April Showers - 22/04/2012

Having worked at the RHS show yesterday and knowing the weather would be unlikely to give me much chance to get out and about this weekend, I got up early and went down the wharf. I chanced the Little Owl house with no luck but then I glimpsed what I think was a Mink scrambling madly into some thick rushes when I came to the small footbridge field down from Sluice Farm. After seeing a Weasel in Bute Park at the Holiday Inn entrance playing the Daff flower beds on Friday afternoon after popping over to the stand from the office, and now this encounter, I'm feeling somewhat disappointed to have not managed any mammal shots of late! It was also immediately apparent on arrival that the Swallows are arriving in force, with several darting about the fields and perching on the phone lines -

The Reed Warblers have arrived back too, and they certainly were making their presence known, but no guest appearances for the camera!

Linnet

It was high tide on the wharf, but minus a scope I wasn't able to spot much besides the normal RGW avi-fauna, Curlews, Shelducks, Kestrels, Mallards etc. There was a suspected Whimbrel, but too far off for positive ID. I was a little bit surprised to see a Short Eared Owl hunting the fields near Sluice Farm from the sea wall, meaning they're still about! With RGW not throwing up much out of the ordinary, and some threatening clouds coming in my direction I headed back home, but decided to stop off for a quick circuit of Lamby Lake en route. It was nice to see a pair of Great Crested Grebes on there among the usual, and Coots busy nest making, before the rain finally came and I called it a day.