Great White Egret still present until atleast 5pm. Was perched in tree on north bank for most of my visit, then flew off towards the west side before being harassed by an angry heron. It then appeared to go back into another tree on the west side, further back from the bank, but it was not visible after this.
A big surprise was what I'm pretty sure was a female Pintail (pics attached- if I'm wrong please let me know!).
This morning Grasshopper warbler very vocal and showing reasonably well on the east side of the lodge.
Also a single Mediterranean gull flew over during my visit.
Can anyone clarify what access is currently allowed at this site? According to a member of the Angling Club that strode across to intercept me this morning, access is no longer allowed from Beaumont Road and viewing is only possible from the road itself or from the dam. The reason given was that the reserve is on private land and the public footpath ends by the reed bed at the end of the hedge.
This morning up to 11.00. The lodge is being drained for repairs at the dam, so lots of exposed mud:
Green Sandpiper 1 Snipe 38 Teal 32 Coot 41 Fieldfare 60 feeding on hawthorns Redwing 9 also feeding A flock of 120 Fieldfare flew straight through heading South