Shustoke Reservoir.

Another nice trip out today this time to Warwickshire for a long overdue visit to Shustoke Reservoir where it was very sunny and hardly a cloud in the sky.

Quite a few highlights today, firstly, if you've read this blog before you'll know that I've previously mentioned that the waterfowl have a torrid time breeding at this location because there isn't really anywhere suitable for them to nest apart from the netting that hold the buoys to keep the yachts in check of which invariably make the nests sink when it's too windy or rains heavily so it really was great to see two Little Grebe and two Great Crested  Grebe chicks on the water and a Great Crested Grebe on the nest which may still successfully breed if there's no inclement weather soon. Also nice to see were three healthy looking Cygnets who even though were seen on the Reservoir actually had their nest on a metal grate on the Fly Fishers Pool.

Juvenile songbird are always a pleasure to see but it's always especially pleasing to see a Whitethroat juvenile especially when one almost sits on your shoulder when I was by the adjacent Water Orton Railway line, there was also double number of Pied Wagtail and the odd juvenile Goldfinch along the waters edge, also along the waters edge was a Common Sandpiper which despite it's name I don't see very often.

Birds seen today were Buzzard, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Wren, Robin, House Martin, Swallow, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Pied Wagtail, Cormorant, Common Sandpiper, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Coot, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Canada Goose as well as the following juveniles, Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Cygnet (2) and Great Crested Grebe (2).

Needless to say but with the sun out there was an abundance of Butterflies on the wing, the following species were spotted, Small Blue, Small Copper, Green-Veined White, Small White, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Speckled Wood. 

In the back garden there's been good and bad news in the past couple of days, firstly the good, I was cleaning the birdbaths and feeders of which meant I had to remove a hanging globe seed feeder, clean it and then replenish it with mealworms and plenty of sunflower hearts, so I did this which took about five minutes, when all done I went to hang it back in the apple tree and literally waiting on the branch below where it hangs was a juvenile Coal Tit possibly only a few  days old, it didn't even leave the tree while I was there and presumably was feeding as soon as my back was turned, there has also been a surge of Blackbird juveniles many of whom are very social, even letting you walk right up to them. And so we get to the bad, there has been two adult and a juvenile Collared Dove visiting the garden to eat the seed I leave in bird seed cups which is actually meant for the House Sparrows but I don't mind as I love Collared Doves and their temperament, sadly I noticed the juvenile was hopping about on the lawn yesterday with the affected foot/leg not looking too good, hopefully it's nothing too drastic and will make a quick recovery, rest assured I'll keep feeding him/her up.