18 April 2022 - Hollingworth Lake
« Newer | Older »3 Common Sandpipers, 10 Tufted Duck, Sand Martins, Blackcap
Dull to begin with, but gradually clearing and becoming sunny. As I walked up Rakewood Road I scanned the reserve area with my bins and noticed what appeared to be three Common Sandpipers in flight, but I couldn't see where they landed. When I got a bit closer, I could see them on the only bit of exposed mud on the road side of the reserve. At least 8 Tufted Ducks were also in this area, but mobile. The male Blackcap appeared by the bridge briefly but only sang a short snatch of song. By the time I reached the hide I could see there were 10 Tufted Ducks, but 8 of them were a bit jittery and were frequently flying around. By this time it was raining, so I waited in the hide for a while, and a number of Sand Martins were feeding low over the water, roughly where the Cormorants sit on the posts. I tried some flight shots, but they were always quite distant.
I walked up to Turnough and down to Shaw Moss but there was very little about. When I got back onto the lake bank near Peanock Farm, I saw a Wren carrying nesting material, visible through a gap in the foliage, and managed a couple of decent pics. Further round, a House Sparrow perched briefly by the path with a Crane Fly of some description in its bill.
Tufted Ducks (view full size image)
Tufted Ducks (view full size image)
Sand Martin (view full size image)
Sand Martins (view full size image)
House Sparrow (view full size image)