29 January 2011

A very cold, dry morning with a ground frost, temp was -1c, about 85% of the boating lake was frozen and 70% of the main lake, good amount of sunshine and very little wind, visit from 07.30 - 09.45.

On the boating lake the pair of Shoveler were sticking to the open water near the island, a single adult Mute Swan with another pair on the main lake and a single Great Crested Grebe, after the cold recent mornings there was no sign of the nest the Grebe's had been building a couple of mornings ago, there was also another 2 Great Crested Grebes on the main lake, a single Pied Wagtail flew over the grass bank and 29 Jackdaws flew over the nature reserve heading north (another Westport year tick out the way for me) latter we had another 2 on the old gas works, on the main lake at least 2 Goldeneye, in total 7 Goosander were seen although only a couple were left as we departed Westport, Pochard remain steady at 22 but Tufted Duck have jumped up to 62, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present, a single Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over as we entered the nature reserve, by the 1st gate a pair of Teal were flushed off the stream but all in all the nature reserve was very quiet, on the old gas works a single Stock Dove on the usual railway gantry and a couple of Mistle Thrushes flew over, highlight came here as well with 4 Rook, another Westport year tick and not a bird seen in great numbers here over the year, a couple of Siskin were flying around calling and landed in the trees near Browns , on the old sewage works a Buzzard was sat in the trees, probably the same one that has been around for most of the month, lastly back on the main lake 3 Common Gulls were among the Black-headed Gulls.