Another brood

Another visit to the reservoir today in amongst the showers was called for - several more waders through locally so Rishton MUST have something, surely?

Nope. Fishermen have pitched their tents in the two most productive areas! Anyway there was a single Oystercatcher and a group of 3 adult and 2 fully fledged Little Ringed Plovers tucked away - probably from elsewhere I reckon. Scanning carefully through the driving rain, I picked up an adult LRP that looked as if it was sheltering little ones and, sure enough, once the sun came out, four bundles of fluff darted out and fed busily. These were smaller than the two I saw a few days ago and in a different spot so I guess they've just recently hatched. Certainly the parent started injury feigning when the Oystercatcher came near or chased off the other LRPs if they came into her territory.There was no sign of any mid-staged juveniles unfortunately.

The small part of the reservoir has been dry for a while now and two LRPs there could easily have been from the group I saw on the main part. I decided to head up to Parsonage Reservoir where a Black-tailed Godwit had been present that morning. Unfortunately I couldn't find it - there were at least 130 Lapwings, twelve Greylags two Curlew nine Tufted Ducks and five Great Crested Grebes. Then a HUGE juvenile Peregrine bombed across the main part of the Reservoir and had five attempts at taking Tufties from the water! Goodness knows what the outcome would have been if it caught hold of one.

Meanwhile, back in the garden, the Blackbird family in the clematis right next to the conservatory are busy feeding up. Redpolls are still coming to the feeders and House Sparrows and Greenfinches have bee trying the niger seed.

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