April 30th
Lea Farm Lake – Cuckoo flew south over lake 2 more heard around Lavell’s, 3 Common Sandpiper flew to island off the north spit, 11 Lesser Black-backed Gull in various plumages (Richard Marsh); 5 Common Tern, Kingfisher crossing the lake regularly, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler both north west of hide, Tawny Owl youngster just past Teal Hide and toward Bittern hide in/around the old Oak by the fenced area (Michael Hubbard)
Lavell’s Lake – Cuckoo over (Steve Robertson); Green Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Shelduck male and female (Richard Marsh); Reed Bunting male (Geoff Emmett)
White Swan Lake – 2 Mandarin Duck male and female southern end (Brian Bennett)
Mortimer’s Meadow – Nightingale singing from the fenced off bluebell area east of the pylon (Marek Walford)
Male Reed Bunting at Lavell’s Lake – Geoff Emmett
April 29th
Lea Farm Lake – Cuckoo, Common Sandpiper, 12 Teal, Shoveler, 2 Shelduck male and female (Marek Walford); Garden Warbler just past Ron’s hide (Mike Rea)
Lavell’s Lake – Cuckoo calling from north side of the lake (FJC); Cuckoo possible female in view front of Teal hide (Ida Groot-Attias); 2 Cuckoo both male seen from Bittern hide (Roger Stansfield)
Black Swan Lake – 5 Oystercatcher 2 adults and 3 developed young, 2 Common Sandpiper flying around east side, 100+ Swallow & Sand Martin east side (FJC); Swift arriving in numbers (Anne Cronin)
Mortimer’s Meadow – Nightingale heard not seen – first for 2 years! (FJC)
Male Cuckoo at Lavell’s Lake – Roger Stansfield
April 28th
Lea Farm Lake – Raven very distant beyond landfill heading east north east (FJC); Cuckoo in trees between Teal hide and the lake (Tim James); Sedge Warbler in reeds near the hide, Green Woodpecker on ground, 4 greenfinch on the feeders (Mike Watt); 4 Yellow Wagtail one male and 3 females (Paul Bright-Thomas) 20:00.
Lavell’s Lake – Common Sandpiper (FJC); Cuckoo in tall Poplar before flying east over landfill (Trevor Guyatt); Bullfinch male between Teal and Bittern hides (Mike Watt); Cetti’s Warbler in reed bed on path to Bittern hide, Blackcap, Chiffchaff (Paul Francis); Reed Bunting male in song in reeds near hide (Stephen Abbott)
Black Swan Lake – Common Sandpiper flying around, 200+ mixed Hirundines mostly Swallows and Sand Martin very few House Martin (FJC); 3 Common Tern (Paul Bright-Thomas)
April 27th
Lea Farm Lake – Little Ringed Plover in the south west corner (FJC)
Lavell’s Lake – Common Sandpiper, 2 Snipe (FJC)
April 26th
Lea Farm Lake – 6 Common Tern, 12 Teal (6 pairs), 17 Shoveler 6 pairs and 5 males (FJC); Whitethroat near Ron’s hide (Nick Kightley)
Lavell’s Lake – 2 Swift, Sedge Warbler, Common Sandpiper, 2 Hobby, 2+ Blackcap, Cetti’s Warbler (Geoff Emmett); Swift over Car park, 2 Reed Bunting , 2 Garden Warbler at the triangle, Little Grebe, Reed Warbler at the Balancing Pond (Nick Kightley)
Common Sandpiper at Lavell’s Lake – Geoff Emmett
April 25th
Lea Farm Lake – 5 Teal 3 males and 2 females, 8 Shoveler 6 males and 2 females (Marek Walford); Sedge Warbler singing opposite Ron’s hide on the Loddon (FJC)
Black Swan Lake – 5 Oystercatcher two adults with 3 chicks, 20+ Swift southern end of the lake (Brian Bennett)
April 24th
Lea Farm Lake – Wheatear flying over landfill heading north, 3 Oystercatcher one on north spit Island and two over north presumably these are all additional birds to the Black Swan pair, 40+ Sand Martin over the lake, Raven over north carrying food (FJC)
Lavell’s Lake – Sedge Warbler showing well in the Blackthorn opposite Jerry’s bench (FJC)
Black Swan Lake – 4 Oystercatcher two adults with 2 chicks (FJC)
April 23rd
Lea Farm Lake – Shelduck circling then off towards Dinton, Merlin male just bombed over the hide heading west going very fast (FJC); Nuthatch on the feeders (Ida Groot-Attias); Cuckoo calling near hide (John Wolff)
Lavell’s Lake – Little Grebe on the Balancing Pond, 2 Reed Warbler singing near the Balancing Pond, Oystercatcher, Snipe, 2 Reed Bunting male and female (Anne Cronin)
Black Swan Lake – 3 Oystercatcher adult with 2 chicks on the Big island (Goat Island) (FJC)
April 22nd
Lea Farm Lake – Yellow Wagtail male in the north east corner, Chiffchaff near Teal hide (Geoff Emmett)
Lavell’s Lake – 2 Garden Warbler singing in the copse near Teal hide, 2 Grey Wagtail being bothered by a Magpie on Sandford Bridge (Michael Hubbard)
Black Swan Lake – 2 Oystercatcher, Common Tern (Suren Akkaraju)
April 21st
Lea Farm Lake – 3 Common Tern (FJC); Cuckoo calling north of hide not seen (Brian Bennett); Grey Wagtail in front of Ron Bryant hide (Ida Groot-Attias)
Lavell’s Lake – Garden Warbler singing 50 yards east of yellow gate,
Reed Warbler back of the scrape, 3 Oystercatchers on bund (Brian Bennett); 2 Little Egret flew towards Black Swan, Snipe (Suren Akkaraju); Cuckoo a rare dark phase female seen to left of hide in the Willow being very vocal before flying to the trees on Island (Geoff Emmett)
Black Swan Lake – Whitethroat singing by Emmbrook bridge to the Activity Centre (Brian Bennett)
White Swan Lake – 2 Reed Warbler singing in the reedbed (Brian Bennett)
Middle Marsh – Whitethroat (Brian Bennett)
April 20th
Lea Farm Lake – 2 Common Tern on the buoys (FJC); Little Ringed Plover in the south west corner showing well through gap in hedge (Peter Scudamore)
Lavell’s Lake – 2 Wheatear a pair on the west side of car park field moving to a vent on the Landfill, 6 Lesser Redpoll probably more dropped into Blackthorn at bottom of car park field to feed on the blossom (FJC); Snipe in reeds, Common Tern over (Anne Cronin); 2 Reed Warbler singing at the back of Bittern scrape (Alan Rymer)
Male Wheatear at Lavell’s Lake – FJC
April 19th
Lea Farm Lake – 10+ House Martin passing through, Little Ringed Plover (Geoff Emmett); Common Tern on blue buoy then off towards Dinton (FJC)
Lavell’s Lake – Blackcap male on fence by Bittern Hide, Great Spotted Woodpecker visible on path between Teal Hide and Bittern Hide drilling into a tree (Chris Conry); Whitethroat singing Bailey bridge, Reed warbler from Teal hide, Skylark singing over landfill (Nick Kightley); Reed Warbler singing from reedbed beyond the bund (Michael Hubbard); 2 Swallow, Raven drifting north (FJC); Kingfisher on Loddon and by Sand Martin wall (Mary Jacobs)
Black Swan Lake – Common Tern mobile around lake, Little Gull first summer flying over towards Sandford at about 200ft (FJC)
Little Ringed Plover at Lea Farm Lake – Geoff Emmett
Pair of Sand Martin inspecting nest hole at Lea Farm Lake – Geoff Emmett
Red Kite bathing at Lea Farm Lake – Geoff Emmett
Common Tern at Lea Farm Lake – Geoff Emmett
April 18th
Lea Farm Lake – 2 Mediterranean Gull adults but off north after 5 minutes (FJC)
Lavell’s Lake – 2 Redwing very late birds none since since March so late passage birds, 2 Mediterranean Gull adults flew over low north calling re-found Lea Farm Lake, Sand Martin are using the wall near Teal scrape, Garden Warbler singing in trees beyond feeder area (FJC); Willow Warbler singing by the hide entrance (Paul Bright-Thomas); Snipe, Cetti’s Warbler (Alan Jackman)
White Swan Lake – Reed Warbler singing and showing well west side of the reed bed (Brian Bennett)
2 Mediterranean Gulls at Lea Farm Lake – FJC
Snipe at Lavell’s Lake – Alan Jackman
Cetti’s Warbler at Lavell’s Lake – Alan Jackman
April 17th
Lea Farm Lake – Green Sandpiper in the south west corner (FJC)
Lavell’s Lake – Willow Warbler unusually for our patch one still lingering half way to Bittern hide, 9+ Lesser Redpoll landed in hedgerow at back of car park field then off east, 3 Snipe close to Bittern hide (FJC)
White Swan Lake – Reed Warbler (Brian Bennett)
April 16th
Lea Farm Lake – Little Ringed Plover on the north east shore (Tim James)
Lavell’s Lake – Chiffchaff on path to Bittern hide (Geoff Emmett)
Chiffchaff at Lavell’s Lake – Geoff Emmett
April 15th
Lea Farm Lake – Oystercatcher on the east shore, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 4 Herring Gull, Nuthatch (Richard Marsh); 3 Common Sandpiper in the north east corner (Keith Boseley)
Lavell’s Lake – Oystercatcher, 2 Snipe both seen from Bittern hide (Richard Marsh)
April 14th
Lea Farm Lake – 3 Common Sandpiper in the north east corner, 2 Snipe, 2 Little Egret over, Barn Owl in the Wet Meadow Box (Paul Bright-Thomas)
Lavell’s Lake – 2 Willow Warbler next to footpath bridge, 3 Blackcap all singing males, 5 Teal 4 drakes and one female, Sedge Warbler next to path for hide, 6 Sand Martin over high (Chris Forsey)
April 13th
Lea Farm Lake – Redstart male on the western side north of hide (Brian Bennett); Oystercatcher flew over going north, 25+ Sand Martins visiting wall, Nuthatch on feeder (Richard Marsh)
Black Swan Lake – 2 Mandarin Ducks south of the lake (Alan Jackman)
Male Redstart at Lea Farm Lake – Alan Jackman
April 11th
Lea Farm Lake – 10 Shoveler, 9 Teal, Common Sandpiper (Marek Walford); Oystercatcher (Renton Righelato)
Lavell’s Lake – 2 Cetti’s Warbler singing (Brian Crathorne); Willow Warbler, 15 Shoveler, 2 Snipe (Renton Righelato)
Sandford Lake – 2 Cetti’s Warbler singing (Brian Crathorne); 43 Tufted Duck, Pochard (Renton Righelato)
Black Swan Lake – 2 Oystercatcher (Marek Walford); Willow Warbler, 3 Sand Martin (Brian Crathorne)
White Swan Lake – Sparrowhawk, Willow Warbler singing (Brian Crathorne)
April 10th
Black Swan Lake – 2 Mistle Thrush one carrying food near the main car park, 3 Sand Martin near the Activity Centre, 15+ Swallow near the Activity Centre (Patrick Cowley)
April 9th
Lavell’s Lake – Common Sandpiper on the bund, Green Sandpiper landed on bund but almost immediately vanished from sight, Little Egret, 4 Herring Gull (Richard Marsh); 4 Willow Warbler by Betty’s bench and the Car Park field (FJC); 3 Snipe (Geoff Emmett)
Black Swan Lake – 2 Common Scoter pair circling lake at about 300-400ft headed south west (FJC)
April 8th
Lea Farm Lake – 4 Swallow, 25 Sand Martin, Common Sandpiper, Osprey over from the south east then north right over lake at 400ft, Yellow Wagtail male on the east shore then flew off to the north spit island then back on the east shore (FJC)
Lavell’s Lake – Cuckoo heard only in the vicinity of Bittern hide, as I was walking round the car park field (Richard Marsh); Goldcrest (Ida Groot-Attias)
Goldcrest at Lavell’s Lake – Ida Groot-Attias
Goldcrest at Lavell’s Lake – Ida Groot-Attias
April 6th
Lea Farm Lake – Common Sandpiper on the east shore, Little Ringed Plover also on the east shore (FJC)
Black Swan Lake – 2 Mistle Thrush near the Cafe (Jonny Cox)
April 5th
Lea Farm Lake – Common Sandpiper on the east shore before flying around the lake (FJC)
Black Swan Lake – 30+ Sand Martin, 2+ Swallow both seen over the lake from the Activity Centre (Steve Clarke)
April 4th
Lea Farm Lake – Curlew flew in low calling circled the old shingle island, nearly landed then flew over to north east shore – it returned later in the day (FJC)
Lavell’s Lake – Grey Wagtail on the Emm Brook (David White)
Curlew at Lea Farm Lake – FJC
April 2nd
Lea Farm Lake – Little Ringed Plover in the north east corner (Marek Walford)
April 1st
Lavell’s Lake – Green Woodpecker in the Car Park field, Little Ringed Plover on the bund, 3 Herring Gull on the bund (Richard Marsh); Raven over, 2 Shoveler drake and female, 5 Chiffchaff 2 seen further 3 heard, 2 Ring-necked Parakeet, Treecreeper (Ralph Watts)
Sandford Lake – Cetti’s Warbler, Kingfisher (Richard Marsh)
Black Swan Lake – 2 Swallow over the south east corner (Paul Bright-Thomas)
