Wildlife sightings for 16th January 2017
10 Snipe - grazing marsh
51 Shoveler
2 Redpoll - wildside
1 Stonechat - grazing marsh
1 Kingfisher - main lake
2 Bittern - main lake S+N shore
7 Pintail - main lake, reservoir lagoon
1 Water Pipit - grazing marsh
14 Fieldfare - sheltered lagoon (pm)
Additional sightings from yesterday:
1 Bearded Tit - main lake from Headley Hide
5 Bittern - 4 main lake + 1 on reservoir lagoon
2 Jack Snipe - grazing marsh
1 Caspian Gull - wader scrape
December bird highlights: Bittern, Jack Snipe, Bearded Tit, Buzzard, Peregrine, Water Pipit, Pintail, Shelduck, Woodcock, Stonechat, Black-tailed Godwit, Siskin, Kingfisher, Water Rail.
Good numbers of wintering wildfowl have arrived with 192 Shoveler birds on the 1st December being yet another nationally significant count. The grazing marsh and wader scrape are being kept fairly wet to attract waders like Black-tailed Godwit, Jack Snipe and Common Snipe, as well as Teal, Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon, Gadwall and Greylag Geese. Water Pipit, Meadow Pipit and Stonechat have all been seen on the marsh fields in the last few months. Look out for interesting migrant Warblers or Firecrest that could turn up among the mixed Tit flocks, particularly among the Willow growth. Bitterns have been found mostly along the north shore of the main lake since mid-November. Bearded Tit has been spotted on the main lake N shore as well as in the main reedbed (late December). A drake Tufted Duck x Pochard hybrid remains on the sheltered lagoon.
Fungi: Silver Leaf Fungus, Blushing Rosette, Frosty Fibrecaps, Frosty Bonnet, Earpick Fungus.
Water Voles: two heard munching in the reed and sedge beds in wildside towards the end of the month.
Bats: 2 Soprano Pipistrelles seen around the sheltered lagoon in the first two weeks of December.
Moths: December Moth, Tachystola acroxantha, Diamond Backed Moth, Chestnut (found in the 9th December moth trap).
