30th September 2012
– Overcast, mild, blustery, south-westerly wind.
Despite the overcast weather, the rain held off and there were some good records, the highlight of which was two early Jack Snipe which showed extremely well in the Marsh for most of the afternoon. Two juvenile Little Egrets were present on Car Park Pool for much of the day and another “two”, both male and female Peregrines, made stoops at the panickedLapwings, both without success. The male appeared to be a sub-adult, whilst the female was a full adult in wing moult.
Yesterday’s female Pintail showed well on occasion but could be elusive, Shoveler numbers jumped to a noteworthy 92 and Wigeon had increased to 72.
Hirundines (principally House Martins) and Meadow Pipits were again on the move. 110 of the former flew south in two hours between 1pm and 3pm whilst Swallows were fewer, 20 in the first two hours and only three between 1pm and 3pm. Meadow Pipits totalled 32 in the morning but none were seen in the afternoon. Siskins were limited to low double figures.
The adult Yellow-legged Gull spent much of the middle part of the day on the re-emergent gravel bar, being joined briefly by two adult Common Gulls.
29th September 2012
– Sunny, coll, south-westerly wind.
A female Pintail was a new arrival this morning and the Garganey remained. At least oneHobby was seen for much of the day and in the evening, an adult showed really well, perched for over an hour in an Ash on the central streamline, overlooking the Reedbed. Maybe it was waiting for the gathering Starling roost, but it made no move for the large numbers coming in before the sun went down. Over 550 initially gathered on the mast, or the railway embankment behind Railway Hide, many dropping down to feed on the pastures below before flying into the Reedbed.
A steady trickle of hirundines went through all day and House Martins were still moving at dusk, with 42 south at sunset.
Other counts were: 6 adult Mute Swans and 6 cygnets, the Black Swan, 281 Greylags, 41Canadas, 14 Farmyard Geese, 65 Wigeon, 22 Gadwall, 63 Teal, an impressive 101Mallard, 60 Shoveler, five Pochard, 39 Tufted Ducks, 10 Little and two Great Crested Grebes, 10 Cormorants, five Herons, 10 Moorhens, 119 Coot, 246 Lapwings, six Snipe, 50 Black-headed Gulls, just one Lesser Black-backed, Kingfisher, 15 Skylark, minimum of 27 Swallows, a minimum of 112 House Martins, 39 Meadow Pipits, six Chiffchaffs, sixSiskins and four Lesser Redpoll.
28th September 2012
– South-westerly, showery.
Light but steady visible migration this morning was principally confined to Swallows, Meadow Pipits and to a lesser extent Wagtails and Siskins. From 8 to 8.30 a.m., 32 Swallows, 15Meadow Pipits, 4 “alba” Wagtails and three Siskins went south, but the passage continued after that.
There were 71 Shovelers feeding in three groups on Car Park Pool, and now that Railway Pool has dropped a bit and revealed some margins (although not the gravel bar) there were plenty more wildfowl there and in the margins. However, because of the vegetation on the islands, they were difficult to count.
Four Chiffchaffs were widely scattered across the Reserve and a flock of ten Goldfincheswere around the car park with a handful of Linnets.
In the afternoon, a Water Rail called from the causeway, the Garganey reappeared and aHobby showed well. 15 Snipe was the best count of the month and last, but not least, a pair of Ravens flew over.
27th September 2012
– Mostly cloudy, north-westerly wind.
The Garganey remains and despite the regular cloud cover, there was still plenty of Migrant Hawkers, Common Darters and Red Admirals on the wing. At 12.45 a substantial flock ofSiskins, 50, flew south over the car park whilst, in the afternoon, a Hobby put in an appearance and the pair of Mandarins were again in front of Oak Hide. They do seem to prefer the afternoons.
26th September 2012
– Occasional sunny periods and showers, north-easterly wind.
There was again a substantial hirundine passage today, mostly of House Martins. At 10 a.m. there were at least 150 visible in an arc between the car park, south over Railway Pool and north towards Patrick Farm and once those had gone through, another flock of at least 50 could be seen heading south. Occasional Swallows and at least one Sand Martin were present amongst the House Martins, but there seemed to be little other visible migration aside from a single Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Siskin.
It was conceivable that there were two Garganeys today, one on either pool, and the Yellow-legged Gull was again present, this time on Car Park Pool. A Weasel showed well by Oak Hide, briefly.
A Hobby put in a number of appearances during the day. Meanwhile, in the afternoon, tenLong-tailed Tits, four Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest were in a small flock along the causeway with six further Chiffchaffs, two Goldcrests and a Treecreeper to the rear of Oak Hide, and three Chiffchaffs along the Old Road. The Snipe count reached 12 and despite the cloud cover in the afternoon, four Migrant Hawkers, seven Common Darters and a Red Admiral were still on the wing.
25th September 2012
– Periodic rain, west south-westerly wind.
The heavy rain from the preceding days had caused the River Blythe to flood extensively, and this included into Railway Pool. The Garganey and Yellow-legged Gull were, as usual, present along with 250 Canada Geese enjoying the wet conditions. A pair of Mandarins were present on Railway Pool in the afternoon, when a Raven went over and “dozens” of House Martins were going south. A late Willow Warbler was also a surprising find on the Old Road.
In the evening, 40 Swallows congregated over the pools, together with a single Sand Martin,possibly before going to roost.
24th September 2012
– Very wet.
The long-staying Yellow-legged Gull and Garganey were again both present and, in the poor conditions, there were 30 Swallows, ten House Martins and a Sand Martin.
23rd September 2012
– Cloudy all day, initially dry, but rain from about 11.30 a.m., cold easterly wind.
The change in wind direction paid dividends with a good range of birds today, although none lingered particularly long. In the morning, a Ruff and a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit were present, but they had gone by mid-morning to be replaced by three Pintail and, after lunch, a pair of Mandarins. The Pintails could not be found later.
Another movement of hirundines took place today, with 150 Swallows present between 8 and 8.30 a.m., along with ten Sand Martins and there was a steady passage of hirundines all day with, for example, 30 Swallows present at any one time between 1 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. at least, and there was obviously a steady turnover as birds appeared from the north and then carried on south. There were fewer House Martins, although these were as usual feeding higher up and one flock of 27 moved through south at 3.30 p.m. After the ten Sand Martinsthis morning, there was just a single this afternoon.
A flock of 13 Linnets commuted between the crop field and the islands on Railway Pool and there were also ten Goldfinches, 11 Snipe (on the islands on Car Park Pool), three Buzzardspresent in the morning, a Kestrel in the afternoon and despite the rain, a pair of Ravensshowed well towards Siden Hill Wood in the afternoon.
Last, but not least, Green Woodpeckers have been very showy over the last few days, with two birds present around Car Park Hide yesterday, and one on a fence post by Railway Hide this afternoon and a second bird in the car park.
22nd September 2012
– Cold, frosty, but sunny start, northerly wind moving to easterly.
The first frost of the autumn occurred today. The best birds early on were a Tree Pipit, low north over Car Park Pool at 8.20 and four Skylarks, two Meadow Pipits and three Siskinsflew over in various directions, whilst two Sand Martins and a House Martin dropped in to feed along the causeway, before quickly moving on. A single Swallow which had obviously roosted in the Hawthorn by the gate emerged at dawn, along with five from the Reedbed, together with several hundred Starlings.
A Sedge Warbler was seen briefly in the Marsh and there was an unidentified sub-songing bird behind the Oak Hide which refused to show. A Blackcap called by the record box.
As the morning progressed, more hirundines and Meadow Pipits moved through, with 81Swallows, 18 Meadow Pipits, four Siskins, one House Martin flying through to the south. A Hobby put in a brief appearance as the weather warmed up. The adult Yellow-legged Gulland the long-staying Garganey were both present and other counts included 16 Little Grebes, three Great Crested Grebes, 12 Cormorants, 10 Herons, four Mute Swans, six cygnets, a Black Swan, 124 Greylags, 326 Canadas (a record count), 18 Wigeon, 43 Teal, 41 Gadwall, 64 Mallard, 51 Shoveler, a female Mandarin, two Pochard, 38 Tufted Duck, 74 Coot, ten Moorhen, 152 Lapwing, four Snipe, a Kingfisher, 108 Black-headed Gulls,three Rooks on the flood plane and last, but not least, yesterday’s juvenile Dunlin.
Insects on the wing included two Red Admirals, Speckled Wood, Small White, a Large White, Comma, Common Darter, Migrant Hawker, Common Blue, Blue-tailed, Emeraldand Small Red-eyed Damselflies.
21st September 2012
– High cloud, very light north westerly wind, rain from 11 a.m.
Visible migration this morning until 8.30 a.m., involved the following birds moving south: 73Swallows, 31 House Martins, three Alba Wagtails, 17 Meadow Pipits, one Siskin, oneGrey Wagtail and six Goldfinch.
Along the Old Road there were two further Siskins, at least ten calling or singing Chiffchaffs, three Song Thrushes, a Nuthatch, one Treecreeper, ten Long-tailed Tits and a mixed Titflock, two Jays and three Song Thrushes.
It was interesting to note today (though it has been evident on previous occasions) that theSwallows tend to be more direct on passage whereas the House Martins often make slower progress as they feed up on route. Also, the House Martins tend to be higher than theSwallows.
The adult Yellow-legged Gull was again present and a juvenile Dunlin was a new arrival.
20th September 2012
– Cool, north-westerly wind, high cloud.
Some Meadow Pipits and Swallows moved through during the morning but, unfortunately, there were no counts. However, 17 Siskin flew south over the car park at 11.20 a.m., and at 11.45 a.m., a Wheatear showed briefly by Car Park Hide before completely vanishing.
19th September 2012
– A cool strong north-westerly wind, sunny all day until showers in the evening.
The Yellow-legged Gull was present on both pools during the day and the Garganey was visible from Oak Hide this morning. At least one Kingfisher showed well along the causeway and six House Martins and two Swallows moved through during the middle of the day.
18th September 2012
– Mostly sunny north-westerly wind.
Not a great deal of change again today. The Yellow-Legged Gull was a regular visitor during the day as was a Hobby seen at least twice, once at 3 p.m. and again at 5.30 pm.
The Garganey remains, although it is frequently elusive. In the evening, a Grey Wagtail went over and at least 30 Swallows roosted in the reeds in the small pond by the car park.
17th September 2012
– Sunny, brisk north westerly wind.
With the Yellow-Legged Gull and Garganey still remaining, more interesting birds were limited to Reed Warbler, Goldcrest and Chiffchaff on the causeway and a Green Sandpiper in front of Oak Hide. 15 House Martins and a Swallow went through, aNuthatch was at the Oak Hide feeder and Dragonflies included plenty of Common Darters,Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker, whilst butterflies included a Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. Ten Snipe and 15 Wigeon were also counted.
16th September 2012
– Mostly sunny with light rain overnight between the 16th and 17th.
Both the adult Yellow-legged Gull and the Garganey were still present, but otherwise it was relatively quiet. That is until either two very loud shots or something similar, to the west of Siden Hill Wood, caused not only all the birds to get off both pools, but also caused the cattle to stampede. Fortunately things quickly quietened down and the birds returned. There were at least 350 Black-headed Gulls and in the disturbance over 200 Jackdaws rose up from the flood plain area. 50 House Martins were feeding over the railway embankment, but soon moved off.
Returning to the Gull, a second opinion has been sought from Alan Dean who has kindly commented that on the basis of the pictures, it seems to “fit the bill” for Yellow-legged, despite the pale back.
15th September 2012
– Sunny, warm and westerly wind.
Over 800 Starlings left the roost this morning and there was a small passage of Swallows,Meadow Pipits and Siskins, with 30, 17 and five respectively.
Interestingly, Steve Haynes was undertaking a visible migration watch at Fillongley and between 7.30 am and 1 pm, had 553 Meadow Pipits through, with the majority in the first two hours. It suggests that on a bright sunny morning the birds either remain too high to be detected or perhaps spread out from the Fillongley Ridge once it ends and are more widely dispersed. He also had 20 Red Admirals moving south as well, but not a great deal else withMeadow Pipits as is often the case.
The adult Yellow-legged Gull was also present, as was the long-staying Garganey and other note-worthy birds included two Kingfishers, Hobby, a noticeable increase in Chiffchaffs to at least 20 spread across the Reserve, a Blackcap and two Grey Wagtails. Graham and Dave’s usual counts were one Great Crested Grebe, 15 Little Grebes, seven Heron, 11Cormorant, six Mute Swans and six cygnets, the Black Swan, 276 Greylags, twoFarmyard Geese, 120 Canadas, ten Wigeon, 46 Teal, 44 Gadwall, 49 Mallard, 39Shoveler, five Pochard, 37 Tufted, 11 Moorhen, 112 Coot, 95 Black-headed Gulls, 110Lapwings, six Snipe, one House Martin and five Rooks.
14th September 2012
– Sunny intervals, westerly
The adult Yellow-legged Gull reappeared again and the Garganey remains. Passage this morning was limited to about 80 House Martins which were feeding over Lower Siden in the lee of the wind and a single Sand Martin was amongst them.
From a distance, it can appear as if there is a higher proportion of Sand Martins and in fact there is, because the rumps of young House Martins are less distinct.
The only other birds on the move were singles of Grey Wagtail and Meadow Pipit.
Other birds of note included a juvenile Peregrine, adult Hobby, the two hybrid Whoopers(for the first time in ages), three Rooks amongst the Jackdaws on the flood plain and threeChiffchaffs along the Old Road.
13th September 2012
– Mostly sunny, brisk westerly wind.
The adult Yellow-legged Gull showed well again today on the gravel bar on Railway Pool. This is a pale individual and not as dark backed as many. The other features seem to be consistent with Yellow-legged Gull, however, including the sloping forehead, flat crown, significant red gonys and, of course, the yellow legs.
In the warm conditions around lunchtime there were lots of Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers about, and an adult and juvenile Hobby were “cashing in”, showing particularly well over both pools, favouring the central streamline. They later moved west and could be seen feeding to the north of Siden Hill Wood, to the obvious dismay of the feeding House Martinsthere.
A single Siskin and Meadow Pipit also went over at about 1 p.m.
12th September 2012
– Sunshine and showers, south westerly
What was presumably Friday’s female Mandarin, was showing well in front of Oak Hide in the late afternoon and what may have been the bird’s mate, quickly went out of site behind the Marsh spit. The adult Yellow-legged Gull was again present on the gravel bar and aPeregrine also put in an appearance.
The Greenshank was in front of Oak Hide at 11.15 a.m., and a congregation of about 60Martins and Swallows were again in the field east of the wood in the morning, which included some Sand Martins and Swallows, but mostly House Martins.
11th September 2012
– Sunshine and showers, south westerly
A good selection of birds today with a showy first-winter Whinchat on the docks to the left of Car Park Hide and an adult Yellow-legged Gull on the gravel bar on Railway Pool, probably being the highlights.
A Common Sandpiper also showed on Railway Pool for part of the afternoon, there were three Snipe in total, a Sedge Warbler was perched on the fence by the Car Park briefly in the afternoon before disappearing into the vegetation and the long staying Greenshank,Garganey and at least one Hobby were all still present.
As the evening progressed, hirundines again appeared with between 80-100 feeding over the scrape field on the west side. Most of the birds were House Martins but there were a fewSwallows and 2-3 Sand Martins.
10th September 2012
– Occasional sunny periods, progressively clouding over and an increasing south-westerly
The Greenshank again showed from Railway Hide, as did a Kingfisher. A male Wheatearwas also reported but unfortunately with no location.
Seven attended the work party and a number of useful things were achieved. These included, the clearing of the sluice on Railway Pool which, as of Wednesday, has already had an effect in revealing more shoreline. Part of the Marsh has also been cleared and the reed mace have been topped so that the gravel bar is now visible. Some of the paths including those to River and Railway Hide have also been cleared.
There were a number of frogs and toads in the Marsh, and one of the frogs decided to cling on to the equipment, or wet clothing, in the back of the writer’s car. As it was emptied at the end of the evening, the frog made a bid for freedom and disappeared into the back of the car and refused to reveal itself! On returning home, I was removing the last of the items from the car when, upon opening the back door, I found it attached to the rear of the back seat. It is now in the garden!
9th September 2012
– Sunny, warm (22°C) but breezy (south-westerly) and some cloud.
Not a great deal of change today with the long stayers, Garganey, Greenshank and at least one regular Hobby still present. Wigeon are now up to 10. A number of Common Bluebutterflies showed by Railway Hide and a few Peacock, Red Admirals and Small Tortoiseshell also were seen.
8th September 2012
– Sunny, cool and misty start. Still and hot during the day – temps up to 25 degrees Centigrade
Coverage was good today between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m as part of an all day bird count in friendly competition with Upton Warren and Belvide. Conditions for migration were too good however and some birds from the previous day such as Whitethroat appeared to have departed overnight.
A cool start and mist handicapped matters until about 7.15, though the visibility was good enough to witness a roost of over 500 Starlings explode out of the reedbed at 6.40 and head west.
Upton faired even worse however, with thick fog and a text from John Belsey there at 9.05 a.m. said “53 so far, 50 on call and the fog is getting thicker: good thing I’m not deaf!”.
The early morning total of nearly 60 by 9 a.m. was of “common” birds and did not include anything out of the ordinary with no sign of yesterday’s Mandarins. Warblers, other than plenty of Chiffchaffs, were particularly hard to come by, with only two Blackcaps and singles each of Reed (causeway) and Sedge Warbler (Marsh) seen all day.
Overhead, seven Meadow Pipits, five “alba” Wagtails, two Siskins, a single Grey Wagtail, a few Swallows, House Martins and one Sand Martin were all that the good weather allowed. At 12.30 (a regular time) a juvenile Wheatear was found on the bare earth by the cattle feeder and coincided with an arrival at Spurn.
Long stayers such as Greenshank (9.30) and Garganey (12.15) eventually gave themselves up and as the morning progressed the total slowly climbed by the addition of such species asCoal Tit, Rook, Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Hobby (three over the east side of Hampton), Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Nuthatch; and, in the afternoon, Kingfisher, Water Rail and Red-legged Partridge and of particular note due to the early date, Common Gull,which took the total to 77 with no additions thereafter. Obvious absentees included a wider range of warblers and Mistle Thrush. Upton finished on 79 and Belvide 83. Thanks to all that took part.
Plenty of Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers were also on the wing with a Southern Hawker seen over by Siden. Two Small Coppers, a female Common Blue (of the darker variant) and a huge beetle (Dyticus species and probably Great Diving Beetle) were the highlights by Railway Hide.
In the late afternoon and evening, 55 House Sparrows were counted at Patrick Farm, an estimated 650 Starlings roosted in the Reedbed and an impressive 220 Swallows went south.
Species Count carried out on the 8th September 2012 – Total 78
Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Garganey, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Ruddy Duck, Red-legged Partridge, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Heron, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Hobby, Peregrine, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Lapwing, Snipe, Greenshank, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Northern Wheatear, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting.
7th September 2012
– Another cool start, sunny, south-westerly wind.
The Old Road seemed quiet on the stretch from the cottages to the Car Park, but from the car park north there were plenty of birds. Firstly a male Blackcap showed well in the scrub opposite the car park gates, on the Old Road, with two Whitethroats just north and a minimum of seven Chiffchaffs between the car park gate and the top gate. Three birds were sitting out on the edge of the Blackthorn, preening in the morning sun and showing really well. Another three were feeding between the top gate and the river hawthorns, with a further three, one in song, at the north end of the Old Road game crop and around the bale store.
There were also three Goldcrests, two Song Thrushes, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker and at least 13 Crows in the field just east of the aero strip.
Visible migration was limited to four Meadow Pipits, through in the early morning, and four separate Grey Wagtails. There were 15 to 20 Swallows feeding over the flood plain at about 7.45 and a little later, four House Martins joined them, these birds seemingly on the move. There was a more distant flock of at least 30 over Hampton in Arden, which were probably breeding birds.
Two Wigeon and four Pochard joined many other wildfowl on Car Park Pool.
The evening was productive. One Hobby showed particularly well, catching prey in front of the hides until at least 19.40 hrs, and 83 Swallows flew through in four parties as dusk approached. Starlings in various sized flocks periodically dropped into the Reedbed to roost (500 at least) and a pair of Mandarins were a surprise but excellent find on Railway Pool, where a Kingfisher was present earlier in the day.
6th September 2012
– Cool start, sunny all day, brisk south-westerly wind, about 20 degrees.
After a cool start it was another lovely, sunny, autumn day and two Hobbies performed superbly well over Car Park Pool on and off from mid-morning, mostly hawking Dragonflies. The Greenshank also put in one of its sporadic appearances this time on Railway Pool and there were two Snipe on Car Park Pool.
5th September 2012
– Sunny, lightly northerly winds.
There was a trickle of Meadow Pipits moving through today, with three by 9 a.m. and others were audible away from the Reserve. There were at least ten calling Chiffchaffs between the car park and the horse paddocks, and 27 House Martins were feeding over the flood plain between the horse paddock and Patrick Farm.
After yesterday’s large total of Black-headed Gulls, there were a minimum of 150 on Car Park Pool this morning, but again birds were coming and going all the time, and at least tenLesser Black-backs were present at any one moment. Plenty of other wildfowl were also on site, with the Geese commuting between the Reserve and the flood plain.
4th September 2012
– Sunny periods, light south-westerly wind.
The first Siskin of the year flew over Railway Hide this morning at 8.30 a.m., and on the railway embankment both Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat showed well. A maleBullfinch was also present there but flew into the copse. A pair of Coal Tits worked their way along Marsh Lane by the back gate with one of them in song, and a Chiffchaff was also in song by the back gate. The Garganey was still present.
In the evening, 50 Swallows appeared towards the end of the day, which may have subsequently gone to roost in the Reedbed. There was again a substantial roost of Starlingsthere with quite a few hundred present.
On the west side, the fields were being cultivated and at least 350 Black-headed Gulls and 25Lesser Black-backs were either following the cultivator or roosting up on the fields.
3rd September 2012
– Sunny, light westerly wind.
Both the Garganey and Little Egret were again present, with the Greenshank also showing again in the evening when, having roosted on the pools, it appeared to fly either to the river or to the scrapes at Lower Siden. A Hobby also put on a fine display in the evening and a singleSand Martin moved through. Plenty of Swallows remain up at Patrick Farm with at least 25 recorded in the afternoon.
Two Ravens flew over the Dragonfly Pond where a good selection of Odonata included Banded Demoiselle, Brown Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Small Red-eyed Damselflies, Emerald Damselfly and Common Darter. Butterflies included a late Brimstone, Common Blue,Green-veined White, and Meadow Brown.
2nd September 2012
– Overcast start, sunny afternoon.
A fairly good selection of birds today with a female type Pintail initially from Oak Hide, but later from Car Park Hide, and a Spotted Flycatcher on the railway embankment being the new arrivals. Little Egret, Garganey, Greenshank and Hobby were the other more notable species with the Hobby enjoying the warm conditions and regularly catching Dragonflies over the Reedbed.
The Greenshank did its usual “appearing and disappearing” trick and a Little Egretcommuted between Car Park Pool and the river.
Also on the railway embankment were Whitethroat, Blackcap and Bullfinch.
1st September 2012
– Mostly sunny, light south-westerly wind.
Today’s highlight was an Osprey that flew north over the tip field at about 8 a.m. It was the second bird of the year.
The Little Egret and Garganey were still present and other counts today were 13Cormorant, 13 Herons, two Great Crested Grebes, 24 Little Grebes (ten adults, 14 juveniles and two broods of three on the Car Park Pool and two on Railway Pool), seven Mute Swans and six cygnets, one Black Swan, 214 Greylags, 12 Farmyard Geese, 255Canadas, which is probably a record count, 15 Teal, a Garganey, four Wigeon, 34Shoveler, 47 Gadwall, 78 Mallard, five Pochard, 19 Tufted Ducks and 15 ducklings in six broods, 82 Coot, nine Moorhen, 80 Lapwing, Greenshank, 130 Black-headed Gulls, sixLesser Black-backs, a Hobby, 35 Goldfinches between Oak Hide and the south-west pond, and a Goldcrest on the central stream.
At least ten Chiffchaffs were present, mostly down the Old Road.