At 08.00 this morning (in the sunshine !) the black pond on the edge of the heath was good for just-emerged emerald damselflies (see below). The walk to the pond along the bridleway was also interesting - 2 or juv green woodpeckers noisily pursuing a parent, marsh tit, a robin feeding some just out of the nest youngsters, treecreeper, goldcrest, nuthatch and great spotted woodpecker.
Efforts at dropping the water levels on the north brooks to produce some muddy pool edges are paying off - there is now a decent expanse of mud and at least 5 green sandpipers and a dunlin were enjoying it today. We are also dropping the levels on west mead pool for the same reason - something I've never actually had to do in the last 10 years...
Grey herons and little egrets still all over the place. Thankfully none of them spotted a large grass snake which swam right across the middle of the main north brooks pool/mud today - a very risky manouevre.