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Sunday, 13 July 2014

More than a Gaggle of Geese

Today I did a short walk from the main car park at Coate Water down to Broome Manor Lane and back. Around the diving board there some 200+ Canada Geese, plus a Canada Goose x ? hybrid and an orange-collared Canada Goose with the letters JU. This collared birds is part of a project from the Cotswold Water Park. See Here for more details.

There were also plenty of Black-headed Gulls with several newly fledged birds from this year, a lone Lesser Black-backed Gull and a dozen or so Mute Swans.

Just a few of the 200+ Canada Geese

Canada Goose and Hybrid on the right

A close up of the head

A new one for me here - JU

This years Black-headed Gull

The dark chocolate brown head fading away

And this one is losing his from the base of the bill 

Two Canada Geese crash land together

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull

Further down the path, I heard Treecreeper, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff. Close to the Pitch and Putt a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling. On the way back from Broome Manor Lane I took a small track on my right which led me to the Main Lake. The water here has a lot floating weed, which the Coot seem to be enjoying and also in amongst it were Mallard and a Great Crested Grebe. Flying about down here were lots of Black-headed gulls and a single Common Tern, which every now and then, dived down to pick off a fish from the surface.

A Common Tern looking for a snack

Note black-tip to red bill

Birds recorded: Great Crested Grebe, 12+ Mute Swan, 200+ Canada Goose, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Common Tern, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Treecreeper, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch.