There is now just the regular
breeding birds to see on my local ‘patch’ where I go birding almost every day.
Even though things are very quiet it is still worth going out as any unusual
occurrence is worth note if you have a local birdwatching area. The last month
or so I have been seeing an adult male little Bittern at various times and
places. Firstly I saw it in the unusual place of the spray fields but then it
made its home on the percolaton pond where it could occasionally be seen along
the pond edges. This is a place where birds bred in 2011 but there have been no
further signs of this happening. On 15 June I found an adult female on the edge
of the pond in the same place where the male usually fishes. This may mean that
they are a pair so I will be keeping an eye out for any juveniles in the next
couple of weeks. Apart from the Little Bittern the only interesting thing to
not is the number of Black-winged Stilts are building up with plenty of
juveniles amongst the adults. Numbers now are 37 and they should continue
building up over the next month.
