A funny day today. Once again I was not expecting to go to WWT but as the weather seemed quite nice and I thought that there would not be too many screaming kids about I decided to just go and have a quiet ‘mooch’ about. In no particular hurry I had breakfast before leaving home and arrived at about half past ten.
I decided to follow the pattern of moving around the site usually taken by Leon and myself and so moved off towards the ‘Wildside’ hide. The weather by now was very warm indeed, most people in shirtsleeve order. I stopped on the second bridge before the hide and watched some Coots starting to build a nest. In one corner of the smallish area of water I could see what I took to be a large, black football. I looked at it through my binoculars; it was definitely black and had markings like a large football. When its’ head moved I thought maybe it wasn’t a football after all! It was, in fact, an enormous Red Eared Terrapin. I had seen them before but nothing like as big as this one! I ‘phoned the WWT office to inform them of their ‘visitor’, expressing my concern for what it might do to the wildlife in the area. I was told that somebody would come along to check the situation. Having been into the hide for about half an hour I was making my way back to the Centre, passing quite a few people in waders. I said to one chap “ You’ll need the gun!” Not a glimmer. I secretly hoped that the terrapin would get him.
The rest of the day passed well enough, the weather remained fine and I saw my first Whitethroat and Ringed Plover. A chap tried to point out the differences in plumage of the various Gulls. I thoroughly enjoyed just ‘mooching about. Even the birds seemed to be enjoying themselves; they certainly put on a lovely vocal display for everybody! Talking of displays, a Sedge Warbler put on the most fantastic display and sang his heart out directly in front of the ‘Peacock Tower’.
I popped into ‘the office’ to savour a couple of pints whilst trying to get my head around the different plumage patterns for different ages of seagulls. I eventually gave up, thinking that it might be better to practice this ‘in the field’, so to speak.
BIRDS SEEN: Swift, Mallard, Canada Goose, Starling, Tufted Duck, Coot, Carrion Crow, Common Tern, Herring Gull, House Martin, Heron, Whooper Swan, Lapwing, Moorhen, Greylag Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Wood Pigeon, Ruddy Duck, Sand Martin, Mute Swan, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting, Wren, Magpie, Robin, Greater Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Kestrel, Yellow Legged Gull, Green Woodpecker, Ring Necked Parakeet, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Common Snipe, Stock Dove, Cormorant, Ringed Plover ,Coal Tit, Little Grebe, Pochard, Pied Wagtail, Feral Pigeon, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Song Thrush.
I decided to follow the pattern of moving around the site usually taken by Leon and myself and so moved off towards the ‘Wildside’ hide. The weather by now was very warm indeed, most people in shirtsleeve order. I stopped on the second bridge before the hide and watched some Coots starting to build a nest. In one corner of the smallish area of water I could see what I took to be a large, black football. I looked at it through my binoculars; it was definitely black and had markings like a large football. When its’ head moved I thought maybe it wasn’t a football after all! It was, in fact, an enormous Red Eared Terrapin. I had seen them before but nothing like as big as this one! I ‘phoned the WWT office to inform them of their ‘visitor’, expressing my concern for what it might do to the wildlife in the area. I was told that somebody would come along to check the situation. Having been into the hide for about half an hour I was making my way back to the Centre, passing quite a few people in waders. I said to one chap “ You’ll need the gun!” Not a glimmer. I secretly hoped that the terrapin would get him.
The rest of the day passed well enough, the weather remained fine and I saw my first Whitethroat and Ringed Plover. A chap tried to point out the differences in plumage of the various Gulls. I thoroughly enjoyed just ‘mooching about. Even the birds seemed to be enjoying themselves; they certainly put on a lovely vocal display for everybody! Talking of displays, a Sedge Warbler put on the most fantastic display and sang his heart out directly in front of the ‘Peacock Tower’.
I popped into ‘the office’ to savour a couple of pints whilst trying to get my head around the different plumage patterns for different ages of seagulls. I eventually gave up, thinking that it might be better to practice this ‘in the field’, so to speak.
BIRDS SEEN: Swift, Mallard, Canada Goose, Starling, Tufted Duck, Coot, Carrion Crow, Common Tern, Herring Gull, House Martin, Heron, Whooper Swan, Lapwing, Moorhen, Greylag Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Wood Pigeon, Ruddy Duck, Sand Martin, Mute Swan, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting, Wren, Magpie, Robin, Greater Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Kestrel, Yellow Legged Gull, Green Woodpecker, Ring Necked Parakeet, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Common Snipe, Stock Dove, Cormorant, Ringed Plover ,Coal Tit, Little Grebe, Pochard, Pied Wagtail, Feral Pigeon, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Song Thrush.
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