We’ve had some great December sightings today, so we’ll kick off with a grey wagtail, spotted by our ranger volunteers David and Ginny near the Kingfisher screen. Despite their name, they are very colourful little birds, with a brilliantly bold yellow underside, smart slate-grey body and black wings and tail. Their tails are noticeably longer than those of pied and yellow wagtails, and you’ll most often see them by water, tails bobbing up and down rapidly.
Grey Wagtail artwork by Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)
Spotted in amongst the flashes today were a pair of goosanders – these handsome diving ducks are members of the sawbill family – so called because of their long serrated bills, used for catching fish. During the summer they can be found in upland rivers of Northern England, Scotland and Wales. In the winter they can be seen across the rest of Great Britain as well, where they gather on lakes, gravel pits and reservoirs.
Male goosander image by Eric Woods (rspb-images.com)
A lovely surprise was in store for our current residential volunteer Heather on her walk in through the reserve this morning – two roe deer by Bob Dickens hide! Roe deer are relatively small when compared to red deer, with short, erect antlers and a white rump patch. When alarmed, they make a very distinctive and dog-like bark, which I know from experience can be very alarming to the person who disturbs them!
Roe deer image by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
It’s a great time of year to get out and see all the brilliant wildlife on the reserve – if you come and see us this December, be sure to come and tell us what you’ve seen!