5pm: top lodge

X3 oystercatcher 

X1 common tern 

X2 Great crested Grebes 

X2 swallow 

3pm: of note 

90+ Pink-footed Geese in the farm fields on the top lodge. This eclipses my previous record of 3 by a country mile! 

X4 Little Egrets off Bently Hall Rd

X20+ Redwing 

X2 female goosander on the top lodge 

12pm 

Over 350+ Fieldfare flew through the top lodge heading NW. 

+37 Redwing 

3pm 

X3 Pink-footed geese on the middle lodge

X2 Mediterranean gulls foraging distantly on the fields off Bentley hall rd. 

The long returning pair of Mediterranean gulls returned this morning for their 9th consecutive year. 

One has the tiniest, hard to read ring (E929220).

Rung as a chick. In Antwerp, Belgium on 17.05. 2011 Making it just short of 12 years old.

Also of note: middle lodge

X24 redwing 

X1 treecreeper 

X1 Greylag goose 

X1 Pink-footed goose

X2 Buzzards 

X1 goosander (f) 

X7 cormorants 

3pm 

X4 little egrets in the fields off Slaidburn Drive/Bentley hall road

Wet 2 hour circuit this morning.

Top lodge had most of the birdlife: 

X1 Common gull

X1 Lesser black-backed gull 

X 20+ black headed gulls 

X3 goosander (2f 1m )

X1 Buzzard

X60 + flock of Redwing foraging in the sheepshead field

With 30+ starlings 

X3 Mistle thrush

X2 Fieldfare.

On way back home I had X2 bullfinch, X3 Jays , and another 

Small flock of x35 Redwings near Walshaw Nursing home.

And a new patch tick with a Treecreeper 

3:30 - 4:30pm 

Absolutely outstanding numbers of Redwing and fieldfare slowly passing through the reservoirs and the surrounding fields. Low estimations of 4000+ redwing and 500+ fieldfare

  One field had 2 perched up juvenile sparrowhawks and one kestrel all looking bemused and overwhelmed by the constant influx of prey flying around them.

Extensive 3 hour walk round Lowercroft and the surrounding area this afternoon, in biblical weather! 

Best bird of note was a very late Wheatear on Bentley Hall rd.

Quite a lot more meadow pipits about making their way south in small groups.

X1 buzzard 

X1 kestrel 

5pm 

Small group of swallows flew through being pursued by a hobby. 

Single Wheatear on the side of the middle lodge. 

9am -10am 

X3 Common Terns before the resident male chased one away.

X2 Curlew over 

X4 linnet 

Yesterday there was a single Greylag Goose with the Canada's. No sign today.

7am 

Both common Terns still present. I witnessed them mating a few times also. The irony is that there is absolutely nowhere for them to safely brood a chick anywhere on the lodges. 

4pm 

Again like clockwork the Common Tern appeared briefly at the same time as Sunday, flew down to the bottom lodge where it caught a fish. It then spent 5 mins flying around the middle and top lodge calling loudly. It landed in the same spot for 5 mins with the fish but never ate it. occasionally calling. (Im thinking this behaviour was a display to try and attract a mate.) Then it flew off high towards Elton Res, with the fish. 

x3 Oystercatchers Also 

3,30pm 

Both Mediterranean gulls present in the compound of Meadowcroft farm on the middle lodge. Allowing me to get really close enabling me to finally achieved something I've been trying and obsessing about for the past 5 years, and I know Rob Archer has for longer than me. I finally got the full ring number off the Gull complete with photographic evidence. I've been in contact with the Belgian scheme that rung the bird and they were reluctant to take the sighting with us not having 100% confidence in the full number or photographic evidence. 

So today I can say with utmost sincerity that the ring number is: E929220. I have just sent my sighting back to the scheme with all the relevant details and photos, where I eagerly await the birds history details. 

3:30pm -4:30pm 

Both Mediterranean gulls still present on the water on the middle lodge with approx 50 black-headed gulls. Before all flying off to roost in the direction of Belmont. 

Juvenile peregrine flew over carrying prey, getting harrased off at least 10 corvids 

4:30pm

X3 little Egrets at High Crompton farm on Bentley Hall Road

This pm 

X2 little Egrets still on the fields off Bentley Hall road and Slaidburn Drive. Been present daily for the past 4 weeks now. 

This Am:

Kingfisher near the overflow pipes on middle lodge.

Good numbers of Redwing in the surrounding Hawthorn hedges. 

big female sparrowhawk hunting along the hedges on Bentley hall road.

12noon

Grasshopper warbler reeling from the marsh below the cause way on the middle lodge. 

Cackling Goose still present this afternoon. It's a bit of a shock seeing how small they are compared to Canada Geese (see images)

Richardson's Cackling Goose still present, but on field to North above the reservoir with 9 other Canada Geese. 

Had a look in the evening at the small Canada Goose at Lowercroft Reservoir, an interesting bird!