Reservoirs area :- 30+ Mallards on reservoir but surprisingly nothing else, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Mistle Thrushes, + a few Goldfinches & Bullfinches.
Had an hour or so this morning breakfast picnic with the 2 kids on springs reservoir.
Species included:
Skylark
Meadow pipit
Whitethroat
Reed bunting
Pied wagtail
Great spotted wagtail
Willow warbler
Lesser black backed gull
Black headed gull
No waders, swifts or great crested grebe which I have always seen at this site. May be the work done by united utilities and very high water levels the reason!!
Lower Folds area :- 1 Green Woodpecker 1 Willow Tit buzzing away and possibly a second bird, or this one again. Unusual around here these days, but on my last visit a brief glimpse of a bird made me think Willow Tit. I thought it was probably a Coal Tit though in this area. 1 Nuthatch 2 Reed Buntings
Lower Folds :- Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tits, Great Tits, & Chaffinches on the garden feeders. Bullfinches & Greenfinches calling nearby.
Goit to Ornamental Reservoir :- 2 Buzzards soaring above were later joined by a Peregrine as I made my way home along Longworth Road, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a Nuthatch. A Dipper was on the brook below.
Ornamental Reservoir :- 3 Mallards, 1 male Teal, 1 female Goosander, 1 Moorhen, 1 Green Woodpecker.
11.05am to 11.50am. Nothing at all on the reservoirs. Someone has got new Pheasants pens by the reservoir, and he tends to walk along the reservoir banks when he is around. The work carried out recently looks alright for birds, but disturbance along the banks will do no good at all. A walk along the road past Dingle, and the fields past Springs produced :-
9.30am to 10.05am. A walk all around the reservoirs area, noticing that the work has finished. It should not make any difference to birding, as there is still an area for possible waders.
32 Mallards 2 Black-headed Gulls 3 Woodpigeons 6 Meadow Pipits 1 Wren 5 Robins 3 Blackbirds 34 Mistle Thrushes (now for the challenge of entering these on the BTO Thrush Survey. Hopefully the problems have been solved) Small numbers of Blue Tits and Great Tits 3 Jays 1 Magpie 3 Carrion Crows 7 Chaffinches
Lower Folds to Greenhill Farm, 10.15am to 10.45 am :- 1 Buzzard 1 Pheasant 20+ Swallows, on farms and San Marino Restaurant 6 Meadow Pipits 8 Mistle Thrushes 1 Jay 1 Magpie 1 Carrion Crow 6 Chaffinches 4 Goldfinches 1 Siskin 1 Reed Bunting
Springs/Dingle, 1.15pm to 1.45pm :- 2 Great Crested Grebes (one on each reservoir) 3 Mallards 60+ Lapwings (a brief visit from fields being harvested before heading off towards Belmont) 4 Black-headed Gulls 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker next to the working area (no workmen doing nothing today, hence the birds)
13.10 to 13.45 Due to the confusing work going on, I cannot see what they are attempting, I covered the field by Springs and the road by Dingle. As usual the workmen were only stood looking around, looking as confused as me. At this speed it will take years to finish.
1 Pheasant 1 Woodpigeon 12 Swallows 4 House Martins 3 Meadow Pipits 1 Wren 1 Robin 1 Blackbird 1 Song Thrush Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 1 Magpie 1 Carrion Crow 20+ Starlings 6 Chaffinches 2 Greenfinches 9 Goldfinches 1 Siskin 3 Linnets 2 Bullfinches
