18 Janaury 2011

Very dull and cloudy with a bit of mist in areas, remained dry and felt quite cold with a slight northwest breeze, temp 6c, visit 08.10 - 10.25.

A pair of Shoveler were on the boating lake with a couple of Mute Swans, another single Mute Swan also flew in onto the main lake, got a few Coot rings while plying them with bread, yellow rings 1st, orange/red, red/white and pink/red , white rings just one, red/purple, on the main lake 4 Great Crested Grebes were 1st for the year at Westport for me, 1 female Goosander, 1 female Goldeneye, 48 Tufted Duck and 19 Pochard.

A adult Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over and was later on the posts by the boating ramp, a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen, 1 near the 1st gate to the nature reserve and another at the top of the old gas works, a Grey Heron was on the bottom pool and later on Jeff's pool, by the top pool 2 Siskins, 4 Bullfinches a Coal Tit and 2 Willow Tits, another 2 Willow Tits were near the 2nd gate, a Common Gull came onto the main lake, on the old gas works 2 Stock Doves and on the old sewage works a single Mistle Thrush and at last I caught up with the female Pheasant by the feeding station near the canal overflow.

Met up with Jeff Jones here who had also seen a Buzzard on the gas works and a Kestrel, also he had 4 Jackdaws flying over.