It was a bit chilly but the light was ideal for photography this morning. I was attracted by two birds competing in song. One was a robin but the other, equally loud and melodious in a nearby tree, was this dunnock.

The activity around the Kingfisher hide has decreased since the feeders are no longer in use (to deter the rats!) so we don’t see the tree sparrows, finches, tits etc so much but other birds do visit. Today I saw a chiffchaff having a bathe. It’s hard to distinguish from a willow warbler except by its song but I am assured by the Reserve staff that willow warblers are not around at the moment so this is a chiffchaff. I did hear their ‘chiff-chaff’ around the reserve though this one was not ‘singing in the bath’.

En-route to the Tower hide, in addition to four snipe skulking along the margin I had close views of a teal. Not a rare spot but as it turned away the light caught its green patch to make quite a colourful picture.

Finally behind the Tower hide both Mr & Mrs Kestrel were in residence in what is supposed to be an owl box. The male is the one on the right with the grey head.