30 October 2010

After a late night to bed I eventually managed to get down to Westport at 14.00ish, rather warm and cloudy with a southerly breeze, the odd sunny intervals.

On the boating lake the rather tame Grey Heron was still present sat on a tree stump on the Island until a photographer tried to get a bit too close with his lens and tripod and flushed the Heron, also on here a single 1st year Great Crested Grebe, a couple of Pied Wagtails were on the grass bank and I was expecting too see a lot more, but never saw another one the whole visit, on the main lake another 7 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 2 Common Gulls with the Black-headed Gulls, on the Duck front, 74 Tufted Ducks, 15 Pochard and the male Shoveler, just 3 Mute Swans were present which is the family from the top pool, the female Goldeneye was still on the main lake although difficult too see as it was constantly diving, as I walked along the nature reserve side of the main lake a flock of 45+ Goldfinches landed in the top of the tall trees and at the top pool in a large Tit flock, 1 each of Willow Tit, Coal Tit and a Goldcrest, finally back on the main lake a 2 Little Grebes were at the top of the lake.