Edited February entries by Steve Hooper-Lawrie

Birdlife on the water

Male Goldeneye Female Goldeneye

You can expect to see group of Goldeneyes on the lake.. The males have a unique courting display by throwing their heads back along their bodies and bring them forward issuing a kronk call to attract the female's attention. They are one of the few ducks to nest in tree holes and when its time to leave the nest the ducklings have to free fall to the ground before mum takes them to the water for the first time.

Widgeon

Amongst the ducks hanging down around the Levington end Island you may find a few Widgeon amongst the Tufted Ducks and the Goldeneye. Widgeon have a Cream or Buff coloured forehead. The buds on some of the trees have started to swell so it won't be long before we have some fresh green leaves on the trees. There are also catkins starting to show and amongst the trees on the right hand side of the path from the car park to the boat park the Bluebells have started to show but the flower spikes have yet to emerge'

There have been sightings of flashes of electric blue which means the Kingfishers have made it through the winter. These small birds usually have a tough time of it in winter. It's harder to find food and being small they require about 30% of their body weight per day, so if they can't feed they suffer a high mortality rate.

There was also what appeared to be a Lesser White-Fronted Goose amongst the Greylags on the lake. You'll recognize it as it has a white blasé, which reaches its crown. It's about half the size of a Greylag. There are reports that it's an escapee from a private collection. If your down at the lake on a clear day its worth keeping an eye on the sky as Raptors have started to arrive and on a sunny day you may be greeted with the sight of one catching a thermal on its way north.