I spent today birding at Brandon with the usual Tuesday bunch on yet another chilly May day. I'm always struck when on site at what an amazing diverse habitat we have at Brandon and with most things now approaching full bloom it's looking near it's best.No real additions to the species count on site at present with the recent Wood Sandpipers looking as though they've moved on. The 3 young Oystercatcher appear to be still in tact, but I'm a little worried with regard to the amount of Crows we have around, it's a full time job for the parents of vunerable young such as Oystercatcher and Lapwings, they literally need to be on the ball 24/7. Another new family which appeared yesterday are 2 Great Crested Grebe chicks, which were being carried in true Grebe style on the back of the mother on East Marsh Pool, the male constantly fishing for provisions.
Having built a couple of Shelduck nesting holes on the main pool earlier in the year we were delighted to see a pair (pictured) taking a good deal of interest yesterday morning, with both birds venturing in. This would be an excellent coo and a first for Brandon if these two were to take up residence. Plenty of Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk taking to the the thermals, joined at one stage by a couple of Ravens, but the Hobby, which I know are on site, are being very illusive. One final mention in relation to some late stayers, I recorded a lone Snipe, 2 male Shoveler and a pair of Teal during my visit yesterday, a little unusual for this time of year but then so too is the weather!
Well that's it for Brandon for several days as I hope to be posting from Spain and Portugal over the coming week, ash cloud permitting. If your a Twitter like me and would like to keep an eye on my travels then you can follow me Here or simply stay tuned to Birding Afloat.
