Water Rails making themselves heard
2 Bittern - main lake (North shore)
1 Shelduck - main lake
2 Pintail - main lake
11 Mandarin - wildside
3 Water Rail - heard calling from reservoir lagoon, reedbed
2 Jack Snipe - wader scrape
1 Water Pipit - wader scrape
18 Redwing - South route
2 Peregrine - perched on hospital
December bird highlights: Shelduck, Goldeneye, Bittern, Great White Egret, Snipe, Jack Snipe, Little Owl, Peregrine, 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, Siskin and a few Redpoll.
