Kitti & Kes

The Grimsbury Reservoir patch has been painfully quiet for quite sometime. This week however, I was treated to a bit of a surprise, with a smart 1st-winter Kittiwake bobbing about on the water, a short way off the pontoon at the southern end of the reservoir.

It soon moved to the centre of the reservoir with a group of LBBGs, however typically these were soon disturbed by a fisherman and all drifted off away from the reservoir. The Kittiwake wasn't seen again. Boooo! This was amazingly the fourth Kittiwake I've seen at Grimsbury in three years and the third I've found! Not bad for humble old Grimbo!

Other than a few Yellow-Legged Gull sightings and a solitary male Stonechat, the other recent highlight has been the reliable presence of an extremely confiding female Kestrel, allowing an amazingly close approach down to around 15-20 feet. A bit of a treat to see one so close!