Category: Sighting

West End: 1M+1F Tufted Duck, 2 pairs of Canada Geese, 1 Stock Dove.

Dam End: 12 Redwing, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Bullfinch, 3 Common Gulls, 18 Black-headed Gulls, 12 Great Crested Grebes.

West End: mid afternoon – 5 Blue Tit, 3 Great Tit, 3 Chaffinch, 8 Cormorant,5 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Greenfinch, 5 Jackdaw, 6 Mandarin Duck, 1 Robin, 7 Woodpigeon, 2 Canada Goose, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 6 Grey Heron 6 on nest, 5 Tufted Duck, 8 Mallard, 4 Pheasant, 1 Siskin.

Dam End: c.150 Fieldfare, 10+ Redwing, c.20 Starling in field next to Sailing Club.  8+ nests at rookery in boat park. 2 Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail,  27 Great Crested Grebe, c.170 Black-headed Gull flew towards the dam end roost, 2 Common Buzzards.

West End: 13 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Coot, 4M+3F Tufted Duck, 3M+3F Gadwall, 1M+1F Teal, 2M+1F Mandarin. Late afternoon 1F Goldeneye drifted out from Plaw Hatch Stream. 8 Stock Dove, 32 active nests at the heronry and the leucistic Grey Heron is still nesting. 32 Cormorant,3 Common Buzzards, 7 Common Gulls, 25 Pheasant. The regulars at the feeders included: 2 Long-tailed Tit, Marsh & Coal Tit and 2 Nuthatch.

Whillet’s Meadows: 1 Barn Owl and 1 Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.

Dam End: 27 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Herring Gull, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Coal Tits, 3 Jays. West End: 3 Pairs of Gadwall, 4 Coots, 2 Moorhens, 2 Mandarins, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Marsh Tit and Coal Tit on feeders.

Sightings around the reserve during the work session.
2 Kingfishers; Long-tailed Tits and Marsh Tit on feeders. A Tawny Owl flew our from 2 boxes, though it may have been the same bird. Fieldfare heard. A Mistle Thrush over the car park. Toads, common shrew, several short-toed voles and woodmice under the tins.

West End: 4 Great Crested Grebe occasionally displaying, 17 Cormorant, 25+ Grey Herons at heronry including the white leucistic Grey Heron, 2 Greylag, 18 Canada Geese, 6M+1F Mandarin, 3 pairs of Gadwall, 3 Buzzards, 2 Moorhen, 4 Coot, 2 Stock Dove, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch heard + usual birds at feeders including 5 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Marsh Tit & Coal Tit. An unusually early Daubenton’s bat seen flying low over the water hunting for insects (see photos), 2 Fallow Deer and Grey Squirrel at feeders.

Whillet’s Meadows: 1 Goldcrest and a Wood Mouse.

West End: 8 Snipe were flushed from Pintail Bank, the leucistic white Grey Heron was putting sticks into a nest so hopefully it is paired and nesting,  2 Common Buzzard, 2 flyover Fieldfare, 1 Siskin, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

West End: 4 Coots, 2 Moorhen, 3 Common Snipe, 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Teal, 8 Mallard, 4 Stock Doves, 10 Chaffinch, 2 Common Gulls, 2 Buzzards, 2 Green Woodpeckers feeding in meadow on Pintail Bank.

Wetland Bird Survey

Dam End: 3 Skylarks at far end of dam wall, 2 Grey Wagtail, 1 Redwing, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 26 Great Crested Grebe, 14 Mallard, 25 Black-headed Gull, 2 Common Gull, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Whillets: Green Woodpecker, 2 Moorhen.

West End: Heronry – 35 Grey Herons with 27 occupied nests. 8 further Great Crested Grebe, 21 Cormorant, 2 Greylag, 4 Canada Geese, pair of Teal, pair of Gadwall, 5 Tufted Duck, 10 Mallard, 1F Goldeneye, 4 Coot, 1 Moorhen, 2 Common Gull, 10 Black-headed Gull, Stock Dove heard, Great Spotted Woodpecker heard,

Feeders: Plenty of Blue & Great Tits, 3 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Nuthatch, 6+ Chaffinch, 3 Greenfinch, 5 Goldfinch, 1 Siskin.

Theft – please can you help?
A thief has visited the site and stolen 2 nut feeders and 2 seed feeders. It seems that some people can be very mean and selfish. On Wednesday 24th February all the feeders were still there at lunch time; but by next morning the 4 feeders were missing. If anyone saw anything unusual during that period perhaps you can let us know. Please contact info@weirwood.me.uk thank you.

West End: I was taking photos of a Great Crested Grebe diving in front of the John Cooper hide when I saw a white bird coming across from the north bank. It was only when it was half way across that I realised it was a Barn Owl. I couldn’t get my camera to change focus quick enough to get a shot but it was a lovely sight anyway. The grebe must have seen it as it set off at a pace toward the middle of the water.