Category: Sighting

Juvenile Great Northern Diver off the north shore near Don Smith’s seat – seen from the water.

Great Northern Diver still present mid afternoon.

Whillet’s Meadows: Barn Owl, Kingfisher.

West End / Feeders: Common Buzzard (4 together), Treecreeper, Redpoll, Goldfinch, (2) Coal Tit, (4) Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, (4) Siskin, (6M+3F) Mandarin Duck, Wren, (4M+2F) Tufted Duck, (24) Mallard, Canada & Greylag Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, (6) Coot, (7M+1F) Pochard, (8) Gadwall, (5) Pied Wagtail, (50+) Fieldfare flying over, (300+) Starling flying over,

Study Area: Bluebells are mostly through already and are typically 2 inches high. 2 drake Mandarin in flooded wooded area.

Pintail Bank: 1 Snipe, 30 Lapwings and Fieldfare (heard).

Dam End: Great Northern Diver 14:15 in front of the Millenium Picnic Area.

Dam End: Great Northern Diver seen briefly near north bank between dam and picnic area around 09.30 then clearly at dam end at lunchtime. Also seen 5+ Jays, Green Woodpecker and 30+ Fieldfare.

West End: 1 Wigeon, 6 Tufted Duck, 9 Teal, 6 Gadwall, 2 Marsh Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 13 Fieldfare, 45 Starling, 1 Stock Dove, 58 Lapwing.

Dam End: 1 juvenile Great Northern Diver, 4 Coal Tits, 30+ Siskins, 1 Kestrel, 23 Pied Wagtails, 1 Grey Wagtail.

29-12-15 West End:  1 Juvenile Great Northern Diver seen briefly and distantly before going missing. It probably swam back towards the dam end.  (It was also reported on 28-12-15 at the dam end on Birdguides.) 2 Grey Heron – but one was white and is probably the same leucistic one that I saw back in June.  110+ Greylag, 4 Gadwall, 1M Pochard.

30-12-15 West End:   6 Gadwall, 3 Coot, 4 Moorhen, 55 Lapwing. On the feeders:  10+ Blue Tit, 4+ Great Tit, 4 Long-Tailed Tit, 1 Marsh Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Nuthatch, 6+ Goldfinch, 8+ Chaffinch.

30-12-15 Whillet’s:  1 Buzzard, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 20+ mixed flock of Siskin with a couple of Lesser Redpoll and Goldfinch.

West End: A Pochard and an Egyptian Goose seen around midday.

Whillet’s Pool: A watch of the reed-bed at roosting time from 15:00 to 16:15 – 80 Reed Buntings and c.400 Starling were counted coming into the reed-bed to roost. Also seen in the area were – 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Goldcrest and 1 Kingfisher. 2 Jay, 1 Treeceeper, 1 Green & 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker were all heard.  5 Fieldfare and1 Redwing flew over. Also over 50 Herring Gulls and hundreds of Black-headed Gulls flew towards the roost on reservoir. These gulls were not formally counted.

West End: 7 Gadwall, 7 Stock Doves.

Dam End: 1 Mandarin Duck and mixed flock of finches in the sailing club car park, including Goldfinch, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll.

Great Northern Diver seen from sailing club (mid-morning).