This morning a Redshank was on an island on the Slurry Lagoon. There were also almost 100 Mallard also on the Slurry Lagoon, and seven Water Rail were heard. A small flock of Fieldfares was eating berries from a hawthorn and a Jay was in one of the oaks.
In the evening the Starling murmuration contained up up 12,000 birds, including one white one. PS.
This evening about 10,000 Starlings came in to roost in the Slurry Lagoon reed bed. Two Barn Owls were seen hunting along the Boundary Hedge and a Peregrine was on the new pylon. PS.
At the lagoons this evening the Starling roost attracted about 6,000 birds. One Sparrowhawk was seen trying to snatch a late supper and two Barn Owls were seen flying along the Boundary Hedge. Several thousand geese also came in to roost on the Slurry Lagoon. Earlier lots of winter thrushes were seen, including Redwings, Fieldfares and Blackbirds, a Woodcock was seen and the Bearded Tits were heard calling in the reed bed. PS.
The Starling roost is going from strength to strength with an estimated 10,000 birds present tonight. The Sparrowhawk and the Marsh Harrier were both in attendance. JMD.
The Starling roost reached about 7 or 8,000 this evening and attracted a Sparrowhawk, which snatched a victim, and a cream top Marsh Harrier. JMD.
This afternoon there was a Yellow-legged Gull bathing in the Deep Pit. RW.
The Starling Roost numbered about 2,000 birds and two Little Egrets were on the Ouse Dyke. PS.
This evening two Shelduck settled on the Deep Pit, where an Oystercatcher was resting on a tern platform. A murmuration of about 1,000 Starlings attracted a Peregrine and the Barn Owl was seen hunting around the Gravel Pits and Deep Pit. PS.
There were two Bearded Tits on the Slurry Lagoon in the Causeway reed beds this afternoon. A Bittern flew into the Deep Pit and about 600 Starlings came in to roost in the reeds. 170 Pink-footed Geese flew over and both Pipistrelle and Noctule were feeding along the Ouse Dyke. RW.
An estimated 6,000 Starlings came in to roost this evening, at one stage about 5,000 were displaying together before dropping in to the reed bed and the rest came in in small and larger groups afterwards. A Bittern flew across the Slurry Lagoon and joined the Starlings, perhaps fancying a Starling supper. Up to three Sparrowhawks were also trying to snatch a Starling from the flocks, none successfully. Later a few Canada Geese and about 1,000 Grey-lag Geese came in to roost on the Slurry Lagoon. PS.
The Black Swan spent the day with two Mute Swans on the Deep Pit. In the evening the Mandarin arrived with its goose friends and flew across the site three times before they decided to roost somewhere else. About 5,000 Starlings came in to roost and later a Bittern was seen and a Tawny Owl was heard. Noctule and Pipistrelle were recorded on the bat detector. RW.