First week of August

The patch week began on the third with the appearance of 2 Mallard ducks with ducklings (6 & 5). In the lane there were 2 newly fledged Spotted Flycatchers which have come from the pair at Lake Cottage.The ditch opposite the pumping station held the first Sedge Warbler(108). At the southern end of the lake the field had 22 Mistle Thrushes feeding among the poles for the fruit trees.On the lake there were 8 Mandarins and on the waterfall 2 Grey Wagtails. Around at the paddocks 16 Pied Wagtails on the mowed grass.          

                                                    Spotted Flycatcher at Lake Cottage
On the sixth I popped in after work and saw 6 Swifts, 2 Kingfishers, 10 Swallows and the first autumn Sand Martin.
Today when I stopped off at the lake there were good numbers of birds in the lakeside trees, which included 6 Willow Warblers, 10 Long Tailed Tits, 4 Whitethroats, 8 Chiffchaffs and 3 Reed Warblers. The 2 Kingfishers were chasing each other around the lake and the 2 Grey Wagtails were on the stream.Nine Mandarins were resting in trees on the east side. A decent flock of Swallows, numbering about 50 were flying over the water with half a dozen House Martins and 2 Sand Martins and a Hobby was hawking insects over the wet wood and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flew down the lake disappearing into the Alders.
On the insect front I managed a picture of a Roesel's Bush Cricket at the weekend (see Below):-