Pype Hayes Park and Plantsbrook Nature Reserve.

Pype Hayes Park.

Canada Goose and Seven Gosling.

Chinese Red Birch.

Two trips today, first off it was to Pype Hayes Park and then a walk over to the adjacent Plantsbrook Nature Reserve to see if the Cygnets have hatched yet but more about that later.

Highlight of the day at Pype Hayes Park was easily seeing .c70 Starling foraging on the grass and in amongst their number was a good 20 juveniles if not more which is definitely a good thing too see, it was a real pleasure too see them in such numbers. Unfortunately on the fishing pool the pair of Great Grebes have had a pair of chicks but a Grey Heron has apparently seen fit to have them as breakfast, which is a sad demise for such a beautiful looking bird, saying that the Great Crested Grebe was still on the nest while the other other adult was chasing off any bird who came near so hopefully they'll still raise some young yet.

Birds seen at Pype Hayes Park were Chaffinch, Dunnock, Robin, Starling, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Canada Goose as well as the following juveniles, Duckling (8), Gosling (7), Coot (2) and Starling.

Plantsbrook Nature Reserve.

Speckled Wood (Parage Aegeria).

Mute Swan Cygnets.

Then it was off to Plantsbrook Nature Reserve primarily to see if the Mute Swan chicks have hatched and indeed they have had 6 Cygnets, who obviously look fantastic. Then we had quick walk around the pools not knowing that the best was still to come and with seeing 2 Great Crested Grebe chicks looking wonderful on the large pool that's saying something.

Birds seen were Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Robin, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Moorhen, Coot, Gadwall, Mallard, Canada Goose as well as the following young, Cygnet (6), Coot (11), Great Crested Grebe (2) and there were at least 7 Coot still on the nest.

When we got back to the first pool I commented that the Mute Swan's and Cygnet's absence and said that maybe they've done their annual migration from Plantsbrook to Pype Hayes Pool which was greeted with an 'as if', so we headed back and to even my surprise they had just navigated the busy dual carriageway and were on the path with still a fair distance to go across the grass to reach the pool , so we followed them all the way making sure no dogs or corvid's got near them, it was a relief when we finally reached the pool because the male was struggling and had to keep sitting down and was clearly gasping in the sunshine but every time he sat down the female was egging him on to keep moving but thankfully as soon as he was on the water he had a good drink and was fine. It was a real privilege to escort these fine birds from A to B (or were they escorting us?) being as it was probably a once in a lifetime experience, right place and right time I guess.  

Mute Swan and Six Cygnets.