An up and down week on the weather front has seen some wonderful sunny days, interspersed with some very blustery and chilly ones. It's actually winter!! The birds have been a bit more consistent though so lets see what we've got and where we've got them.
1. Whooper Swans continue to roost on the reserve in the evening, though they will often come in after dark and leave before day break so you need to get lucky. Highest count s far was 18 on the 30th.
2. The sight and sound of several thousand Brent Geese is, unfortunately for you guys, something that we will never tire of ever ever. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as we do and will make sure you have a look for them every time you come.
3. As with the Brent Geese, Teal and Wigeon numbers are a staple spectacle at Frampton and they are on the rise. They are currently concentrated in Roads Farm and the scrapes but as we wet up Marsh Farm they will disperse across.
4. We've had up to 28 'pinkies' on Marsh Farm grassland and with a few White-fronted Geese in the country, it's always worth a look through jut in case there's a 'blaze' in among them.
5. The drake 1st winter Scaup is still chilling on the Marsh Farm reservoir with the tufted ducks. A few grey mantle feathers are starting to come through.
6. I had a Corn Bunting singing just off the reserve the other day and one has been seen round the back of the reedbed.
7. Tree Sparrow numbers are picking up at the Visitor Centre feeders and we hope to attract more over the winter.
8. The overgrown margins of the reserve are great to scan at dusk as Barn Owl is a regular sight.
9. We've had both ringtail and male Hen Harriers out on the Saltmarsh which bodes well for our winter Raptor Walk on the 23rd of this month. Apologies to keep plugging this (well, sorry not sorry) but as places are being snapped up each day, we just want to make sure that those that want to come get their names down before we're full.
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - Ben Ward
We've had a few Pale-bellied Brent Geese kicking around with dark-bellied birds this week. Compare the bird above with those below. The key area to look at is between the legs, where the vent meets the tummy. On pale-bellied birds there is little contrast but on dark-belied birds there is a clear demarcation between the white vent and dark tummy.
Dark-bellied Brent Goose - Malcolm Graham
Our Barn Owl's don't just hunt the grassy margins but also the reedy fringes too. A good place to scan for them is from Mount Hirons and also the sea bank view point.
Barn Owl - Chris Clarke
As the winter chill takes hold we can expect to see more and more activity at the feeding station. Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Yellowhammers are making up the bulk but a Redpoll on the 1st of the month was encouraging that some variety may be on the cards.
Tree Sparrow - Malcolm Graham
Goldfinch - Malcolm Graham
And to finish we'll have another excellent sunset image from our Flickr gallery. The quality and variety of images in there is fantastic so if you are a photographer, please join the group and share your photographs, and if you're not, please have a browse through and enjoy them.
Brent Geese at dawn - Terry Stanton
That's all from us this week. Enjoy your weekend everyone, and if you can't wait 7 days to know what's going on here, keep your finger on the Lincolnshire Wash Reserves pulse by following us on Twitter and giving us a ‘like’ on Facebook. Alternatively if you enjoy taking pictures and have a Flickr account then please join our group and share your images with everyone. If you are thinking of paying a visit from near or far please do check out the tide times which can make a big difference to both numbers and variety of birds seen on the day.
The more you're out the more you see - https://twitter.com/BoyWonderBirder