Latest Sightings
Plenty of birds about around the reserve at the moment. Pink-footed goose and whooper swan numbers are remaining fairly constant but its great to see the pochards slightly increasing in number with 8 in front of Reins on the 7th. The mere is full of wigeon and pintail with a number of shoveler and teal as well. The pool in front of harrier hide is a hot spot for both gadwall and tufted duck and a water rail and several cetti's warblers were heard from harrier hide yesterday.
Wader activity has really dropped off - likely because of the raised water level. But there is still a large number of snipe on the reserve, as well as a number of woodcock and jack snipe, mostly out in the fields but a woodcock was seen on the welly walk on Saturday.
A lot of raptors are using the reseve at the moment with double figure counts of marsh harriers most days, a red kite was seen on Saturday, 3 barn owls were hunting over Sunley's, a males sparrowhawk over the reedbed and a female over top mere yesterday along with the usual good numbers of kestrel. but the highlight of the raptors was a female merlin this morning, out over the fields - probably viewable from United Utilites hide.
Passerines have remained much the same, with good numbers of finches using the feeders at Janet Kear, which is also a good place to spot goldcrests and the odd treecreeper. On the edge of the reserve at the sewage farm however, thee is a number of overwintering chiffchaffs, with 2 or 3 looking spot on for Siberian chiffchaff - unfortunately non of them were calling to confirm it!
