31st December 2017
Mostly overcast, south-westerly wind.
The drake Mandarin was again on Railway Pool and yesterday’s Green Sandpiper was feeding either on the river or on the floods between the north end of Car Park Pool and Patrick Bridge. There was still three Bramblings along the causeway, a small flock of Siskins with Goldfinches by the back gate and other birds of note included 90 Canadas on the flood plain, 15 Pochards, two Great Crested Grebes, two Sparrowhawks, a Kestrel, Water Rail, ten Snipe, ten Common Gulls, two Meadow Pipits (flying over), a Coal Tit by the back gate, two Ravens over Railway Hide, a Peregrine over Car Park, eight Fieldfares by the back gate and, later in the day, a flock of at least 100 Linnets and 50 Chaffinches in the crop field. There were also, again, 20 female Pheasants around the crop field area.
30th December 2017
Drizzly start, sunny intervals later, south-westerly wind.
Today’s counts were as follows: 22 Mute Swans, 94 Greylags, 78 Canadas, a drake Mandarin, 378 Wigeon, 25 Gadwall, 366 Teal, 50 Mallard, 31 Shoveler, 21 Pochard, eight Tufted Ducks, 40 Cormorants, one Heron, one Little Egret, one Dabchick, 14 Moorhen, 78 Coot, 180 Lapwing, three Snipe, 185 Black-headed Gulls, five Common Gulls, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls, two Herring Gulls, the adult Greater Black-backed Gull; whilst, in the crop field, there were 30 Linnets and three Bramblings (two males and a female).
A flock of seven Lesser Redpolls fed in the Alders by the south-west pond and there were ten Pied Wagtails feeding on the edge of the floods by Patrick Bridge.
Female Brambling – 30th December 2017 – Photograph by Max Silverman
29th December 2017
Wet overnight, slowly clearing, north westerly
On the partly frozen pools the following counts were made: Drake Mandarin, 23 Mute Swans, 330 Wigeon, 360 Teal, 53 Gadwall, 68 Mallard and a Little Grebe.
There were over 100 Linnets again in the crop field, along with two male Bramblings. A Raven went over and on the flood plain there was a flock of 60 Fieldfares and ten Redwings feeding on the margins of the flood waters.
Later in the day, a Green Sandpiper put in a brief appearance on Car Park Pool, a Peregrine went over, there were two pairs of displaying Buzzards, two female Goosanders, 19 Stock Doves, but just 19 Starlings roosted in the Reedbed.
Please see details below of another sighting of one of the colour ringed Black-headed Gulls. This bird has also moved west and is another of the sightings from Ireland.
28th December 2017
Sunny, light north westerly. Icy
There were extensive floods at Patricks Bridge this morning and the cold weather has caused some of the pools to partly freeze over.
There were at least 30 Linnets and two Bramblings in the crop field, the drake Mandarin was on Railway Pool, a Cetti’s Warbler was heard in the north causeway bay and there 30 Fieldfares and 20 Redwings feeding on the edges of the floods on the flood plain. A Raven went over and the adult Great Black-backed Gull again roosted on Car Park Pool.
Today’s Snipe count reached 22 and there were also 19 Mute Swans and both Kestrel and Sparrowhawk were on site.
Flood plain – Photograph taken by John Hunt
27th December 2017
Overcast am, sunny pm. Cold north westerly
A male Brambling was again seen in the crop field and the drake Mandarin was feeding on the flood in Lower Siden. There were also singles of Little Grebe and Great-crested Grebe, 47 Pochard, 326 Greylag and 97 Canada. A Muntjac made a brief appearance in the orchid field.
26th December 2017
Sunny, cool brisk south westerly
The Greater Black-backed Gull was again on Car Park Pool and a second-winter flew over along with an adult Herring Gull. There were at least 120 Linnets in the crop field along with a male Brambling and a Yellowhammer. A male Peregrine flew over Car Park Pool at midday.
Pochard numbers had risen to 46 on Car Park Pool this morning and two Great Crested Grebes were new in.
The river had broken its bank at Patricks Farm where most of the Wigeon and Teal from the Reserve were feeding and there was a Dabchick there as well. 77 Canadas were feeding along the flood plain along with at least ten Rooks.
Five Fieldfares and three Redwings flew over the back gate copse and there were a further 12 Fieldfares in the treetops on the flood plain. Four Siskins were feeding in the Alders immediately by the back gate.
Later in the day five Goosanders arrived on Car Park Pool (two males and three females) and a Kingfisher was also seen.
25th December 2017
Mostly wet
The adult Greater Black-back again roosted on the Car Park Pool islands and the Pochard numbers were steady at 40. There were ten Rooks and 350 Jackdaws on the flood plain, whilst along the causeway there was a mixed flock of at least 50 Linnets and Chaffinches. 12 Goldfinches, eight Chaffinches, seven Greenfinches, seven Reed Buntings and five Starlings were at the car park feeder along with two Yellowhammers and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
24th December 2017
Overcast, south westerly
New in today was a drake Pintail which joined the Wigeon and Teal on Car Park Pool and there was a significant jump in the number of Pochard with the number reaching 41 (13 females and 28 males). Tufted numbers jumped to 36 as well and other counts included 28 Shoveler, 220 Teal, 28 Gadwall and 178 Lapwing.
On the islands, joining the adult Great Black-backed Gull, were six Common Gulls, three Herring Gulls and 15 Lesser Black-backs. Two Skylarks flew over, there was a Coal Tit in the back gate copse, a Lesser Redpoll along the central streamline and 27 Rooks on the flood plain.
23rd December 2017
Early fog, clearing to sunny PM
Today’s counts were as follows: seven Mute Swans, one Greylag, one Canada, 355 Wigeon, 15 Gadwall, 267 Teal, 19 Mallard, 30 Shoveler, 16 Pochard, 22 Tufted, a pair of Goosanders, 32 Cormorants, two Herons, one Little Egret, 24 Moorhen, 93 Coot, 154 Lapwing, ten Snipe, 76 Black-headed Gulls, six Common Gulls, six Lesser Black-backed Gulls, the adult Great Black-backed Gull, 125 Linnets, two male Bramblings, a Cetti’s Warbler in the Reed-bed, two Ravens over and 18 Rooks on the flood plain.
In the late afternoon, there was a Kestrel hunting over railway, a Sparrowhawk hunting over Car Park and a large number of Rooks and Jackdaws came in to Siden Hill Wood to roost. 182 Jackdaws came over from the south east and at least 100 more, with a similar number of Rooks, came in from Bradnocks Marsh.
There was a single Lesser Redpoll and a Siskin in the back gate copse as well.
Sunset over Railway Pool – Photograph taken by Nick Barlow
Sunset over Wigeon flock on Car Park Pool – Photograph taken by Nick Barlow
22nd December 2017
Foggy and remaining mild
There was at least one male Brambling in the crop field along with 30 Chaffinches, 80 Linnets, two Greenfinches and a Yellowhammer. Of the six Bullfinches seen today, four were together in the back gate copse and two were again on the Railway Embankment.
A single Siskin went low over the crop field and there were 11 more along the Old Road. Two Lesser Redpolls flew over the Railway, as did a Skylark, and three Meadow Pipits. There were 26 Snipe today scattered around the Pools along with a single Little Egret.
At 3.30pm six Goosanders dropped in and the adult Greater Black-backed Gull was again on site.
There were 30 Fieldfare along the railway line, at least 450 Jackdaws came to roost in Siden Hill Wood and there were 20 female Pheasants in front of Car Park hide in the late afternoon.
21st December 2017
Dull, remaining mild
The adult Greater Black-backed Gull was again on Car Park Pool this morning along with a pair of Goosanders and 12 Pochard. A few Redwings and Fieldfares were scattered around the margins of Railway Pool and there was a male Kestrel hunting there. A Sparrowhawk also went through and both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen.
20th December 2017
Overcast start, sunny intervals pm., increasingly mild with temperatures up to 11.5 degrees.
The crop field was again busy with Finches. There were at least 100 Linnets and 50 Chaffinches with three Bramblings in amongst the Chaffinches. The Bramblings consisted of an adult male, a sub-adult male and a female. A flock of ten Siskins were also recorded (no location), four Goosanders went over, a Water Rail showed in front of Oak Hide and there were at least two Common Gulls and eight Snipe seen.
Juvenile male Brambling – 20th December 2017 – by Crop Field Oak – Photograph by John Hunt
19th December 2017
Mostly cloudy and still.
A Raven flew over Car Park Pool this morning and I am pleased to say that a Cetti’s Warbler was in song along the causeway, so clearly at least one has survived the cold weather. A Little Egret showed particularly well in the Marsh, catching fish, and a Tawny Owl was again visible along the central streamline.
In the afternoon, four Egyptian Geese dropped in and the male Mandarin was again on show.
18th December 2017
Thick fog until at least 11.30, mostly sunny thereafter and still.
Two Water Rails and three Snipe showed well in the Marsh with a further 12 Snipe on the edge of Car Park Pool in front of the hide. 20 Chaffinches and at least 40 Linnets were feeding in the crop field and a Peregrine also put in an appearance this morning. The car park feeder continues to attract a wide variety of birds, including a small group of Starlings.
17th December 2017
Mostly wet, west, north-westerly wind.
A reasonable selection of birds today included four Greater Black-backs on Car Park Pool this morning, along with ten Herring Gulls and three Common Gulls. The Greater Black-backs consisted of three adults and a first winter.
32 Snipe were feeding in the rain, on the Railway Pool islands this morning, and there was still over 400 Teal along with five Pochard, 50 Shoveler and 35 Gadwall.
Well over 100 Linnets were again in the crop field, together with both the male and female Brambling and an impressive 80 Goldfinch along with four Siskins, were feeding around the back gate area. The Tawny Owl showed well in the box on the central streamline and five Meadow Pipits went over.
16th December 2017
Occasional showers, mostly overcast, north-westerly wind.
There was a noticeable increase in Teal today with 404 counted, though the Wigeon numbers had dropped slightly down to 235 with many of the flock feeding on the flood plain. Lapwing numbers have dropped, presumably as a result of the cold weather forcing them further west.
The crop field held 100 Linnets, both male and female Brambling but only two Yellowhammers and there was a flock of eight Siskins feeding in the Alders along the concrete road.
The snow melt has caused some flood pools at Patrick Bridge and although these were frozen, the damp grassland had attracted at least 30 each of Fieldfares and Redwings, plus a single Mistle Thrush, six Pied Wagtails and a Meadow Pipit. There were a further ten Fieldfares in the north end of Siden Hill Wood, presumably feeding on the softened crab apples there. A Woodcock was flushed near the top path and there was a Green Woodpecker by the mobile phone mast.
The other counts today included 19 Mute Swans, 347 Greylags, a single Farmyard Goose, the Barnacle / Canada Cross, 68 Greylags, 235 Wigeon, 29 Gadwall, 51 Shoveler, 20 Mallard, three Pochard, seven Tufted, one Dabchick, 21 Cormorants, three Herons, 25 Moorhen, 121 Coot, 30 Lapwing, seven Snipe, 40 Black-headed Gulls, one Common Gull, one Herring Gull and one Lesser Black-backed Gull.
There were 20 Pheasants (15 females) by Car Park Pool before they flew across towards the River in the late afternoon.
It will be interesting to see whether the cold weather has affected the Cetti’s Warblers and whether they have survived or moved on.
15 December 2017
Sunny, cold, northerly wind.
There was no sign of the Gannet this morning in very wintery conditions. There were at least 60 Linnets in the crop field and about 800 Starlings left the roost at dawn. A adult male Peregrine flew over at 9.30 and put up the Lapwings and Black-headed Gulls.
14 December 2017
Sunshine and showers, cool, south-westerly wind.
Today’s surprise bird was an adult Gannet which was found in amongst the Mute Swans on Railway Pool late in the afternoon and was still there at dusk.
In the crop field there was a female Brambling and 60 Linnets and a Water Rail in the north causeway bay.
A Starling roost was audible in the north causeway bay as well, but the birds could not be counted as they were already in roost at the time. A male Sparrowhawk was hunting around the rear of Oak Hide at dusk.
Gannet – 14th December 2017 – Photograph by Nick Barlow
13th December 2017
Sunny am, wet pm.
There were a pair of Shelduck on Car Park Pool this morning and two Water Rail in the north causeway bay as well.
12th December 2017
Sunny morning, cloudy afternoon, cold, light northerly wind.
All of Car Park Pool, the Reedbed and most of Railway Pool are now frozen with just two small pools of open water on Railway Pool thronged with Duck and a few Swans.
There were only a few Finches evident in the crop field this morning, mostly Chaffinches and a few Greenfinches and Goldfinches. There was no sign of a Brambling and the large flock of Linnets was not immediately visible.
Five Fieldfares and a Redwing went over along with three Rooks but, otherwise, it was quiet in the cold conditions.
Causeway Track – 12th December 2017 – Photograph by Nick Barlow
11th December 2017
Sunny intervals, cold and frosty.
No records.
10th December 2017
Snow and cold northerly wind most of the day.
Judging by a visit to check the log book on the morning of the 11th, lack of tyre tracks up the Old Road to the car park suggested there had been no visitors on Sunday and so it proved, with a pristine car park and no records in the log book.
9th December
Mostly sunny, light north westerly.
There was a big increase in the Linnet flock today with at least 175 in the crop field and a further 20 in the Old Road game crop. Yellowhammers had also risen to 15 in the crop field. There was a male Brambling with ten Siskins and a Lesser Redpoll on the central streamline and a further six Siskins along the concrete road.
Today’s other counts comprised 22 Mute Swans, 166 Greylags, 301 Wigeon, 24 Gadwall, 238 Teal, 28 Mallard, 60 Shoveler, a drake Mandarin, ten Pochard, 11 Tufted, 49 Cormorants, a Heron, one Little Egret, two Little Grebes, 31 Moorhen, 86 Coot, 35 Lapwing, 25 Snipe, 67 Black-headed Gulls, eight Lesser Black-backed Gulls, one Herring Gull, two Ravens and 25 Fieldfare.
There were at least two Foxes hunting the flood plain in the afternoon.
Seven attended the work party with the remaining island (the one below Railway Hide) being strimmed and some spray applied to control vegetation. Whether the spray will work in the cold conditions remains to be seen. Thanks to all who attended (especially Heather for the cake!)
Of the birds seen by the work party, the most interesting was a Jack Snipe which was flushed from the Marsh, at least 300 Jackdaws which flocked into Siden Hill Wood at dusk and 98 Rooks came in from the south to roost somewhere along the flood plain to the north.
8 December 2017
Cold north-westerly wind, sunny intervals with snow showers.
The Linnet flock in the crop field is now at least 100 strong and the male Brambling showed well on the edge of the crop field with the Chaffinch and Greenfinch flock which comprised at least 20 birds.
The drake Mandarin was again on Railway Pool and, overhead, 18 Rooks went west prior to 9 am along with 10 Fieldfares and four Redwing. A male Kestrel was perched on the railway embankment.
The adult Greater Black-Backed Gull was again on Car Park Pool mid-morning with at least three Common Gulls and 40 Fieldfares feeding on the flood plain. There were also 3 Bullfinches on the central streamline.
7th December 2017
Overcast start, sunny pm, turning colder from the north-west.
The drake Mandarin was again on Railway Pool in the bay nearest to River Hide and both Sparrowhawk and Kestrel were hunting the Reserve. Five Common Snipe were in the Marsh.
6th December 2017
Cloudy start , sunny pm increasing NW wind
Birds were similar today as yesterday although only the male Brambling could be found. A Peregrine, the adult Great Blacked-backed Gull and Raven all put in appearances too.
20 Siskins were feeding in the back gate copse and a pair of Goosander appeared later in the morning.
5th December 2017
Overcast with occasional sunny intervals with a light west, south westerly wind
There was a pair of Brambling in the small Chaffinch flock on the north side of the Car Park Pond this morning. The flock was about 20 strong and in addition there were precisely 80 Linnets and, at the north end of the field, at least nine Yellowhammers, ten Reed Buntings and 5 – 10 Greenfinches.
Both Water Rail and Mink showed from the North Causeway screen with another Water Rail calling from River Hide on the railway pool side. The Drake Mandarin was again on Railway Pool consorting with a female Mallard and driving off the associating male.
On the Pools, there were at least 65 Shoveler, ten Pochard, a Little Egret and three Common Gulls and in the back gate area there was a flock of at least 12 Siskins along with some Goldfinches. Six Fieldfare and five Redwings went over and there were approximately 20 Starlings around the car park coming in to the feeder. The male Kestrel was hunting the crop field along with the Buzzard.
4th December 2017
Overcast with occasional sunny intervals
There were 15 Goosanders and a Greater Black-backed Gull on Car Park Pool this morning and at least 30 Linnets in the crop field. The Cetti’s Warbler was in song along the causeway and the Drake Mandarin was on Railway Pool.
The car park feeders continue to be well visited with, amongst other things, 13 Starling, three Greenfinches, four Goldfinches, five Chaffinches and a Yellowhammer.
Other bits and pieces included a pair of Mistle Thrushes along the Old Road and a Kestrel feeding along the Concrete Road.
3rd December 2017
Mostly cloudy with some drizzle.
A record breaking 22 Goosanders flew into Car Park Pool at about 10.30, of which four were adult males. The drake Mandarin was still in the north-west corner of Railway Pool showing interest in a female Mallard.
Drake Mandarin with female Mallard – 2nd December 2017 – Photograph by Jeff Rankin
Other counts included 70 Shoveler, 18 Pochard and 49 Cormorants. There was a single Little Egret and two Cetti’s Warblers were seen or heard, a male in the north causeway bay and a female was seen a little later in the Bulrushes at the south end of Railway Pool and near River Hide. There was a flock of 50 Goldfinches in the back gate Alders and there were at least 20 Rooks on the flood plain. A Greater Black-backed Gull put in an appearance later in the afternoon and there were two Sparrowhawks hunting by River Hide.
2nd December 2017
Drizzly, north-westerly wind.
A noticeable increase in Wigeon saw the best total of the second winter period with 326 today and also 212 Teal. The drake Mandarin was again present along with a female Goosander and the first two Shelducks of this period.
In the crop field there was a male Brambling, at least 40 Linnets and three Yellowhammers. A flock of 20 Siskins was feeding in the Alders along the concrete road.
Full counts today were as follows: 15 Mutes (ten adults and five juveniles), 217 Greylags, a Greylag / Canada cross, the Barnacle / Greylag cross, 25 Canadas, two Shelduck, 326 Wigeon, 28 Gadwall, 212 Teal, 33 Mallard, 61 Shoveler, 12 Pochard, eight Tufted, 45 Cormorants, three Herons, one Little Egret, two Little Grebes, 26 Moorhens, 79 Coot, 141 Lapwing, 12 Snipe, 41 Black-headed Gulls, six Common Gulls, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls, seven Herring Gulls, a female Goosander, a Water Rail in the causeway bay, a drake Mandarin, eight Bullfinches (five on the railway embankment, three on the concrete road) and there were also 12 Rook on the flood plain.
1 December 2017
Cold, sunny and frosty
Another cold dawn saw another irregular of the drake Mandarin which was in the bay in front of River Hide but could be elusive in the marginal vegetation.
The crop field Chaffinch flock has increased to 23 this morning and also included a female Brambling. The 35 Linnets, although birds were coming and going from the flock during the first hour of the day, and there were at least two Yellowhammers as well.
Five Song Thrushes included two over-flying birds and the Goldcrest showed well on the central streamline. 30 Rooks flew over between 8 am and 8.40, all going west.