Shustoke Reservoir.

A trip to Shustoke Reservoir this morning, even though there wasn't the dramatic events of last Thursday unfortunately torrential rain still stopped play at around midday but I'd already got a lot of birding in already. A good walk was had around the reservoir, the adjacent River Bourne and the Fly Fishers Pool but the usual walk around the farmers fields and meadow was impossible due to the flash floods earlier in the week. The days, not so long ago, when the Reservoir was getting critically low are definitely gone with the water levels full and even in danger of encroaching onto the grass, also the river level has dramatically risen, with it still in full flowing mode today. Highlights of the day was seeing a fearsome looking female Goshawk about 18 foot in front of me wondering whether to take one of the Coot's on the edge of the reservoir, but in the end it didn't, it flew off into the meadow to be joined by another Goshawk, I couldn't tell it's sex though being as it was too far away, the other main spot of the day was seeing two female Blackcap juveniles in the trees surrounding the car park in amongst many Chaffinch juveniles. At the far end of the reservoir a Kestrel was hovering at the edge of the reservoir when it swooped down, probably for a vole, when it was attacked by a screeching Song Thrush, the Kestrel then flew off leaving the Song Thrush sitting triumphantly on the fence. Unusually for Shustoke there was eleven Mute Swan on the reservoir and another two on the Fly Fishers pool, hopefully they'll hang around for a while. There was also plenty of Common Tern in attendance today, screeching everywhere you went above the water, on the water there was a hundred plus Great Crested Grebe. Birds spotted today were Goshawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Starling, Robin, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Song Thrush, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Common Tern, Pied Wagtail, Mute Swan, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Pekin Duck, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Coot and Canada Goose as well as the following chicks/juveniles, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Pied Wagtail, Cygnet (4), Duckling (11) and Coot (2). There was also plenty of Rabbits seen today not only at the reservoir but also on the journey there and back.