Archive for » January, 2010 «
Friday, January 22nd, 2010 | Author: Alison
David, who is recording numbers of species for the Reserve, remarked that ‘December was the most species in a month so far for him. January could be better still’.
On 18th January he commented:
‘Yesterday morning was brilliant for Ducks: 9 gadwall and 3 shovellers …I’m not so sure they will have enjoyed the Wassail though!’
Category: uncategorized
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Sunday, January 17th, 2010 | Author: Sam
A brilliantly attended wassail today on the reserve, not just by people but also by birds.
This is actually an older picture from a few weeks ago of Siskin high in the stand of Alder trees where they feed on the seeds. Today I saw Siskin on the feeders.
Two pairs of Gadwall stayed happily towards the far end of the mere. I understand they’ve been a relatively constant presence recently. The female looks a lot like a Mallard female, but the biggest clue is the lack of a green flash on the wing.
Best of all was a Little Egret that swooped in briefly, stalking the shallows of the mere for just a minute before heading off again. This seems to be a wassail tradition!
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Thursday, January 14th, 2010 | Author: Sheila
The continuing cold weather is making the Reserve more interesting for bird sightings every day. On Wednesday we had:
4 pairs of Gadwalls
I Tufted Duck – female
3 Shovelers -2 males and 1 female
1 pair of Teal
Bullfinches
Large flocks of Siskin
2 Red Kite flew over
Pair of Brambling
Category: birds, unusual sightings
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Friday, January 08th, 2010 | Author: Sheila
What a lovely wintry scene!
The cold weather is bringing in some unusual sightings of dabbling and diving ducks.
Two ‘firsts’ for the Reserve:
Pochard (male)
Tufted duck (female)
And some occasional visitors:
Shoveler (female)
Two pairs of Gadwall
I managed to get some distant shots with my digital camera – but they were terrible.
Otherwise, an excellent day.
Category: birds, first sightings
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