A very unusual sight – Bush Vetch in flower in late December, obviously confused by all this mild weather, this is normally a spring up to autumn flowering plant. This specimen was seen growing along fence line by the road opposite Whillet’s Reed-bed view point.
Whillet’s: Watching the reed bed from the roadside from 15:30 to 16:15 – Sparrowhawk , 20 Redwings flying over, a party of about 8 Long-tailed Tits, a few 100 Black-headed Gulls flew over and about 600 Starlings came into roost. I did not pick out any Reed Buntings but I wonder if the Starlings put them off as they chuntered among themselves noisily in the reeds.
West End: 5 Black-headed Gull, 6 Blue Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 7 Gadwall, 2 Great Tit, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Mallard, 2 Moorhen, Robin, Blackbird, 2 Chaffinch, 9 Cormorant, Goldfinch, 60 Greylag Goose, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Marsh Tit, 2 Pheasant, Woodpigeon.
West End: 1 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Coal Tit and 1 Marsh Tit on feeders – 2 Kingfisher, 2 ad + 2 immature Mute Swans, Wren. 9 Wood Mice under a refuge in the study area.
Whillet’s Meadows: c.20 Fieldfare, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 4 Fallow Deer. 1 Water Shrew, 1 Wood Mouse, 4 Field Voles and a Toad seen when checking under some of our refuges.
Photographs from our trail camera.
Results of a Wetlands Bird Survey (WeBS).
Dam End: 1 Juv Great Northern Diver, c.20 Siskin, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Juv Mute Swan, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Kestrel, Green Woodpecker heard, 12 Fieldfare, 13 Redwing, c.30 Jackdaw flyover, c.50 Starling. Dam End Gull roost: seen by Peter Johnson c.3000 Black-headed Gull, 25 Common Gull, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, c.200 Herring Gull. Also at Dam End: reported by Alastair Gray 5 Goldcrest, 2 Coal Tit, 3 Bullfinch.
Reservoir Totals: 37 Great Crested Grebe, 26 Cormorant, 21 Canada Geese, 7 Moorhen, 8 Long-tailed Tit, 44 Mallard, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker.
West End: 18 Pochard, 1 Tufted Duck, 14 Gadwall, 5 Mandarin, 3 Teal, 145 Greylag, 1 Coot, 3 Stock Dove, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Marsh Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Tree Creeper. Plus 2 Greenfinch by Alastair Gray. Whillets Reed-bed Roost: 66 Reed Bunting & 24 Starling came in to roost. Also 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, Water Rail heard, 17 Redwing flyover, 2+ Fieldfare flyover.
Great Northern Diver.
Juvenile Great Northern Diver – also seen on 7th December.
Wood Mice and Water Shrew photographed during a working party session.
West End: 3 Mandarin + 19 Teal and 2 Coal Tit by Bill Truckle. 14 Gadwall, 100+ Greylag and 1 Marsh Tit by Bob Johnson.
Whillet’s Reed-bed: 5 Reed Bunting feeding in reed bed up to to 15:00 by Bill Truckle. A reed-bed watch between 15:05 & 16:15 by Bob Johnson gave a further 30 Reed Bunting which came in to roost. 2 Water Rails were seen feeding around the pool. Also 2 Moorhen, 1 flyover Grey Heron, 1 flyover Fieldfare, 6 flyover Starling, 30 flyover Jackdaw, 1 flyover Snipe, 1000+ Black-headed Gull flew over east towards the dam end roost
