The overnight mist had fortunately cleared when I arrived at 06:30 and a total of 38 birds caught by 11:00 was quite respectable.
Singles of Redwing, Blackbird, Cetti's Warbler, Treecreeper, Blue Tit, Robin (Retrap), Great Tit (retrap) and Coal Tit were caught together with:
Goldcrest 6
Reed Bunting 3 + 1 recovery from elsewhere.
Chiffchaff 4
Wren 2
Lesser Redpoll 12
Blackcap 2
A group of 22 thrush sp. flew very high southwest at around 09:00 followed by another group of c75 that circled around the reserve later in the morning.
Pochard 1 female on the main pond spotted by Pete, it was there all day. This is the first Pochard record since February 2023
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| Female Pochard - Kevin Eaves |
Kevin also noted that the female Mute Swan was accompanied by 5 cygnets today, presumably she has accepted one back.
The wildfowl on the main pond has flourished since public access has been restricted. There were 28 Tufted Duck and 10 Gadwall today, plus the Mallard, Coot and Moorhen. This clip focuses on the Pochard but opens out to show the wealth of activity here. This is taken while sat on the bench in the lower car park (Malcolm).
8 more Tufted Duck and 3 Teal on the "no swimming" pond.
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| Teal |
Water Rail 2 calling from the central marshes
Cetti's warbler 4 singing
Chiffchaff 1 singing
I checked the northern edge of the reserve this afternoon, this is where the highest density of tall hawthorns are.
Thrushes c120 - they just looked dark against the light sky, but Redwings were calling and all the birds were a similar size.
This lot was just setting off to the east as I arrived
These must have been feeding along the edge of the golf course. They circled a while then returned
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| Redwing top, but the lower bird suggests Song Thrush |
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| Common Snipe |
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| Dunnock |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Pied/White Wagtail |
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| Stonechat |
