Shustoke Reservoir.

Nice trip out to Warwickshire to visit Shustoke Reservoir which apart from being greeting with loads of KFC and Big John's litter, which was duly picked up by the way, was a great day out to be birding, what with birds singing, building nests, feeding young, plenty of butterflies about and all the flowers and plants in bloom.

Highlights of the day was seeing two separate Great Spotted Woodpecker adults feeding very noisy young in their nests, talking of noisy juvenile birds I also saw a pair of Great Tit adults feeding young in the adjacent tree of which I saw the second Great Spotted Woodpecker nest, it was also nice to see a Mute Swan on the nest in the Fly fishers Pool. As you should know by know I always love this time of the year when the fledglings are about and today I saw juvenile House Sparrow, Long Tailed Tit, Great Tit and Starling.

Birds seen today were Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Chiffchaff, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin, Starling, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, House Martin, Swallow, Swift, Pied Wagtail, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Mallard, Canada Goose as well as the following juveniles, Duckling (15), Gosling (2), Coot (3), House Sparrow, Long Tailed Tit, Great Tit and Starling as well as nesting Mute Swan (1), Coot (2), Great Spotted Woodpecker (2) and Great Tit (1).

Butterflies seen today were Orange Tip, Green-Veined White, Small White and Peacock.

I passed by Gumbleberrys Pool in Stechford yesterday and even though I didn't have time to stop and didn't have my binoculars I had to pop in for 10 minutes to see what juvenile birds were there and as per usual Canada Geese Goslings are thriving here with thirty four Goslings counted as well as three juvenile Coots.

Also seen were Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard and Canada Goose.

I also saw a male Mallard hopping about on one foot which really winds me up when I can guarantee it was done by 'fisherman' carelessly discarding fishing line, something which is commonplace here and I've noticed is on the rise more and more wherever I go, I always pick it up when I see it but more and more I'm noticing that the 'fishermen' seem to enjoy throwing it into inaccessible tree branches, it makes me so angry !