Tuesday 30th July 2024 - Newton St Loe.

After getting over my illness it was back too Tuesday birding and this week it was a morning at NSL. After picking up Bryan and David the 3 Amigos drove to the village finding a soaring Buzzard as we drove in. Parking by the farm shop Swallows were on the wires with young being fed by their parents and lots of Jackdaws around. Greenfinch could be heard calling, and 2 flew over along with House Martins. We started our walk in the lanes where a Lesser Black Back Gull was flying in the distance and several Woodpigeons were flying around and we must have disturbed a Green Woodpecker as it flew away low over the fields, also as we walked up the lane a small bird flew away in front of us and landed a few yards away where we were able to get a good view of it, a Whitethroat. Our first butterfly of the day a Gatekeeper was on a leaf with it's wings fully open. Bryan then spotted a distant Herring Gull followed by our 1st Large White butterfly. At 7 Acre Wood we were hoping for more butterflies but it was not too be but we did find a mixed flock containing Long Tailed, Blue and Great Tits plus a small warbler which we think was probably a Willow Warbler but we were unable to get a clinching view. Walking back towards the village a Robin was our next sighting while back in the village 2 Carrion Crows were in a garden and from the field beyond the church a Kestrel was strangely hovering high in the sky. Butterfly alley lived up to its name adding Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Green Veined White and Speckled Wood. also seen flying over was a few Rooks, but we couldn't find the Purple Hairstreak butterfly seen the previous day in the Ash Trees by the kissing Gate. 17 Mallard were on the bottom lake which is quite a large number as they are usually on the top lake, but as we didn't do the walk around the lake so we don't know how many were there. In the wood between the lakes David found a Coal Tit and a Blackbird was also logged. On the top lake the first thing I saw was a Little Egret sat in the cormorant tree, quite a rare bird for NSL, as far as I can remember I have only seen them once before here.

Little Egret - NSL (Bath Birdwatcher)

Also on the lake were a good head of Moorhen 3 Little Grebe with a similar number of Coot. David then found a Stock Dove which was calling from the top of a tree. Time to head back and on the bottom lake we found a Chiffchaff and walking back through Butterfly Alley a Raven flew over calling, back in the village 3 Peacock Butterflies we on a Buddleia bush and the day ended with a Dunnock. 

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