There were plenty of winter thrushes about today but the frozen Slurry Lagoon had only about 30 Teal and a large flock of Black-headed and Herring Gulls to show. A Water Rail did slip on the ice as it crossed the space in front of the Causeway benches. In the Deep Pit the very pale Buzzard was sat in a willow, hoping to catch some unwary prey. PS.
Buzzard – PS
The Marsh Harrier left the roost quite early this morning, setting off to hunt further down the Trent Valley. There were no ducks on the Slurry Lagoon other than fifteen Shoveler and nine Teal. There were plenty of Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls and one Lesser Black-backed Gull. A Carrion Crow noticed a dead Perch floating in the water and nearly landed on the water, but thought better of it. Eventually some Black-headed Gulls showed an interest but seemed afraid of the fish. Only one bird plucked up the courage to investigate it. PS.
Black-headed Gull and Perch. PS.
Half of the Slurry Lagoon was under ice this morning. There were a few Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler but mostly there were Black-headed Gulls with a few Herring and Common Gulls. The Marsh Harrier showed several times as it hunted over the reed-beds but it and a Buzzard were mobbed by crows as they looked for a meal. Two Egyptian Geese flew into the Deep Pit and a confiding Green Woodpecker was seen digging for ants. PS.
Marsh Harrier PS.
Green Woodpecker PS.
This morning large numbers of Hirundines, mostly Swallows, were feeding low over the water bodies. A small number of winter ducks have already arrived, including Shoveler, Wigeon and Teal and a Great White Egret payed a brief visit. PS.
This morning a large flock of Teal were on the Slurry Lagoon and a Red Kite was hunting over the reserve for about half an hour. PS.
This morning the flooded areas , especially the Wader Scrape, had attracted good numbers of Mallard, Teal and Gadwall and there were five Goldeneye on the Deep Pit. In the late morning a Great White Egret flew over the Slurry Lagoon. PS.
This morning 18 Common Snipe were circling over the Slurry Lagoon reed-bed before dropping in. A flock of 16 Lapwings flew over the Deep Pit and there were seven species of duck on the Slurry Lagoon, including Pochard, Shoveler, Teal and Wigeon. Later two pairs of Egyptian Geese stopped off on the Slurry Lagoon for a bathe. PS.
Today – during a very wet Patchwatch – 70 species were recorded, including two Arctic Terns, a Curlew, Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, Teal, Lesser Whitethroat and Grasshopper Warbler. Also there were hundreds of Hirundines seen hawking insects over all three bodies of water. PS.
Later a Red Kite and a Swift were seen. RW.
This afternoon, during the bird-walk, a Jack Snipe was flushed from the muddy shore-line in front of the Causeway bench. The three Pintail were still present on the Slurry Lagoon, along with Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal and Gadwall and the Green Sandpiper was at the back with several Snipe. PS.
This afternoon three Bearded Tits were seen in the Slurry Lagoon reed-bed as well as a Marsh Harrier. On the Ecopark there were four Green Sandpipers and 82 Teal. RW.