Melanistic Great Tit, Hope Carr

In a previous post I mentioned a leucistic black-headed gull which occasionally visits the sewage works at Hope Carr. At the other end of the pigmentation scale there is a partially melanistic great tit on territory in the centre of the site best seen from the path through the middle. Apart from a much wider black stripe on its breast and belly, it looks pretty much like a normal great tit, just one which has been covered in soot.

Common scoter, Hope Carr

Hope Carr today, a female common scoter was a site tick for me and there was still a green sandpiper on the sewage works. Twelve goosander were on the main lake and 26 tufted ducks across the site.

Bits and pieces from Hope Carr

With the Blyth's reed warbler now fading in the memory, I usually find myself alone at Hope Carr. Not really much new happening at the moment, one or two green sandpipers are occasionally seen, a pair of Mediterranean gulls perhaps, up to six chiffchaffs and every now and again I hear the Cetti's warbler singing. I guess that the Blyth's reed warbler could still be there, but with nobody looking and even I'm spending only around 10 minutes per visit in front of it's favoured bramble patch, it's going to take an amazing stroke of luck to re-find it now.