Cloudy start with very light rain but cloud coverage was very high and started too burn off as the sun came through, wind was alight southerly breeze and temp was 8c, visit from 06.20 - 09.10.
On the boating lake a single female Goosander and a male flew into the main lake later on, the usual pair of Great Crested Grebes were on the boating lake but the main lake has shot up to 9 birds from just 3 all last week, also on the main lake 34 Tufted Duck, 1 Pochard and a nice surprise was 2 Shelducks in the middle of the lake, they went onto the stone bank just by the bottom entrance to the nature reserve before being flushed by a walker and going back too the centre of the main lake were they stayed until flying of high south at 07.15, I looked along the grass verge for any Little Ringed Plover but could only see 2 Pied Wagtails as I walked down the grass bank to the lake edge I flushed a Little Ringed Plover which immediately flew off high north, this was turning into a good morning with two Westport year tick already and the 1st Little Ringed Plover of the year, 2 days later than last year. A Sparrowhawk was circling over the new housing estate and 3 Willow Tits were by the entrance to the nature reserve, with a single by the boardwalk bridge.
Along the small brook by the 1st gate to the nature reserve I flushed a pair of Teal and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming on trees by the railway line with another near the top pool, in all 4 Chiffchaffs were around the park today, mostly in various parts of the nature reserve and one on the sewage works, a Goldcrest was a nice find at the top pool and another later by the 1st gate was a bonus, 3 Bullfinches were on the top pool and a single Jay, good numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were going through again this morning only this time they were all heading south, at least 20+ went through, back on the main lake the immature male Goldeneye is still present and a couple of 'large' Greylag Geese flew in, a pair of Mistle Thrushes were along the top of the main lake and 3 Chaffinches along the reserve side, a Grey Heron flew over, the first I've seen at Westport for ages and a Cormorant flew over north while on the gas works, also here, 2 Jackdaws, a Siskin was calling over and 5 Stock Doves along the railway line, the highest count for a while, lastly near the visitor centre, the male Shoveler flew in. All in all a good day around Westport.
My current Westport year list stands at 72.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Friday, 18 March 2011
18 March 2011
Was down nice an early this morning at 06.25 and stayed for 3hrs til 09.25, it was another misty start and quite cold with a light ground frost, temp was 4c, although the forecast was for southeasterly winds there was a very light northeasterly blowing.
As I left the house I heard a Siskin flying over as a looked up a massive flock of birds were flying over, looking through my bins I noticed they were Thrushes. probably Fieldfare and Redwing and there was well over a thousand birds in the flock.
First bird I saw was a Lesser Black-backed Gull flying around the car park, there seemed to be some movement going on this morning with well over 20+ flying over north, plus 2 adults on the main lake. On the boating lake the usual pair of Great Crested Grebe plus another 5 on the main lake, I could hear a Chiffchaff calling in the distance and during the visit there were at least 3 birds involved with all coming from the nature reserve, a Jackdaw flew over the grass bank and another 4 flew over later, on the main lake 39 Tufted Duck, 1 Pochard, 1 Goldeneye, 2 Mute Swans, a male Goosander flew into the boating lake and later while on the gas works 2 females flew over heading north and with 2 male and a female on the main lake later there was probably 4/5 birds involved, during the visit 8 Meadow Pipits flew over all heading north, two groups of 3 flew over followed by 2 single birds, a Common Gull came into the boating lake and probably the same bird was later on the main lake, a couple of Pied Wagtails were on the grass bank and several were flying over all heading north over the course of the visit.
In the nature reserve a pair of Teal were flushed from the top of the middle pool and the male Shoveler was also on here, by the top pool a female Reed Bunting was in the reed bed which was a Westport year tick for me, by the top of the main lake a pair of Mistle Thrushes in the top left corner and a pair in the top right corner, now earlier in the morning I was 99% certain I had seen a Little Grebe through the mist at the top of the main lake and a bit later Nick received a text from Richard Sutton confirming he had also seen a Little Grebe, another Westport year tick and although I spent lots of time looking for it I never saw the Grebe again, a single Bullfinch was on the sewage works a couple of Chaffinches around the main lake, on the gas works a single Jay was the 1st one I had seen for a good while and later I also heard probably the same one on the sewage works, a couple of Stock Doves were on the gas works and a Collared Dove flew over the sewage works, as I walked down the canal side of the main lake a Siskin flew over calling, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew over the visitor centre and 2 Treecreepers were in the small wood at the side of the car park.
As I left the house I heard a Siskin flying over as a looked up a massive flock of birds were flying over, looking through my bins I noticed they were Thrushes. probably Fieldfare and Redwing and there was well over a thousand birds in the flock.
First bird I saw was a Lesser Black-backed Gull flying around the car park, there seemed to be some movement going on this morning with well over 20+ flying over north, plus 2 adults on the main lake. On the boating lake the usual pair of Great Crested Grebe plus another 5 on the main lake, I could hear a Chiffchaff calling in the distance and during the visit there were at least 3 birds involved with all coming from the nature reserve, a Jackdaw flew over the grass bank and another 4 flew over later, on the main lake 39 Tufted Duck, 1 Pochard, 1 Goldeneye, 2 Mute Swans, a male Goosander flew into the boating lake and later while on the gas works 2 females flew over heading north and with 2 male and a female on the main lake later there was probably 4/5 birds involved, during the visit 8 Meadow Pipits flew over all heading north, two groups of 3 flew over followed by 2 single birds, a Common Gull came into the boating lake and probably the same bird was later on the main lake, a couple of Pied Wagtails were on the grass bank and several were flying over all heading north over the course of the visit.
In the nature reserve a pair of Teal were flushed from the top of the middle pool and the male Shoveler was also on here, by the top pool a female Reed Bunting was in the reed bed which was a Westport year tick for me, by the top of the main lake a pair of Mistle Thrushes in the top left corner and a pair in the top right corner, now earlier in the morning I was 99% certain I had seen a Little Grebe through the mist at the top of the main lake and a bit later Nick received a text from Richard Sutton confirming he had also seen a Little Grebe, another Westport year tick and although I spent lots of time looking for it I never saw the Grebe again, a single Bullfinch was on the sewage works a couple of Chaffinches around the main lake, on the gas works a single Jay was the 1st one I had seen for a good while and later I also heard probably the same one on the sewage works, a couple of Stock Doves were on the gas works and a Collared Dove flew over the sewage works, as I walked down the canal side of the main lake a Siskin flew over calling, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew over the visitor centre and 2 Treecreepers were in the small wood at the side of the car park.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
17 March 2011
Sadly no sign of yesterdays Caspian Gull first thing this morning but Nick had a pair of Gadwall which were new in.
I was down at Westport from 08.00 - 10.30, misty at first but brightening up later with a good amount of sunshine. temp 8c and very little wind of note.
Very quiet on the boating lake with just the pair of Great Crested Grebe and a couple of Jackdaws flew over, on the main lake, the usual pair of Mute Swans were later joined by the adult and immature which come and go, the pair of Gadwall were still present which was good news for me as it was a Westport year tick, 4 Pochard were an increase on yesterday and 38 Tufted Duck were present, a single female Goosander flew in as did a female Shoveler to join our resident male, by the entrance to the nature reserve a single Willow Tit just by the 1st gate, a Chiffchaff was singing by the boardwalk bridge and another between the top of the main lake and the sewage works, by the top pool a single Treecreeper and a single Mistle Thrush, lastly on the gas works 3 Stock Doves.
I've also heard news today that the wardens are leaving Westport Lake and that the area is to be changed from a Nature Reserve to a Municipal Park, what this means for the future of Westport I'm not sure but I think budget funding will be reduced.
I was down at Westport from 08.00 - 10.30, misty at first but brightening up later with a good amount of sunshine. temp 8c and very little wind of note.
Very quiet on the boating lake with just the pair of Great Crested Grebe and a couple of Jackdaws flew over, on the main lake, the usual pair of Mute Swans were later joined by the adult and immature which come and go, the pair of Gadwall were still present which was good news for me as it was a Westport year tick, 4 Pochard were an increase on yesterday and 38 Tufted Duck were present, a single female Goosander flew in as did a female Shoveler to join our resident male, by the entrance to the nature reserve a single Willow Tit just by the 1st gate, a Chiffchaff was singing by the boardwalk bridge and another between the top of the main lake and the sewage works, by the top pool a single Treecreeper and a single Mistle Thrush, lastly on the gas works 3 Stock Doves.
I've also heard news today that the wardens are leaving Westport Lake and that the area is to be changed from a Nature Reserve to a Municipal Park, what this means for the future of Westport I'm not sure but I think budget funding will be reduced.
Scarlet Elf CapWednesday, 16 March 2011
16 March 2011
Another good morning around Westport for Nick Smith first thing this morning with another Redshank flying around, it was desperate too land and tried too land near the jetty but like most waders these days it eventally gave up and continued it's journey, after no records since 2006 two within a week is amazing, also at Westport this morning, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Reed Bunting and a single Goosander.
Sadly for me due too Achilles Tendonitis and Plantar Fascitis (yes its a word), I'm under doctors orders to keep off my feet as much as possible over the next 2 weeks, so thought it best not too rush off to Westport today, tomorrow though, I might just sneak down for a little walk!
Another Westport tick past me by this morning when Dave Kelsall had a 1st winter Caspian Gull at 10.15.
Sadly for me due too Achilles Tendonitis and Plantar Fascitis (yes its a word), I'm under doctors orders to keep off my feet as much as possible over the next 2 weeks, so thought it best not too rush off to Westport today, tomorrow though, I might just sneak down for a little walk!
Another Westport tick past me by this morning when Dave Kelsall had a 1st winter Caspian Gull at 10.15.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
15 March 2011
First news of the day came from Nick Smith with his early visit, he managed the first migrants of the year with 2 Chiffchaffs. 1 by the 1st gate to the nature reserve and one along the top shore of the main lake, also present 6 Shoveler, 1 Wigeon and 2 Goosanders.
I made may way down to Westport at 09.00 til 11.00, it was quite misty with a light southeasterly breeze, temp was a pleasant 9c.
By the bottom entrance a couple of Bullfinches flew over, on the car park a couple of unringed Mute Swans were enjoying a good feed on the bread on offer, on the boating lake 3 female Goosanders, the pair of Great Crested Grebes and 2 male Tufted Ducks, on the main lake, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 35 Tufted Ducks, 1 Pochard, 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the immature male Goldeneye, I made my way to the 1st gate of the nature reserve but couldn't hear any Chiffchaffs, a male Chaffinch was calling and as I was watching it a Chiffchaff came into view flitting through the tree top, at last my first migrant of the year and of course a Westport year tick, by the boardwalk bridge and 4 Siskins flew over plus a Jackdaw could be heard but I couldn't locate it in the misty weather. By the top pool among a small Tit flock a single Willow Tit, Coal Tit and Bullfinch and just down by the 2nd bridge into the nature reserve by the main lake another Chiffchaff, this time singing away, on the gas works another group of this time 10 Siskins flew over and 3 Stock Doves were present plus 2 Bullfinches flew over, also a single Pied Wagtail flew over the sewage works were another pair of Bullfinches were present, along the canal side of the main lake the pair of Mistle Thrushes were present.
The picture below of a male Siskin was taken by one of our Westport regulars who wants to keep his name out of the bright lights of this blog!!
I made may way down to Westport at 09.00 til 11.00, it was quite misty with a light southeasterly breeze, temp was a pleasant 9c.
By the bottom entrance a couple of Bullfinches flew over, on the car park a couple of unringed Mute Swans were enjoying a good feed on the bread on offer, on the boating lake 3 female Goosanders, the pair of Great Crested Grebes and 2 male Tufted Ducks, on the main lake, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 35 Tufted Ducks, 1 Pochard, 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the immature male Goldeneye, I made my way to the 1st gate of the nature reserve but couldn't hear any Chiffchaffs, a male Chaffinch was calling and as I was watching it a Chiffchaff came into view flitting through the tree top, at last my first migrant of the year and of course a Westport year tick, by the boardwalk bridge and 4 Siskins flew over plus a Jackdaw could be heard but I couldn't locate it in the misty weather. By the top pool among a small Tit flock a single Willow Tit, Coal Tit and Bullfinch and just down by the 2nd bridge into the nature reserve by the main lake another Chiffchaff, this time singing away, on the gas works another group of this time 10 Siskins flew over and 3 Stock Doves were present plus 2 Bullfinches flew over, also a single Pied Wagtail flew over the sewage works were another pair of Bullfinches were present, along the canal side of the main lake the pair of Mistle Thrushes were present.
The picture below of a male Siskin was taken by one of our Westport regulars who wants to keep his name out of the bright lights of this blog!!
Monday, 14 March 2011
14 March 2011
Lovely sunny day although the temp was low at 5c after a light overnight frost, no wind of note, visit from 08.30 - 10.15.
Still no luck on the migrant front but hopefully it just a matter of time and the next few days will produce the goods, just a few Goosanders remain with 3 present on the boating lake while I was there, a few minutes earlier and Pete Lunt had seen 5, the usual pair of Great Crested Grebes were present on here and another 3 on the main lake, the male Shoveler was also on the boating lake, on the main lake, the pair of Mute Swans, 39 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 1 Goldeneye and a adult Common Gull, 3 Lapwings flew over the top end of the lake, these are a Westport year tick for me, a Collared Dove also flew across the lake and during the visit 6 Jackdaws flew over at various times, by the nature reserve a couple of Bullfinches and 2 pairs of Willow Tits, on the gas works just 2 Stock Doves were flying around and 3 Chaffinches flew over the sewage works, along the canal side of the main lake the pair of Mistle Thrushes remain, before leaving I took a walk along the 'Avenue' for my last chance of a migrant, pick of the area was 2 Redwing, 2 Coal Tit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Still no luck on the migrant front but hopefully it just a matter of time and the next few days will produce the goods, just a few Goosanders remain with 3 present on the boating lake while I was there, a few minutes earlier and Pete Lunt had seen 5, the usual pair of Great Crested Grebes were present on here and another 3 on the main lake, the male Shoveler was also on the boating lake, on the main lake, the pair of Mute Swans, 39 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 1 Goldeneye and a adult Common Gull, 3 Lapwings flew over the top end of the lake, these are a Westport year tick for me, a Collared Dove also flew across the lake and during the visit 6 Jackdaws flew over at various times, by the nature reserve a couple of Bullfinches and 2 pairs of Willow Tits, on the gas works just 2 Stock Doves were flying around and 3 Chaffinches flew over the sewage works, along the canal side of the main lake the pair of Mistle Thrushes remain, before leaving I took a walk along the 'Avenue' for my last chance of a migrant, pick of the area was 2 Redwing, 2 Coal Tit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Sunday, 13 March 2011
13 March 2011
A very very wet morning, it rained non stop for the whole visit, most heavy with the odd light spell, wind was mild and from the northwest and temp was 5c, visit from 06.40 - 08.15.
It was just raining to heavily to write down what I saw and how many so most of this is off memory, there were no Goosanders on the boating lake first thing, just the pair of Great Crested Grebes and a pair of Tufted Duck, on the main lake, another 30 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 2 Shoveler, 1 Goldeneye, 2 Mute Swans and 3 Great Crested Grebe, I met up with Nick and braving the rain we headed around the nature reserve, very little on here with a Willow Tit and a couple of Bullfinches being the highlights, we saw nothing of note on the gas works and a single Redwing was the best on the sewage works, back on the main lake and a single male Goosander had flown in so we walked back down to the boating lake to find another 3 female Goosanders on here, I left Nick and headed for home soaking wet and Nick started to make his long walk back to his car at the top entrance, his extra time at Westport paid off when he picked up a Redshank flying around calling for a few minutes before it headed off north, another Westport tick I've missed and the first Redshank at Westport for well over a year, with non recorded at all last year.
It was just raining to heavily to write down what I saw and how many so most of this is off memory, there were no Goosanders on the boating lake first thing, just the pair of Great Crested Grebes and a pair of Tufted Duck, on the main lake, another 30 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 2 Shoveler, 1 Goldeneye, 2 Mute Swans and 3 Great Crested Grebe, I met up with Nick and braving the rain we headed around the nature reserve, very little on here with a Willow Tit and a couple of Bullfinches being the highlights, we saw nothing of note on the gas works and a single Redwing was the best on the sewage works, back on the main lake and a single male Goosander had flown in so we walked back down to the boating lake to find another 3 female Goosanders on here, I left Nick and headed for home soaking wet and Nick started to make his long walk back to his car at the top entrance, his extra time at Westport paid off when he picked up a Redshank flying around calling for a few minutes before it headed off north, another Westport tick I've missed and the first Redshank at Westport for well over a year, with non recorded at all last year.
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