The
Lake itself was still packed with Little Grebes and Coots, with Trevor
making a count of 118 of the former. Moorhen and Mallard were also in
fair numbers with one particular female type, big billed duck,
presumably a hybrid, receiving a fair bit of attention. Three
Red-crested Pochards were still present and a female Marsh Harrier was the only
raptor present of note.
Swallows and House Martins were already
present on our arrival with adults actively feeding freshly fledged
young which perched precariously on small posts in the water. It
wasn’t until the sun had warmed up a bit that the Common Swifts arrived with
10+ Pallids showing extremely well, in
the early morning light, but no Alpines were noted this morning.
A male Sardinian Warbler showed
superbly as it sang in the scrub behind us and a singing Cetti’s
Warbler also showed briefly in flight revealing
it’s paddle like tail. The pines behind us also produced some
calling Firecrests which
eventually gave themselves up for the group with at least one adult and
two juveniles showing well. We then left for Alghero airport and
arrived back on English soil just after mid-day.
Firecrest was the final species of the trip, which had been hugely
successful with 109 species recorded. With all three target species
encountered, the highlight for most was the sight of the fabulous pair
of Corsican Nuthatches, which after such a build up, did not
disappoint, giving superb views. |
