Wildlife sightings for 29th December 2016
5 Bittern - main lake SW,N+NW shores, and reedbed
1 Water Pipit - marsh, scrape
4 Skylark - over SW
23 Fieldfare - over SW
2 Jack Snipe - marsh (to the E of the main channel leading up to the weir bridge)
11 Snipe - marsh, main lake, scrape E shore
1 Bar-headed Goose - marsh
38 Greylag Geese - marsh, main lake
4 Pintail - main lake
2 Peregrine - perched on the Charing Cross Hospital ledge
December bird highlights: Bittern, Jack Snipe, Bearded Tit, 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.
Fungi: Silver Leaf Fungus, Blushing Rosette, Frosty Fibrecaps, Frosty Bonnet, Earpick Fungus.
Water Voles: seen on the edge of the reeds in Wildside on 10th December.
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).
Other insects: Slender Groundhopper.
