Osprey, Longham Lakes, May 13th 2012 (Alan Pearce)
Sunday 13th May
During a walk around the lakes, during which he heard yesterday’s Nightingale briefly, Alan Pearce was treated to a fly-by by this Osprey. You can compare the size to the Swift in the same photograph. This Osprey is the first spring record for Longham Lakes.
Chris Parnell and I spend two hours in the evening trying to hear the Nightingale, with no success. The only birds seen or heard of interest were Cuckoo and 1 Hobby.
Thursday 17th May
Chris Parnell had 10 Black-tailed Godwits through, plus a Peregrine on a pylon and a Mandarin on LR South. There was also a Skylark singing over Hampreston Fields.
Saturday 19th May
Trevor Thorpe: 1 Mandarin (Male) on Southern island of lake 2, 1 Common Sandpiper on North island, 1 Cuckoo calling from Hampreston Fields, 5 Stock Dove on newly tilled large field, 1 Peregrine which took out a starling on the Horse paddock on the Northern side of Green Lane and headed purposely North until lost from sight, and 24 Common Tern hawking for insects with the big flock of hirundines over LR South (by far the biggest ever count on the lake).
Tuesday 22nd May
George Green had a male Garganey on Longham Reservoir North in the evening.
Wednesday 23rd May
Alan Pearce: 2 Common Terns and a Fox but otherwise quiet.
Thursday 24th May
Remarkably, Nick Hull saw an Osprey on a dead tree by the Stour on Hampreston Fields at 06.45. Then, equally remarkably, George Green relocated the bird at 10-10.25. “It was perched on the dead branches of a willow tree by the bend in the River Stour. On 3 occasions it flew off out of sight presumably attempting the catch fish in the river without success. When I walked on at 10.25 it was still on view. When I returned from walking around the south lake at 11.25 there was no sign of it. Also at Longham this morning my first site Common Terns of the year and my 2nd site record of Raven.”
On the lakes themselves there were 2 male Pochards, 15 Herring Gulls and 4 Lesser Black-backs.