A big thank you to the eleven people who joined Ricky & I for the Raptor Watch on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the weather did not help, with a freezing cold northly wind blowing across the lakes. However, we did manage to see four common buzzards, two kestrels and a female sparrowhawk. All of these birds are local to the area, so were ones we were expecting to see.
To keep ourselves occupied during the quieter spells, we kept a running total of all the species that we could see or hear around the Discovery Zone. In two hours, we amassed a list of 49 species, including golden plovers and fieldfares flying over, some of the first sand martins and swallows of the year and a highly vocal Cetti's Warbler. Perhaps, in time, the Discovery Zone could match the Holywell Lake car park as a site for birding from a single spot.
It would be interesting to try a 'Big Sit' (recording as many species as you can from a fixed location in a 24hr period) there later in the spring. Any takers?