Yesterday afternoon....1x Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 x Oystercatchers, 900 plus gulls again inc 4 x Great Black Backed and 1 x Common Gull. 1 x Little Egret, 1 x Grey Partridge, 1 x Grey Wagtail, 2 x Mistle Thrush and a flock of 20 Meadow Pipit. 45 species
Late afternoon....95 x Starling on overhead power lines, 58 x Redwing on trees by railway line and 16 x Pied Wagtails between Swan Lake and upper pools.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 3rd of February 2025 07:16:59 PM
2 Little egret and Green Sandpiper on the top pools this afternoon, flock of 12+ Redpoll in trees at the southern end of the site. Group of 8 c.10 year old kids trying to start a fire in the stream valley along common lane, soon ran off when we approached and stamped it out.
Afternoon walk round Cutacre produced 42 species. Of note 2 x Willow Tit together off Engine Lane, 1 x Water Rail, 1 x Little Egret, 1 x Skylark, 1 x Mistle Thrush, 6 x singing Song Thrush and in excess of 900 gulls in horse field south of the railway line.l
Morning walk produced 40 species. Of note 1 x Little Egret, 1 x Water Rail, 4 x Redpoll, 1 x Raven, 1 x Rook, 1 x Grey Wagtail and 3 x Willow Tit (1 displaying)
40 species this afternoon including 42 x Pink Footed Goose heading east, 5 x Grey Partridge, 2 x Treecreeper, 2 x Stonechat, 1 x Snipe, and a flock of 61 x Redwing.
Morning walk around Cutacre. 43 species Inc 1 x Great Crested Grebe (unusual for this site)4 x Grey Partridge, 3 x Stonechat, 1 x Water Rail (heard)1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 x Skylark , 1 x Grey Wagtail
9 Pink footed Geese flew south west over the site at 1pm. 2 Greylag Geese in with c.40 Canada geese on slope north of Swan lake, female Shoveler and Male Pochard on Swan lake.
Walk around Cutacre produced 42 species. Of note 1 x Siskin with a flock of Goldfinch, 1 x Peregrine harrassing a LBB Gull, 10 x Redwing along Engine Lane, 2 x Grey Wagtail, 1 x Raven and 3 x Stonechat
At least 8 Chiffchaff and 3 Blackcap around the southeast edge of the area today also 3 Buzzard foraging on the mown Grass on the slope just north of Swan lake. Still c.15 House Martin feeding over the farm and fields here too
Good afternoon around Cutacre with 1 x Little Egret, 1 x Water Rail, 2 x Stonechat, 2 x Raven, 4 x Willow Tit, 5 x Little Grebe and 1 x Grey Wagtail. 42 species
Birds of note this afternoon 1 x Little Egret on Swan Lake also 3 x Little Grebe. Only 1 x Swallow, 1 x House Martin and 1 x Sand Martin seen. No Swift. Treecreeper by derelict Barns at western end.
Still good numbers of Swift feeding over the whole site today, also 3 very small Gadwall ducklings on Swan lake as well as a single Oystercatcher. Couple of hundred mixed Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls loitering between the small pool left in the horse fields and the northern end.
A wander around the very eastern end of the site was disappointing,with no migrants seen or heard apart from Chiffchaff and Blackcap near the entrance off the A6. There were a reasonable number of Skylarks singing ,but other than a single Raven over and a couple pairs of Lapwing on territory the place was dead.
Pair of Shoveler on Swan lake today, also a Little Ringed plover on here. 6 species of finch around the site with a single Redpoll heading North the most unusual. Singing Reed Warbler and good numbers of singing Reed Bunting too
2 male "Greenland" Wheatear around the concrete blocks early this afternoon also 2 Sedge warbler singing and a male Yellow wagtail again around the eastern pools.
Yellow Wagtail and 6 Wheatears feeding around the Eastern Pools for twenty minutes before flying off SE at 11:02. Also, two pairs of Grey Partridges, 2 Ringed Plovers, Little Ringed Plover, 2 Oystercatchers, pairs of Shoveler, Teal and Tufted Duck, 8 Gadwall, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Swallows and 3 Sand Martins.
Birds of note this afternoon.....11 x Chiffchaff, 7 x Skylark, 1 x Willow Tit, 12 x Gadwall, 1 x Oystercatcher, 1 x Great Black Backed Gull, 3 x Little Grebe
Birds of note today.....flock of 60 Redwing, 1 x Fieldfare, 2 x Oystercatcher, 11 x Gadwall, female Garganey still present on Swan Lake, 1 x Snipe , 1 x Green Sandpiper
2 Curlew circled Swan lake calling at lunchtime were then seen feeding in the flooded horse field just South of the railway line just after. 2 Oystercatcher also on Swan lake as well as 16 Gadwall. At least 2 pairs of Stonechat round the southern end.
Birds of note today 1 x Nuthatch, 1 x GS Woodpecker, 8 x Redwing, 12 x Skylark (10 singing), 5 x Buzzard, 1 x Oystercatcher, 11 x Gadwall, 1 x Green Sandpiper
Very wet and very quiet however birds of note. 6 x Siskin, 6 x Great Black Backed Gull, 1 x Kingfisher, 4 x Shelduck flew in from SE and alighted at Swan Lake very briefly before being disturbed by a dog returning SE