July 2011 part 4

Sill by the car park the rowan tree and the hazel is bearing their fruit and nuts.

Hazel (Corylus avellana) widely found in Europe found in woods, thickets and hedgerows. It can grow up  to 12m tall. Bears nuts in clusters of 1-4 partly enclosed in a green husk ,they will be brown in autumn.
We walk towards one of the ponds and peeking through the hides we see 2 sedge warblers in the rushes.

Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)  Can be seen clambering amongst plant stems and frequently feeds on the ground within the tangled vegetation. When it sings it is easily visible perching on the outside of a bush.  Lives in thick vegetation in marshes, reed beds and sometimes in drier areas in bramble and hawthorn. Feeds on insects and small invertebrates. Plum reed aphids are important food before it migrates to Africa.
On the pond by the car park we spot 3 Little Egrets.

Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) Smaller than the grey heron but still an elegant bird with white plumage.In spring it has fine plumes on its breast and long plumes on its hind neck. It lives in marshes, fiver banks and estuaries, nesting in trees and feeding on small fish.