Summer walk at Panshanger Park

Had a nice visit to Panshanger Park on the edge of hertford at the weekend with my local RSPB group. Started off well with a singing Skylark and there we headed to the reedbed area where we had good views of singing Sedge Warblers and Reed Bunting and heard a some Reed and Cetti's Warblers.

With then passed a section of wood and scub which allowed us to hear a mix of Warblers with Blackcap, Garden Warblers and Chiff- Chaffs all in song. With the day warming up a few damselflies were on the wing which bought out a few birds of prey including the bird of the day with some great views of a Hobby hunting overhead with Red Kites and Buzzards making use of the thermals.

Then walked around the far side of the main pits where we saw 7 Common Terns hunting while in the nearby tree a Young Great-spotted Woodpecker was heard and a single Whitethroat was seen in the scub to end a nive morning walk.

Cuckoo and more at Lakenheath

With my usual late spring visit to Lakenheath had a pleasant and warm walk around this year i noticed there were a lot more Reed Warbler than the Sedge Warbler sat around the first point for a while and was lucky enough to get some nice views of the Reed warbler going into feed their nest in the reeds.

Reed warbler Collecting

Reed Warbler bring back food

Then walked around the trail where there was plenty of Insects on the wing with Four-spot Chaser, lots of Hairy Dragonflies and a nice mix of Damselflies out. So with all the insects these brought all the Swifts outs often flying low over the reed beds.

Blue-tailed Damselfly 

Hairy Dragonfly

Swift in flight

Then hang around the tree near the heard and was rewarded with a pair off Cuckoos having a Cuckoo-off  with a bird flying around every so often over my head.

Cuckoo in flight

Then walked down to the main viewing point where I had warblers in song and a few hunting Marsh Harriers and to end a great day a Bittern flew over.

Hunting Marsh Harrier

Flythrough Bittern

Portland Cuckoo

After doing the butterflies decided to head for the long staying Great Spotted Cuckoo at Portland a stunning bird was feeding in a field often flying between one hedge and another to feed on the Caterpillars that it was favouring with good views of it seen in the hedge. It then decided to fly over the houses to a group of trees where it gave some great views as it sit in a tree near the school before it disappeared off to roost.

Great Spotted Cuckoo in one of its favored hedges

Great Spotted Cuckoo in the tree