08.45-12.30
cracking mornings walk 47 species seen highlights being:

Green Woodpecker - initially heard in C12 as the other day but not seen , then at midday what I presume was the same bird ,was yaffeling from trees by C5/football field before flying to trees overlooking Fir Tree Flash then flew further away still yaffeling. (could possibly move of site, watch out Pickley Green)

Little Egret - landed in flooded area of C10 that has recently had a lot of work done to retain water levels etc , but was promptly flushed by dog walker walking by waters edge despite new banking and channels put in place acting as screening and not easy to get through. ( probably same bird that is at Pennington Flash and that I have seen flying over towards Pennington Flash a couple of times recently?)

Cetti's Warbler heard only but deafening (loudest I have heard it call since first arriving at back end of last year).

1 Siskin (M)
3 Lesser Redpoll

17.00-18.45
3 Siskin N @ 17.19,
1 Kingfisher,
Cetti's Warbler singing briefly,
800+ Starling.
Snipe flushed by some idiot dragging metal railings through water and reeds laying them in a line to form a walk way didn't dare try and approach him.

Quick walk through at 4:30-5:45 1 chiffchaff (first of year) 4+ skylark Water rail heard ( nevisons)

male Stonechat still present in C5 this morning
increase in numbers of Skylark and Reed Bunting with both singing, giving hint of spring round the corner

male Stonechat still present in C5 as per Saturdays post although that post and the other wildlife post for same site seemed to disappear soon after posting for some reason.
1 male Pochard - DF
2 Goosander - FTF numbers dropped since end of January
1 Grey Wagtail - C3

11.30 - 14.30
C10
1 Woodcock
male + female Pochard
10 Tufted Duck
5 Teal
1 Great spotted Woodpecker

FTF
9 Goosander 5m +4f
2 male Pochard, 1 Grey Wagtail
20 Mute Swan
30 Mallard
20 Tufted Duck
2 Grey Heron

C3
1 Grey Wagtail
30 Redwing



-- Edited by Gordon Newman on Saturday 13th of January 2018 04:22:43 PM

3 whooper swans over south this am, 1 kestrel, 1 snipe, flock of 16 goldfinch, small numbers blue,great and long tailed tits,

stock pond- 1 great crested grebe, 8 coot, 3 mute swan 1 adult 2 well grown cygnets, 2 moorhen, 1 lesser black backed gull, 11 gadwall
diggle flash- 5 gadwall, 3 pochard 2 m 1 f, 1 drake goldeneye, 2 little grebe, 2 common gull, 2 lesser black backed gull, coot, tufted duck, b;lack headed gulls,
7 long tailed tit, 5 great tit, 2 blue tit, 3 goldfinch, 3 robin, 6 blackbird, 1 wren, 3 jackdaw, 4 chaffinch, 2 greenfinch, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon.

2 drake goldeneye on main flash, 14 gadwall on stock pond,

15.30 - dark
Cetti's Warbler gave a couple of bursts of of song from central ditch between New Water and C5 (probably same bird from Nevisons Flash a few weeks ago).
4 Drake Pochard - Fir Tree Flash

20+ redwing sharing a tree with a kestrel another 20 + redwing two trees further away, small numbers goldfinch and great tit, 7 blackbird, 2 robin, 2 wren, magpie,carrion crow, wood pigeon, 8 jackdaw over.
diggle flash- 3 mute swan, 7 gadwall, tufted duck, coot, black headed gull, 2 great crested grebe, 4 mallard, 2 moorhen, 1 little grebe.

7 redwing feeding with blackbirds in hawthorns, a total of 16 blackbird seen during walk, 11 long tailed tit, c30 goldfinch, several small mixed tit flocks mainly great tit with a few blue tit, 3 wren, 3 dunnock , 6 robin, magpie, wood pigeon, carrion crow, 5 jackdaw, 1 kestrel.
diggle flash 6 gadwall on stock pond, 3 great crested grebe, 2 little grebe, c30 black headed gull, 3 lesser black backed gull, 1 common gull, c35 coot, c40 tufted duck, 4 mallard, 4 moorhen, 3 mute swan 1 adult 2 cygnets stretching their wings and flying the length of the flash twice before settling back down not seen the adult male for a couple of days ?

08.00 - 11.00
Highlights:

pair of Wigeon - DF
2 drake Pochard - FTF
6 drake Shoveler - C10
single Fieldfare
50+ Redwing
single Common Gull - DF
70+ Pink-footed Geese NW (also a group heard heading towards Pennington Flash direction while in tree cover)
5 Willow Tit
single Great spotted Woodpecker

pair of wigeon on diggle flash this am

09.15 - 10.30
C3 & C4
1 Chiffchaff
100+ Redwing
3 Fieldfare
3 Buzzard
3 Kestrel
3 Raven
8 Common Snipe 3 Lapwing

-- Edited by Gordon Newman on Saturday 21st of October 2017 11:30:19 AM

Cetti's Warbler calling again this morning otherwise quiet

Couple of hours this afternoon, windy. Not many small birds about.

4 Gadwall
2 Great Crested Grebe
2 Little Grebe
1 Pochard
7 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
1 Snipe
1 Kestrel
2 Jay
1 Stonechat
1 Grey Wagtail
Mixed Tit flock
30+ Goldfinch


Large Thrush flock went over to high to identify.

morning dog walk

1 pied wagtail amongst a flock of 8 long tailed tits, 2 other tit flocks mainly consisting of long tailed tits but also with great tit and blue tits mixed in, robin, wren, blackbird and dunnock all foraging under overhanging bushes after the rain, usual magpie,carrion crow and wood pigeon but in general pretty quiet,
diggle flash- 5 gadwal and 1 great crested grebe on stock pond, pair of great crested grebe on main flash with two recently fledged young this pair always seem to breed pretty late, 2 adult mute swan with 2 remaining cygnets, c 50 tufted duck, c 30 coot, 2 little grebe, 5 mallard, 3 moorhen, 2 lesser black backed gull, 14 black headed gull.

speaking to a couple of friends yesterday and they were asking why i wasn't posting as often, nothing sinister just a change in my work shift patterns means the majority of the walks i take with the dogs are now done in darkness so generally i don't see anything to report

08.15 - 09.45
C3 & C4 only
single Yellow Wagtail flew over SW calling
single Whitethroat
single Blackcap in sub song
otherwise quiet

Few hours this morning,

1 Kingfisher
2 Little Grebe
12 Tufted Duck
2 Great Crested Grebe
5 Linnet
2 Stonechat, both youngsters
3 Whitethroat
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Reed Warbler
5 Reed Bunting
2 Skylark
5 Meadow Pipit
2 Lapwing
1 Kestrel
1 Water Rail

Plus all usuals

kingfisher on stock pond this morning, 1 grey heron, 2 great crested grebe ( they seem to have lost their youngster only ever saw a single always being carried on a parents back but been no sign for at least 3 days now) 2 moorhen, several coot and 3 mallard also all on stock pond,
diggle flash - good numbers coot, 2 families of little grebe 2 young in each, 1 great crested grebe, 3 tufted duck, 4 mallard, 8 black headed gull, pair mute swan with 3 remaining cygnets, moorhen with 1 young,
great tit, blue tit, 1 juvenile whitethroat, blackbird, dunnock, robin, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon,

decent numbers of very noisy gulls over diggle flash @06-00 am presumably from an overnight roost all bar a few black headed gulls had left by 06-10, , i picked out 2 great blacked backed gulls, 5 adult and several juvenile lesser black backed gulls and 2 common gulls amongst 70+ black headed gulls,

Hour straight from Penny, Very quiet.

3 Kestrel, including youngster.
1 Buzzard, scruffy looking bird, had secondaries missing from both wings.
2 Whitethroat
2 Reed Warbler
1 Meadow Pipit

little grebe with at least 2 young on diggle flash i think there was another in the reeds but i never actually saw it,pair of mute swan with 6 cygnets, plenty of young coot with parents, 5 well grown mallard ducklings, 2 young moorhen, plenty tufted duck, 1 grey heron, reed warbler, sedge warbler, 1 lesser whitethroat showing really well, 4 whitethroat, blue tit, great tit, robin, dunnock, blackbird, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, approx 10 each of swallow and swift over field beside flash,