21st September 2013

My day started with a bit of garden bird watching for my BTO garden birdwatch, with only two Coal tits a Dunnock and a Woodpigeon recorded for the morning. Before heading off to the cemetery to pay my respect to my nephew who lost his life three years ago (18th September 2010) in Afghanistan while on a patrol. While I was here I saw a Jay, Robin, and some Swallows. Then after sitting awhile it was time to go home for some dinner.

While having dinner I decided I would go over to one of my favourite sights to watch birds (Blashford Lakes) with the hope of seeing the Great White Egret and to get a picture of a Ruff. I arrived at 1300hrs and went straight to the Tern hide first to see if the Ruff was about, it was not in front of the hide this day.
Birds seen from this hide comprised of the following.

Little Grebes, Great Crested Grebes, Coots, Mute Swans, Cormorants, Egyptian Geese, Lapwings, Black-Headed Gulls, a Peregrine , Greylag Geese, Grey Heron and a Common Sandpiper. After watching and taking a couple of photos of the Common Sandpiper

I thought I would go over to Ivy Lake to see if the Great White Egret was there, but is instead of going to the hide I had a walk through the trees to the viewing screen which looks over to the hide and gives a better view of all the reed bed and this part of the north end of the lake.
A quick scan along the reeds and no Egret, but a scan over to the left of these reeds was an island of trees and just on the edge of these trees was the Great White Egret a first sighting for me. Also there was Grey Heron and from my position at the viewing hide which I had all to myself I saw Teal, Lapwing, Shoveler, Tufted Ducks more Coots and Swan, a couple of Great Crested Grebes, Gadwall and a Kingfisher and around the screen Blackbirds, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jay and a Green Woodpecker after this I left the reserve at 15.30hrs