPIPER on WILSTONE early on, while I recorded 4 MANDARIN DUCKS (2 separate pairs), a singing WILLOW WARBLER in East Wood, Kingfisher, 16 Teal, 2 Common Redshank, 4 Common Buzzard, 3 male Blackcap, Great Spotted & Green Woodpecker, Common Treecreeper and Goldcrest. In the Hide Creek, a female Mallard was accompanying 10 ducklings and a Coot was sitting.

At COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT, a singing male WILLOW WARBLER on the west side was new.

These last two shots depict a singing male WILLOW WARBLER - my first of the year