Yellow Rattle while birds sing

10th June 15          morning             mid section

sunny,still chilly early, 9-14°c, 1032mb, NE 9-E 11mph

Almost the first bird seen this morning was a juvenile nuthatch .( where did you come from?)behind the old station,now Cup Cake Cafe. One calling on monday was the only encounter with this upside down tree hugger since the late winter. The whitethroat pair again near Graiseley Culvert but not carrying food and further into the Shrike Bushes ( this is the area bordering the northern edge of Barleyfield, so named when  a red backed shrike was found here in june 2003). No sign of the 3 young mallard at Wetlands or on the canal,but a new brood of 7 small chicks was with the Wetland 9 on the canal by the tennis courts at Newbridge.
      Yellow Rattle is doing extremely well on the Barleyfield meadow,huge areas are now covered in this pretty little plant. I remember not so long ago in a recky party with prof Ian Trueman and some of the rangers, when Ian Trueman found a very small group of 3-4 plants and was overjoyed.

Mallard	2♂ 1♀ Wetlands,  Wetland 9 + ♀ + 7 small chk canal by Tennis courts,  ♀+1chk canal by Sqash Club,
Moorhen	1 Wetlands,  pr + 4 chk Prefabs,   1+1 w/grown chk Prefab weir,
Stock Dove	2	Barleyfield
Wren	9 singing	mid section
Dunnock	5 singing	mid section
Robin	2 singing	Station Paddock
Blackbird	6 singing	mid section
Song Thrush	2 singing	mid section
Whitethroat	2 singing	Shrike Bushes
Blackcap	10 singing	mid section
Chiffchaff	8 ( 6 singing )	mid section
Goldcrest	calls	The Paddock
Long Tailed Tit	4	prefabs
Nuthatch	1 juv	Station Paddock
Chaffinch	3 singing	mid section
Greenfinch	2 singing	Barleyfield