Updates
30th November – records added
29th November – records amended
28th to 29th November – Records added
27th November – Records added
Work Party Dates
7th December 2019 2 pm
11th January 2020 2 pm
8th February 2020 2 pm (Note: this date has been amended from 28th February 2020 that was printed in the latest newsletter)
7th March 2020 2 pm
30th November 2019
Hard frost overnight; dry, bright & sunny with light easterly breeze.
The results of the regular Saturday count were as follows:
Seven Mute Swans, 256 Canada Geese, 360 Greylag Geese, a Greylag x Canada hybrid, 214 Wigeon, 29 Gadwall, 151 Teal, 25 Shoveler, 33 Mallard, 22 Pochard, 18 Tufted, Goldeneye (f), Goosander (m), two Little Grebe, four Grey Heron, 34 Cormorant, 20 Moorhen, 44 Coot, 168 Lapwing, 22 Snipe, 77 Black–headed Gulls, a single Common Gulls, two Herring Gulls and three Lesser Black–backed Gulls.
Away from the pools, other records were six Fieldfares, Grey Wagtail by the Old Road muck heap, a Yellowhammer along the Concrete Road and, east of the A452, 30 Skylark and a pair of Stonechats.
29th November 2019
Hard frost overnight; dry, bright & sunny with light northerly breeze.
Up to a dozen Common Snipe were in evidence across the pools along with six Common and two Lesser Black–backed Gulls on Car Park Pool. Elsewhere there were two Buzzards over, two Green Woodpeckers, small numbers of both Redwing and Fieldfare, and a Cetti’s Warbler. Finally, 200+ Starlings were seen in a pre-roost gathering over the Reedbed at dusk.
28th November 2019
Dull & overcast, some rain later. Light northerly breeze.
No records
27th November 2019
Dull and overcast, persistent rain but mild. Light northerly breeze.
No records.
26th November 2019
Dull, overcast and mild with showers in the morning, brighter later. Light south-westerly breeze.
No records
25th November 2019
Dull and overcast with some showers. Light south-easterly.
Car Park Pool held ten Common Snipe while Canada Geese had gathered on Railway Pool with 150 present. As usual, the Car Park feeders were popular with a wide variety of the usual species and up to seven Pheasants were clearing up below.
24th November 2019
Dull, overcast with occasional drizzle. Light south-easterly breeze.
The female Goldeneye continued its stay on Car Park Pool and other records from the pools included a selection of Gulls with the regular adult Great Black–backed, five Herring and two Common Gulls. Across the rest of the site, three Water Rails were seen from Oak Hide, 22 Common Snipe were present as was a male Cetti’s Warbler. The flash opposite Patrick Farm is clearly attractive to Green Sandpiper at present with three noted there and a pair of Goosanders was on the Flood Plain.
23rd November 2019
Dull and overcast with rain p.m. Light south-easterly breeze.
This week’s Saturday count yielded the following:
Four Mute Swans, 20 Canada Geese, 218 Greylag Geese, a Greylag x Canada hybrid, 215 Wigeon, 67 Gadwall, 115 Teal, 26 Shoveler, 32 Mallard, 29 Pochard, 18 Tufted, Goldeneye (f), three Little Grebe, four Grey Heron, 31 Cormorant, 22 Moorhen, 58 Coot, 180 Lapwing, ten Snipe, 97 Black–headed Gulls, nine Common Gulls, two Herring Gulls and a single Lesser Black–backed Gull.
Away from the pools, other records were Cetti’s Warbler along the Causeway, Lesser Redpoll over the South-West Pond, juvenile Pied Wagtail along the Old Road and, opposite Patrick Barns, three Green Sandpipers and nine Yellowhammers.
22nd November 2019
Generally dull & overcast with showers p.m. Light easterly breeze.
The female Goldeneye was again present along with five Goosanders (4m+1f), five Common Snipe, two Herring Gulls and three Little Grebes. There have been few, if any, instances of Starling roosts this autumn so a record of 200 was notable. A Muntjac deer was also seen.
21st November 2019
Overcast, misty & cold all day, but dry. Light easterly breeze.
There was no sign of the Whooper Swan today but the female Goldeneye was still present, at least in the morning. Raptors were in evidence with a Peregrine flushing everything from Car Park Pool as it flew over around midday and later a Buzzard drifting over the Crop Field was harassed by a Sparrowhawk. Other records included five Little Grebes, eight Common Gulls, two Herring Gulls and a single Lesser Black–backed Gull across the two main pools and a small group of Fieldfares was working its way along the Old Road hedge opposite the Car Park. Finally, seven Pheasants, all female, were feeding in the strimmed area immediately in front of the North Causeway Hide.
20th November 2019
Dry with sunny intervals. Cold east/south-easterly breeze.
Water levels remain quite high after last week’s rain with the gravel spit on Railway Pool only just breaking the surface and the Marsh area still largely flooded.
Both Whooper Swan and female Goldeneye were again recorded along with 14 Common Gulls, the regular adult Great Black–backed Gull and two Herring Gulls.
19th November 2019
Sunny intervals and dry after a heavy frost. Light south-easterly breeze.
The female Goldeneye was again noted on Car Park Pool along with Herring Gull (2), Lesser Black–backed Gull (2) and 100+ Black–headed Gulls. Railway Pool held 12 Common Snipe and other records across the Reserve included 30 Redwing, five Fieldfare and both Green (two) and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
18th November 2019
Cool start but dry and bright. Light north-westerly breeze.
Water levels, especially in the vicinity of Patrick Bridge, have now subsided to some degree after the flooding at the end of last week
The Car Park feeders were busy as normal with a good selection of the usual species, including seven Pheasants which were busy hoovering up below. Other records included Green Woodpecker along the Old Road, Green Sandpiper on the flash north of Patrick Farm and three Meadow Pipits in the Tip Field.
17th November 2019
Overcast but dry morning; rain in the afternoon. Light northerly breeze
The Whooper Swan was present early on but not found again after mid-morning. Also present on the pools were the female Goldeneye, 200+ Lapwing and a good selection of gulls: the regular adult Great Black–backed Gull, four Common Gulls and 12 Herring Gulls over. A male Cetti’s Warbler was around the Causeway area, a Coal Tit was again on the car park feeders, both Redwing and Fieldfare were feeding along the Railway Embankment and two Water Rails were recorded (Reedbed and north end of Railway Pool), while other logbook entries included a flock of 25 Goldfinch, Goldcrest in a mixed flock and Green Woodpecker around the Car Park.
Finally, there were three Green Sandpipers – two were again present on the flash north of Patrick Farm and one was on the Flood Plain.
16th November 2019
Overcast but largely dry. Light south-westerly breeze.
The results of the regular Saturday count, combined with other logbook entries, were as follows:
22 Mute Swans, 133 Canada Geese, 180 Greylag Geese, 210 Wigeon, 43 Gadwall, 201 Teal, 36 Shoveler, 58 Mallard, 32 Pochard, 15 Tufted, Goldeneye (f), one Little Grebe, five Grey Heron, one Little Egret, 33 Cormorant, eight Moorhen, 50 Coot, 146 Lapwing, nine Snipe, 150 Black–headed Gulls, seven Common Gulls, six Herring Gulls and singles of both Lesser Black–backed Gull and Great Black–backed Gull (adult).
Other species included a juvenile Peregrine over and Coal Tit on the Car Park feeders. North of Patrick Barns was a productive area with Whooper Swan, three Green Sandpipers (first field to the right of the river), six Meadow Pipits, ten Yellowhammers and ten or more Pied Wagtails.
15th November 2019
Generally light cloud, occasional showers, moderate northerly breeze.
With water levels very high across the Reserve following yesterday’s incessant heavy rain, records from the morning included Whooper Swan, Great Black–backed Gull, a return of the female Goldeneye, and a Siskin.
Later on in the morning and into the early afternoon the Whooper Swan was still present on Car Park Pool along with Shoveler (30), Teal (65) , Gadwall (15+), Wigeon (60+), Pochard (21), Lapwing (75), Common Snipe (3) and Gulls represented by single adults of both Common and Great Black–backed. Railway Pool held a number of the same species: Gadwall (22), Shoveler (8), Teal (80+) and Common Snipe (7).
Other records across the Reserve included Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Bullfinch, 20+ Siskins, 20+ Fieldfare and 35 Redwing. A Mink was reported from the Causeway.
14th November 2019
Heavy rain all day. Cold with light north-easterly breeze.
No reports
13th November 2019
Dry with sunny intervals and a light south-westerly breeze.
Sightings for the morning were Whooper Swan, female Goldeneye and a number of Redwing which were feeding along the Railway Embankment.
The Whooper Swan was still present early afternoon together with eight adult and five first-winter Mute Swans which were spread across the pools. Car Park Pool had good numbers of wildfowl including Pochard (11), Teal (37), Wigeon (74), along with c50 Lapwing and 33 Cormorants, as well as four adult Common Gulls and the adult Great Black–backed Gull. Railway Pool also had a good cast list including Gadwall (25), Coot (24), Teal (26) and a single Common Snipe.
12th November 2019
Generally overcast with some showers. Light westerly breeze.
No records
11th November 2019
Heavy rain overnight but dry with sunny intervals. Light westerly breeze.
As usual, the Car Park feeder was busy with a number of species in attendance including Blue Tit, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Jackdaw, Magpie and five Pheasants hoovering up below. This activity also attracted the attention of a Sparrowhawk.
Car Park Pool held Snipe, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Great Black–backed Gull, up to 15 Pochard and Little Egret. There was a mixed flock feeding along the Concrete Road, this included Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit and Great Tit while some 15 Long–tailed Tits were on the Railway Embankment. The cattle feeder along the Old Road is often attractive to Pied Wagtails at this time of year and three were noted in that area.
10th November 2019
Dry with sunny intervals. Light north north-easterly breeze.
A Whooper Swan was again recorded on Car Park Pool, possibly one of the group seen on 8th. Other records on the pools were three female Goosander, Great Black–backed Gull, five Common Gulls, 25 Pochard, 53 Shoveler and a Little Egret.
Elsewhere across the site, sightings included Cetti’s Warbler, female Blackcap, both Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, up to 30 Fieldfare, a Kingfisher from the Causeway Hide and six Skylark over going south-west.
9th November 2019
Frosty start, overcast, heavy rain from midday. Light north north-easterly breeze.
There was no record of the Whooper Swans today but the regular Saturday count yielded the following across the Reserve:
Ten Mute Swans, 31 Canada Geese, 235 Greylag Geese, Greylag x Canada hybrid, 174 Wigeon, 44 Gadwall, 152 Teal, 38 Shoveler, 34 Mallard, 16 Pochard, 11 Tufted, one Little Grebe, six Grey Heron, one Little Egret, 36 Cormorant, 21 Moorhen, 62 Coot, 105 Lapwing, nine Snipe, 55 Black–headed Gulls, two Common Gulls and a single Herring Gull.
Other species included Cetti’s Warbler below Railway Hide, Green Sandpiper on the flash opposite the barns at Patrick Farm and a female Blackcap which was along the Old Road by the gate to the Flood Plain.
The persistent heavy rain from midday onwards caused the working party to be largely abandoned but many thanks to the three determined individuals who were undeterred by the poor conditions and spent a couple of hours pulling vegetation to improve the view from Oak Hide.
8th November 2019
Bright with sunny intervals, light north north-westerly breeze.
The highlight of the day was provided by six adult Whooper Swans which were present on Car Park Pool. They were first noted at 09.00 and were present until at least 14.00.
Other sightings on Car Park Pool were Shoveler (46), Teal (44), Gadwall (15), Wigeon (50+), Pochard (310), Coot (15), Tufted Duck (12), Lapwing (c120), Common Gull (5) and two Skylarks. Many of the same species were also on Railway Pool which held Teal (40), Gadwall (46), Shoveler (8), Coot (42), Greylag Geese (100+), Cormorant (17), Lapwing (75) and Common Gull (3). When totalled, there were some quite impressive counts across the site.
7th November 2019
Overcast but mainly dry. Light south south-westerly breeze.
Car Park Pool held good numbers of both Pochard and Shoveler: 25 of the former and 40 of the latter. Other sightings of note included both Mistle Thrush and Treecreeper by the Back Gate, two Little Egrets and two Cetti’s Warblers, a male along the Causeway and a female south of Oak Hide.
6th November 2019
Dry but generally overcast a.m.; light showers p.m.; light south south-easterly breeze.
No reports
5th November 2019
Generally overcast with brighter intervals and some light rain. Light north north-westerly breeze.
No reports
4th November 2019
Sunny intervals with light showers later in the day. Light breeze turning northerly.
Cetti’s Warblers were again in evidence, both heard from Railway Hide and seen along the North Causeway where two were present. A couple of Redwings were feeding along the railway embankment and two Pied Wagtails were noted by the cattle feeder along the Old Road.
As usual, the car park feeders were busy, with Reed Bunting, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, Blackbird and Pheasant all recorded.
3rd November 2019
Sunny intervals; some showers later; light SW breeze
The day’s highlight was the report of a Stonechat, but unfortunately there was no further detail in the logbook about where this was seen and whether it was male/female. There was a female reported back on Oct 15 but, with no sightings since, it’s likely that this was a different individual.
The female Goldeneye was still around on Car Park Pool in the morning along with five Great Crested Grebes and four Common Gulls. Railway Pool held 250+ Canada Geese which, while not a site record (highest was 336 on Sep 17 2015) is a notably high count.
The movement of Redwings and Fieldfares continued with 50+ over going north-west and ten Skylarks were also on the move.
2nd November 2019
Heavy rain a.m., brighter later. Fresh SW breeze
In the morning, 27 Snipe were flushed from Car Park Pool by a Sparrowhawk. 18 Pochard were noted with two Common Gulls also on Car Park Pool and Cetti’s Warbler in the Reedbed. There was a good total of Little Grebes with four on Car Park Pool and a single on the Dragonfly Pond.
Later in the day, Redwings were particularly in evidence with 16, accompanied by a solitary Fieldfare, along the Causeway, six going to roost by the car park and another 60-70 over in a couple of groups. Cetti’s Warbler was noted from both the Marsh and Railway Hide, a Chiffchaff was calling from the Back Gate Copse and a Goldcrest was at the back gate itself. Elsewhere, there were 12 Meadow Pipits on the Tip Field, six Chaffinches and four Goldfinches along the Old Road, five female Pheasants by the car park gate, 100+ Jackdaws flew over towards dusk and 150 Starlings went to roost.
1st November 2019
Wet start, thereafter overcast.
The female Goldeneye had reappeared on Car Park Pool this morning and the Dunlin from yesterday remains. Pochard numbers had increased to 14 and there were seven Common Gulls, two Herring Gulls and a Little Egret. Both Water Rail and Cetti’s Warbler were seen from the causeway and five Fieldfares were feeding on the flood plain.