Garganey

I soon gave up at Shawell this morning, as there was no tipping, the gulls were mobile and the weather was awful.

I decided to head off towards home and have a quick look at Brascote Pits. Despite the weather some warblers were singing including a very loud Lesser Whitethroat. I noticed a tern over the 'Mars Landscape Pool'. As I got closer I could see it was a Common Tern. There wasn't much else on the pool, so I retraced my steps back towards the footpath. As I neared the footpath I decided to swing right along the western side of the 'Beach Pool'. Something made me look back towards the 'Mars Landscape Pool' and I was surprised to see a drake Garganey in the centre of the pool. Fortunately it stayed until Adey Baker and Colin Green arrived and it was still there when we left the site.

This is only the third record, involving five birds, for the SW Leics area:

1976: two at Huncote Sandpits on October 9th (GAD).

2015: a pair at Brascote Pits on April 14th (AP et al).

          2018: drake at Brascote Pits on April 28th (CDB, ABa, CSG et al).

Drake Garganey, Brascote Pits, April 28th 2018