Category: Sighting

Dam end:- 2 Coots, 31 Great crested Grebes, 1 Little Egret in horse paddock, 70 Mallard, 11 Mandarins, 1 Pochard, 38 Tufted Duck.
Sparrowhawk, 12 Redwings, 1 Mistle Thrush & 6 Fieldfares.
West end:- 3 Little Egrets, 12 Mandarins, 4 Gadwall, 1 Teal, 17 Mallards & 16 Greylags. 3 Buzzards, Kestrel, Red Kite, 2 Ravens & Sparrowhawk.
In set aside fields 50 Goldfinch, 10 Linnets, 30 Chaffinches, 2 Yellowhammers, 1 Reed Bunting & 10 Redpolls.

From car park 23 Tufted Duck, 40 Mallard, 5 Canada geese, 1 pochard, 1 x Great Crested Grebe, 3 active Coal Tits, 1 Marsh Tit, numerous blue & Great – heard Raven – saw male pheasant & got cold fingers

Plus 1 frozen heron

5 x Black Headed Gull, 1 x Common, 1 x Egyptian Goose, Wood Pigeon, Robin too

2 carrion crow & heading home now

Mixed flock of Greylag & Canada Geese considering splash down circa 80

West End:- 18 x Canada Goose, 2 x Mute Swan, 1 x Egyptian Goose, 51 x Mallard, 4 x Pochard, 7 x Tufted Duck, 2 x Stock Dove, 5 x Woodpigeon, 1 x Coot, 7 x Great Crested Grebe, 19 x Lapwing, 1 x Sparrowhawk, 2 x Goshawk, 1 x Kingfisher, 3 x Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 x Magpie, 5 x Jackdaw, 3 x Carrion Crow, 1 x Marsh Tit, 8 x Blue Tit, 3 x Great Tit, 4 x Long-tailed Tit, 1 x Nuthatch, 3 x Redwing, 2 x Blackbird, 3 x Robin, 1 x Chaffinch

This afternoon 270 Lapwings went west flocks were 28, 1, 2, 22, 24, 50, 4, 93, 1, 22, 1, 17 & 2.
Ducks-52 Teal, 33 Tufted Duck, 12 Wigeon, 11 Pochards, 6 Gadwall, 6 Mandarins & 2 Shoveler. 6 Mute Swans, 1 Little Grebe, 28 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Egrets, 4 Grey Herons, 1 Kingfisher, 18 Common Gulls, 6 Herring Gulls, 66 Black headed Gulls, 3 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, Red Kite, male Sparrowhawk.
5 Fieldfares, 26 Starling, 2 Pied Wagtails, 3 Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Marsh Tit and 8 Long tailed tits.

West end this morning 80-90% ice cover but water still along north bank.
Totals were 45 Tufted Duck, 34 Teal, 15 Pochards, 3 Mandarins, 7 Gadwall, 68 Mallard, 3 Coots, 2 Little Grebes, 4 Egyptian geese, 41 Canada Geese, 87 Greylags geese, 5 Grey Heron, Great White Egret, 3 Little Egrets, Kingfisher, male Goshawk, 2 Raven, Marsh Tit, 1 Pied wagtail, 1 Grey wagtail, single flock of 27 Lapwings flew west as did 4 Common Gulls.

WeirWood on a cold but lovely sunny mid morning. There were 16 Tufted Duck plus 35 Pochard, Wigeon, the pair of Goosanders and a few Gadwall. A Little Egret adult was around plus a Snipe all from the c/pk. The usual crowd on the feeders inc’ Coal, Marsh and Long-tailed Tits. At Whillett’s 2 more Water Rails seen in the channel and in the nearby fields 3 Brambling, 4 Yellowhammers and quite a few Chaffinches. Along the north bank Green Woodpecker, Treecreeper and another Marsh Tit. Back at the west end a Chiffchaff was seen in the wood between the hide and 1st lay-by. From the dam a pair of Goshawk, also a Great Egret was along the north bank. A Kestrel male was hunting along the dam plus several Herring Gulls with 2 Common Gulls amongst them, all ad’s. 15 Great-crested and 4 Little Grebes were mid reservoir. 74 Fieldfare were also noted with ca100 Redwings plus 3 Linnets were seen. Below the dam another Chiffchaff also Red Kite, female Sparrowhawk and 3 Buzzards. A very bird filled time here today. I left at 12:00hrs.

Afternoon at west end with Edward and Nigel.
2 Goosander (redheads) Great white Egret, 28 Pochards, 13 Wigeon, 11 Gadwall, 5 Tufted Ducks, 3 Teal, 1 Little Grebe.
2 Goshawks including female chasing a Woodpigeon low along Pintail bank,

West End:- 2 x Canada Goose, 4 x Gadwall, 8 x Wigeon, 27 x Mallard, 3 x Teal, 27 x Pochard, 3 x Tufted Duck, 2 x Goosander, 1 x Pheasant, 13 x Woodpigeon, 2 x Coot, 2 x Snipe, 1 x Black-headed Gull, 7 x Cormorant, 1 x Little Egret, 1 x Great White Egret, 3 x Grey Heron, 1 x Great Spotted Woodpecker, 6 x Blue Tit, 2 x Great Tit, 1 x Long-tailed Tit, 12 x Starling, 2 x Blackbird, 2 x Robin, 1 x Dunnock

After leaving Alastair I went back to West End for a short while before leaving and a recount of wildfowl gave an increase to 9 Gadwall and 15 Wigeon.
Wishing a Happy New Year to you all.

3.5 hours at the east end produced 38 species. 25 GC Grebes, 180 BH Gulls, 4 Herring Gulls, 2 Canadas, 4 Egyptian Geese. Behind the dam, 9 Redwings, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, 4 Siskins, 3 Bullfinches, 2 Chaffinches, 3 Buzzards, 2 Sparrowhawks, Kestrel, various other woodland species etc.