27 January 2011

Received a text first thing letting me know that Pete Lunt had seen 7 Goosander on the main lake first thing this morning, I had decided to have a late start as it was my first day off of a 4 day break.

When down too Westport at 12.50, it was a rather chilly 4c with a few very light snow flurries, wind was light and from the north east, it remained dry for the visit with light cloud coverage, visit was for 1hr 45mins.

On the way in too the bottom entrance of Westport a pair of Mute Swans were heading along the canal towards Etruria, I couldn't get there ring numbers as they were facing the wrong way, on the playing field 2 Mistle Thrushes and 2 Redwing, on the boating lake the pair of Great Crested Grebes that were displaying on the main lake last week were nest building in the same place as last year, they tried for 3 broods last year, maybe starting this early they want to try and beat that, also on the boating lake a pair of Shoveler and a Lesser Black-backed Gull, on the main lake the 7 Goosander were still present (2 male and 5 female), another 4 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Common Gulls, 1 Herring Gull, 3 Goldeneye, 40 Tufted Duck and 22 Pochard.

By the 1st gate to the nature reserve a single Bullfinch and Chaffinch with several Greenfinches, by the top pool again singles each of Chaffinch and Bullfinch plus a single Willow Tit, while here I hear an unusual call overhead, at first I couldn't see anything, then 2 Ravens came over play fighting and calling as they flew over quite low and headed off towards Bradwell Wood, another Westport 1st for me, and one I was gutted at missing a few times last year. The old gas works and sewage works were both very quiet except for a couple of Siskins flying over the old sewage works, back at the main lake and the Goosander numbers had increased to 8 with an extra female coming in, lastly a Pied Wagtail flew over the visitor centre.

Also received an e-mail from our resident Coot ringer Kane Brides, he informed us that another on of our Coots has departed Westport for new climes, this time up north too sunny Blackpool!