Missed Opportunitiey

Wednesday 11th May 2016 I made a evening visit to the Longham Lakes patch as I had heard that some summer plumaged Dunlin and Greenshank had turn up recently. These would make great patch list and sight first for me if found.
Arriving at the car park I was greeted by a singing Chaffinch in on of the small trees on the green by the visitors centre. I made my way along the cause way stopping at the slip way to scan the island, with a few Tuftys and Mallards on the edge of the shore, then a lone Lapwing, now whats that I said to myself with a small wader running along the edge of the gravel bingo it was a wonderful summer plumage Dunlin. As I made my way along the rest of the cause way stopping  every few yards listening to Reed warbler and scanning the scrub willows and reeds along the edge of South Lake I managed to 7  Reed Warblers round the lake. Stopping to look across the fields I watched a very nice aerial display of c30 Swifts, while standing here I thought I heard a Garden Warbler but was very unsure as I find it very hard to distinguish the difference between Blackcap and Garden Warbler so I really need to see them and as Blackcap were sighted I will just have to leave it as may be until I see the bird.

  While walking along the path between the two lake I stopped and watched a large group of Bream spawning in the shallow water along the southern edge of North lake . There were some very big Bream among them and the were all make big thrashing and splashing as they moved through the weed.
  Any ways I moved on round the lake recording the birds and anything else I could find and  along the east side of the lake I found a wild black rabbit which is another first for me. As time was getting on I hurried round the last bit of the lake from the pump house to the car park, that was the biggest mistake I made because when I got home I had the news that a Nightjar was sat on a post just a few yards up going south from the car park which I must of walked pasted. A lesson hard learnt as I general check the posts in the fields but never check these post on this side of the lake.

 Wild Black Rabbit

Green Woodpecker

Can I make to the hundred before the year is out with 23 birds needed I hope so but it is going to be hard going I think. Any way the highlights with to new species seen.

Egyptian Goose
Shelduck
Great Black-backed Gull
Lapwing
Common Sandpiper
Dunlin
Patch list now stands at 77 species and 81 points