Sun 6th Dec
Good numbers of duck this winter with at least 240 Pochard on the Reserve and around 30 Goosanders among the more notable counts. Also among the Goosanders was this fem/imm Red-breasted Merganser decent bird these days at the valley being almost as scarce as Smew.
Red-breasted Merganser copyright M N Reeder
Sat 5th Dec
Great Northern Diver present on the main lake
Thu 3rd Dec
Great Northern Diver present on the main lake
Wed 2nd Dec
Great Northern Diver still showing well on the main lake, with the lack of watersports activity on the main lake there is an abundance of waterfowl, Shoveler, 30+ goosander near cable ski, 5 Goldeneye, 30+ wigeon, and a large number of coots. On the reserve large numbers of pochard and Cormorant can be observed. Redshank and Lapwing also showing well on the lawns by watersports..
Great Northern Diver copyright M N Reeder
Mon 1st Dec
Sun 29th Nov
Great Northern Diver on the main lake from dawn (K Gould). Bittern visible for an hour before dusk on Pithouse West (M N Reeder)
Great Northern Diver copyright C Smith
Wed 4th Nov
Whooper Swan --n/lake.
Whooper Swan copyright R Greasley
Mon 2nd Nov
Stonechat res
Cettis Warbler--PHW Singing and showing well this morning
Sun 1st Nov
2 Little Gulls--1st/w +ad/w--main lake a.m
Sat 31st Oct
Cettis Warbler --P H West--- A Deighton
Cetti's Warbler
copyright M N Reeder
18th Oct
Slav Grebe
Slav Grebe copyright R Greasley
Oct 16th
---3 Scaup, 2 Drk--1 fem, 4 Goldeneye
Scaup copyright R Greasley
Oct 15th
---1st-w-Knot--res,
Jack Snipe, 2 Pintail,
3 Scaup,
1 Dunlin
Oct 13th
--Rock Pipit--s
Oct 12th
---4 Crossbill s/w
Oct 6th
---Juv Gargany
Oct 5th
--Juv Garbaney
Oct 4th
---Juv Garganey 4 Scaup
Oct 2nd
--Comm Tern
Oct 1st
---3 1st winter Scaup--res
Sept 30th
--2 Scaup still Ad Whooper Swan
Sept 29th
--EC.Drk.Garganey--res 2 1st winter Scaup--res Juv Peregrine
Sept 28th
--Black.T.Godwit--N--a.m
Sept 26th
--Little Egret--N--a.m
Sept 15th
---40 Pink Feet--E--
Sept 10th
--Osprey--s, Wheatear--football fields
Aug 20th
---2 Greenshank
Aug 16th
--Juv Garganey--res
Aug 15th
---Greenshank
Aug 10th
--Black.T.Godwit--res
Aug 2nd
--Whimbrel s/w
Aug 1st
---Whimbrel s/w, Ad Arctic Tern
July 18th
---Little Egret--res
July 4th
Barn Owl--Res--Several sightings in June
June 27th
4 Black T Godwits--E--a.m
June 26th
1st Summer Kittiwake
Thu 25th June
Little Tern-Watersport lake--a.m
Wed June 24th
Drake Garganey
7 Common Tern
Mon June 22nd
Common Sand
3 Curlew-W
Sun 14th June
3 Little Terns--N--a.m
Sat 13th June
Whimbrel--N--a.m
Thurs 12th June
Turtle Dove---Vis Centre
Weds 11th June
2Cuckoos--PHW
Tues 10th June
Whimbrel--N Long Eared Owl--F/Pond
1st June
Garganey--water sport lake
May 26th
Red Kite--S.E--a.m.
May 15th
Turnstone
May 14th
27 Arctic Terns--N.
May 13th
Osprey--N
2 Greenshank--N.
May 6th
Arctic Tern--N
30th April
Whimbrel--N--a.m
Little Tern--N/W--a.m
28th April
Arctic Tern--N--a.m
Wheatear--lawns--a.m
White Wag--lawns--a.m
26th April
Sandwich Tern--N--a.m
Merlin--Fem--N/W--a.m
25th April
Whimbrel--N--a.m
Hobby--N--a.m
5 L.R.Ps
1 Ring Plover
3 Yellow Wag Tails--lawns
23rd April
2 Arctic Terns--a.m
22nd April
Brent Goose--N.E--a.m
19th April
Arctic Tern:a.m
18th April
Swift
16th April
25 Little Gulls--N--08:30
15th April
Little Egret--N--a.m
8th April
Sandwich Tern
29th March
Osprey--N
8th February
Great Crested Grebe 46 on Main Lake
Wigeon 175 on Main Lake
7th February
PHW
Woodcock one flushed from path at eastern end.
31st January
PHW
Water Rail 2
Bittern roosting at 17:20
Long-eared Owl 1 hunting behind Bittern Pool at dusk.
30th January
Reserve:
3 Jack Snipe
35 Snipe
Peregrine male North at 10:10
18th January
Today's WEBS count revealed 4 Little Grebe, 25 Great Crested Grebe, 9 Cormorant, 38 Mute Swan, 6 Grey Heron, 284 Canada Geese, 16 Greylag Geese, 211 Mallard, 99 Teal, 3 Shoveler, 25 Gadwall, 216 Wigeon, 67 Tufted Duck, 154 Pochard,21 Goldeneye, 27 Goosander, 1 Mandarin, 338 Coot, 11 Moorhen, 719 Lapwings, Redshank, Kingfisher and 11 Snipe.
4th January
42 Goosander Reserve late afternoon.
2nd January
Drake Smew on Reserve all day.
2 Water Rails PHW.
1st Janaury
Bittern at Pit-house West roosting in large reed bed at 16:00hrs.
Pintail (female) and drake Mandarin Reserve
January 2009
Following the arrival of the cold winter weather some of our regular visitors have started to appear, these being Goosander, Goldeneye, and Widgeon. Another occasional sighting is the Bittern on the reed beds on Pithouse West. If the cold snap continues we could look forward to another flock of Whooper Swans as we did last year.
Around the feeding stations in the park woodland birds include Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Treecreeper, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Robin, and the occasional Goldcrest.
Older Bird News can now be found here.
Records provided by Ray Greasley (RG), Kevin Gould (KRG), Andy Hawkins (AH), John Colclough (JC), Mark Reeder (MNR).
