Whetsted

0855 - 1100  blustery, cold, some sun lots o cloud

Work with chainsaws was being undertaken at the eastern end of the site and clearly they are starting to develop it more with a view to working there constantly.....so this summer may be interesting getting on site....

It was a reasonably brisk walk made more brisk cos there wasn't a lot to look at.....many birds were probably hiding away out of the wind and cold.....I could hear some Teal in some reeds on east pit but they remained out of view....

Island Pit and Middle Pit are one again.....the track is flooded in places and the footpaths at the west end of the site are awash with water....

Island Pit held very little other than....10 Grey Herons.....all sitting in one willow....nice....

Middle Pit held a couple of Pochard and eventually half a dozen Shovelers….

West Pit held not much at all...apart from 16 Grey Heron....the ten that had flown earlier and obviously picked up some strays along the way.....

Skylarks were singing out in the fields to the south and a couple of Meadow Pipits called from near the pits.....

Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Bullfinch were all heard.  2 Linnets sang briefly.

On the return I found a Common Gull with a few well marked Black-headed Gulls on Middle Pit.....a couple of Buzzards and a Kestrel made up the keep em keen squad....

Water Rails usually hang out at the western end of the site in a pit that is fairly well hidden....obviously it is very flooded there at the moment....so I was thinking they had moved off site....I was very surprised to find one calling toward the eastern end of the site but its certainly not as flooded as the rest....

The other good find was a Common Sandpiper in a ditch....