Boxing day birding
2 Bittern - main lake (SE shore and N shore by Headley Hide)
4 Pintail - main lake
1 Goldeneye - reservoir lagoon
2 Shelduck - main lake
1 Water Pipit - grazing marsh
15 Redwing - entrance area
7 Fieldfare - flew over heading S
1 Chiffchaff - wildside
14 Mandarin - wildside, main lake
90 Wigeon - wader scrape, grazing marsh, main lake
December bird highlights: Shelduck, Goldeneye, Goosander, Bittern, Great White Egret, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Jack Snipe, Little Owl, Peregrine, Red Kite, Yellow-legged Gull, Brambling, Water Pipit, Skylark, Rock Pipit.
Bitterns (up to 3 birds so far) can be found mostly on the main lake shores, particularly the north shore. The flooded wader scrape and marsh have plenty of feeding winter duck including Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon and Teal, as well as Jack Snipe, Snipe and Water Pipit. Also on the main lake there’s been occasional Yellow-legged Gull, hunting Peregrine, Water Rail, Snipe and Lapwing. Gadwall and Goldeneye can be found on the reservoir lagoon. Listen out for possible Bearded Tit in the reedbed; this species often appears during November/December. Alder and Birch trees across the reserve hold some mixed flocks of Goldfinch and occasional Siskin.
