In the midst of winter

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!'

Wassailing birds

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!

Cold weather visitors

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

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.