Just a quick blog today on what has been a stormy Tuesday. But over the last few days the birding has been maintaining its high standards with both the green-winged teal and Siberian chiffchaff putting in an appearance, three of the nine cranes returning to the area on Saturday being seen heading over Alkborough and then the Trent end of the reserve. There's also been a nice supporting cast when the weather has been nice enough to get your binoculars out!
Green-winged teal on Sunday
And how about these fantastic crane shots sent to us by Alan Johnson - taken last week when there were nine. Many thanks Alan for sharing
Ousefleet has been the place for both ducks and waders with some great views of the grazing wigeon as they greedily devour the grass now. We specially manage the grass sward through grazing with cattle, sheep and ponies so its pleasing to see up to 200 using the reserve at the moment
Here's a short video
And some nice shots of the colourful males and other wildfowl - see if you can spot the green-winger
Plenty of teal, mallard shoveler and gadwall with a few shelduck, greylags and mute swans but nothing too unusual (apart from the GW teal!) in the mix for some reason, maybe that to come! Our diving ducks do tend to build in the new year these days.
The pink-footed geese are a bit hit and miss at the moment but there were about 500 flying about on Friday trying to find the pot of gold, or sugar beet maybe at the end of the rainbow.
A few more waders is nice to report with up to 50 black-tailed godwits, 80 curlew, 1200 lapwing and then a few snipe and redshank, while on Friday there were also two ruff and four dunlin
Black-tailed godwits
And curlew with shelduck
I've not had a great deal of time to watch the raptor roost but certainly plenty of marsh harriers and buzzards about along with the usual kestrels and sparrowhawks. The barn owls continue to show well with I suspect the male still feeding the recently fledged young!
Buzzards certainly weren't a common bird when I was a young lad - but they are now
The marsh harriers are always entertaining - two very different lights, the first a very cold December grey early in the morning
With plenty of berries there are still a few fieldfare and redwings along the hedges but certainly not as many as last week, the bullfinch are still plucking the buds of the willow and cettis warblers singing out loud. Also still the odd spinoletta pipit but not being able to confirm if they are water or scandi rock.
Visitors have also at times been kept entertained by the pair of stonechats that sometimes feed in front of Ousefleet hide. But they are infringing on a feisty little robins territory and he certainly doesn't seem to like the fiery orange of the male stonechat. Interesting to see this aggression in two species that live in slightly different niches but look similar.
You can see why here - this male stonechat has a cracking red waistcoat
But here the pair are being challenged by the robin (on the left)
Just a quick but important reminder that during the week (all roads open at weekends) now the road in Ousefleet is shut between about 8am and 3.30pm to all traffic, there is still access to the reserve but you need to go to Eastoft, then through Luddington, Garthorpe and Adlingfleet - its quite a long trip round so do think carefully if you want to visit, although if you do there should be plenty of space in the hides!
I'll leave you with another screamingly handsome sunrise.
sounds and looks fantastic