At Least it Stayed Sunny - River Gipping Pits - 15/8/2017

Carrying on a rather duff August I walked the short journey from Baylahm to Needham Market, following the river Gipping and calling on several pits as I went along. The day was sunny, but not too hot, there was a very fine wispy cloud over the sky.
The first pit I called on was at Pipp's Ford, a mix of finished and ongoing gravel extraction. The finished pit was mainly dried up, strangely considering the fact that it has been a fairly wet August. So there was only a few GEESE, and a handful of LAPWING.

 The ongoing extraction pit was all flooded, but there was little about except some loafing GULLS. A large flock of 50 GOLDFINCES was present, probably a collection of local breeders and there was some GREY WAGTAILS about.

Heading north, Pippin's Lake was empty, while the pair of SWANS at Riverside Farm Pit seemed to have lost their young. There was work on the pit that looked to be extending the lake, which is good as it is quite small, maybe about half an acre.

Alderson Lake, heavily fished, held another pair of SWANS without any young and there was also a KINGFISHER. Needham Lake was just too busy with people to do any birding. It was quite a shock arriving from the quiet countryside to this busy little local nature reserve, on the edge of Needham Market, with scores of people picnicking, cycling and walking the dog. Oh well, can't complain because it means people getting closer to nature, something which is good.
So a fairly unproductive day, one where the amount of effort put in didn't correspond with what I took out, such is the enjoyment of bird watching. I think I'll need to go somewhere "big", a reserve created for birds, somewhere it is guaranteed that I'll see lots of them. I shall have to determine where.