Apologies for the late blog this week, work always goes completely crazy at this time of year and the last few days has certainly been no exception. So its going to be a quick and a little out of date blog but hopefully it will give you a flavour of what to expect on your visit.
The winter sunrise is all I've been seeing of the reserve this week as I drive past!
Certainly over the weekend the raptor roost watches went down very well with the grey male hen harrier coming into roost on both days, up to 20 marsh harriers and short-eared owl, with on the Sunday a great white egret also dropping into Singleton to delight the raptor roost watchers.
Male hen harrier from last week at Dawn - amazingly this bird is colour ringed (photographed at Alkborough) and was ringed in the nest at Langholme on the Scotish borders, what is amazing is that both the only other two hen harriers seen over the years with wing tags here at Blacktoft were both from the same place! Obviously there is some unseen link between the two sites, pretty amazing really!
Marsh harrier from Sunday
Short-eared owl - this picture was taken at Spurn the other week
Other notable sightings have included our regular water pipits, kingfisher, a few bearded tits around the lagoons and a few stonechats while the cettis warblers are still singing out loud.
Stonechat at Ousefleet
Kingfisher from the other week
Good to see this little egret fishing on First lagoon, amazing to think that in December we are still recording both little and great white egret, how times change!
Oh what big eyes you have grandma!
And a nice view of the yellow feet
And about 500 pink-footed geese still around the area occasionally giving good views as they fly over, not large numbers of waterfowl on the lagoons but still up to 10 ruff roosting, a few snipe, green sandpiper, and up to 60 curlew flying to and from roost.
Pinkies
Plenty of fieldfare around site with a few redwings as well as our resident tree sparrows at the feeders.
Redwing in the hedge near the bird feeders
Good to see a bit more fungi emerging recently with one of my favourite Blacktoft micro fungi Mycena clavularis alongside this common bonnet cluster just to show how small they are! Look for them on the willows at both Ousefleet and Singleton.
I think its time for a hot home made curry to warm myself up.