Wildlife sightings for 1st December 2012
58 Wigeon - wader scrape, sheltered lagoon
3 Pintail - grazing marsh
4+ Siskin - south route, entrance
Additional sightings from yesterday:
2 Stonechat - grazing marsh
40+ Greenfinch - wildside
6 Redpoll - sheltered lagoon
6 Siskin - sheltered lagoon
Recent bird highlights: Great White Egret, Bittern, Little Egret, Peregrine, Jack Snipe, Oystercatcher, Caspian Gull, Water Pipit, Rock Pipit, Waxwing, Stonechat, Firecrest, Brambling, Mealy Redpoll, Crossbill.
More wintering birds are arriving with increasing numbers of wildfowl being the main event. There’s still a good chance of finding a rarity particularly amongst the passerines; Yellow-browed Warbler and Firecrest are a good during November. Check through any mixed Tit flocks for late or over-wintering Chiffchaff and other possible Warbler species.
Skylarks, Finches and Thrushes can all be observed flying through with some settling on the reserve to rest up or feed. Siskins and Redpolls numbers have been good through October and early November with occasional Mealy Redpoll also around. Look out for further Water Pipit and Rock Pipit on the flooded edges of the marsh and scrape.
The first wintering Bittern arrived October 21st and frequented the main reedbed, sheltered lagoon and main lake reed fringes to start with.
