A peculiar and wide-ranging weather arrangement this past week or so...snow and bitter easterly winds...warm sun...rain....cold south westerly....overcast and now rain.....though today was actually quite Spring like...
The good news is a Chiffchaff was singing very briefly....near Middle Pit....this time last year I had already had an over wintering bird singing and the first migrant....but todays bird, I'm pretty sure, is an over wintering bird. The bitter easterlies last week has probably held up migration....but I don't think it will be too long before the invasion begins....
Mandarin Duck
A pair of Mandarins were on East Pit. Further east I had found 2 Teal, the total on site being 8, so most of them have now gone.
Greenfinch was a welcome sight and listen too....plenty of Bullfinches and Goldfinches around with occasional Chaffinch.
I counted 10 Great Crested Grebes on the pits. Several Little Grebe are hanging around the edges and calling. A Little Egret was around.
The raptors were made up of Buzzard and Kestrel.
On the pits I counted 86 Shoveler, 5 Pochard (one still hanging out with the Shovelers), 1 Common Gull, 1 Water Rail....
West Pit....Reed Bunting
There is a very good number of Reed Buntings to be found at West Pit, a favourite location. There were also some Yellowhammers singing there too.
Coltsfoot
The only place I have found flowering Coltsfoot on site is the north side of West Pit, there used to be a few other places but so far no luck.
Along the south side of West Pit a Woodpigeon has met its end....fox?....or Peregrine??
The 2 Smew remain on Middle Pit.
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