3 March 2011

Much colder this morning with a ground frost, cloudy with sunny intervals, no wind hence the main lake was like a millpond, temp 1c, visit from 06.50 - 09.15.

Not as many Goosanders on the boating lake first thing with a count of 58, but by the end of the visit there was 75 on the main lake including just 3 on the boating lake. Also on the boating lake again like yesterday a pair of Great Crested Grebes, Mute Swans and Tufted Ducks, on the main lake another 35 Tufted Duck, singles of Shoveler and Goldeneye and 5 Pochard, a couple of Siskin were near the sidings area as I walked towards the nature reserve, a single Willow Tit was by the first gate and a pair of Teal were flushed from the small stream by the gate onto the bottom pool, at least 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were drumming in the same place as yesterday and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over, by the top pool another Willow Tit and a single Bullfinch, onto the gas works and the usual 2 Stock Doves were on the railway gantry, another Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over towards Bradwell Wood and a pair of Bullfinches were flying around, on the gas works a single Jackdaw flew over calling, as it was frosty I decided to walk along the brook to see if any Snipe were present, no luck with the Snipe but had my first Kingfisher of the year at Westport, also on the gas works a single Chaffinch, 2 more Bullfinch and 2 Mistle Thrushes, along the canal side of the main lake 2 Collared Doves, a single Common Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull again with the small Black-headed Gull flock and 2 Pied Wagtails by the visitor centre.