Hello hellooooooo.
Bit of a change of tact this week. We're trying to streamline the sightings a little more so no faffing about with copying and pasting a weeks worth of maps into several links. This means no more backwards and forwards and lots of clicking between the blog and Twitter either. All you need to do is click once, right here, and you have all the tweeterings in one place. Remember, you don't have to sign up or do anything to view our posts on Twitter, just click the link and away you go! All the weeks sightings maps, news and any vlogs, videos and pictures will be on there. Enjoy.
We now have more time to let you know about what birds you can see and where on your visit here. Even if you're not visiting and are just being nosey, you can see too.
The Bewick's Swan is still associating with the Whooper Swan group. The numbers of the main group can vary, with 62 being the highest count on Friday. If you're going out to look for them from the Cross Bank, don't forget to look for the 1st winter drake Scaup on the Marsh Farm reservoir. He's just starting to get some of his grey mantle feathers through which makes him a little easier to pick out from the Tufted Duck. We've also had a group of 60+ Pink-footed Goose take up residence on the fields just as you approach the reserve. 2 Eurasian White-fronted Goose were seen with them at first light on 18 January (following a single bird with them on 16 January) but this duo relocated to Freiston later that morning and started grazing with the Canada Goose. These were pretty hard to see once they got their heads down so do be patient if you are looking for them.
Little Egret- Mark Sargeant
The water levels are really starting to attract birds across the reserve with some areas going up and others going down. This dynamic action creates feeding opportunities all the time. This Little Egret has been enjoying the shallows and feeding right in front of the Visitor Centre. There are a good dozen or so across the reserve with a handful of Grey Heron in the mix. We had some regular records of Great White Egret last Autumn so do keep an eye out for a big yellow bill.
Black-tailed Godwit - Jeremy EyeonsWhile the Wigeonado and Plovercane dominate numbers, there is plenty of variety out there. Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Redshank, Snipe, Dunlin, Lapwing, Ringed Plover and Curlew can all be picked up in a sweep across the grassland. These can be tricky to count though as they use the larger birds for safety. We have been getting regular estimates of over 100 Ruff near the Marsh Farm reservoir but we've not had many photos.... any one up for the challenge?
Stonechat - Macca
And it really wouldn't be a sightings blog without this little stunner. He continues to entertain along the Reedbed Trail and does like to pose.
Greenfinch and Goldfinch - Mark Sargeant
The Big Garden Birdwatch is only a week away now so if you've not signed up then please do. This is the biggest survey of it's kind in the world and gives us the only snapshot we get of how many of our common and resident garden birds are doing. If you'd like more information or just want a practice, pop in and see us and we'll point you in the right direction.
Snow Bunting - Ian Bollen
We don't mention much about Freiston unfortunately, mainly because not many people get down that way and of those not many people, not many report back to us. There have been 5 Snow Bunting on the reservoir since the start of the year and can be very confiding if you sit tight at the viewing screen. With the recent rainfall the grassland is looking super fresh and because it looks good, it's chocca with birds. Raptors have also been on form with Merlin, Peregrine, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and Hen Harrier all seen in recent weeks. The arable sectors at the south end are holding hundreds of birds including Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Skylark, Linnet and even a Water Rail! The sea is also worth a scan on high tide. Eider are regular off the realignment but something scarcer is definitely possible. Brush up on your diver, grebe and sea duck id, wrap up warm and get out there.
Reedbed at dusk - Mark Sargeant
Marsh Farm at sunset - Mark Sargeant
After the murky nothingness that was the weather last week, it was good to see some blue skies and clouds. The skyscapes and vistas here are wonderful and ever changing and do offer a perfect back drop to the dynamic aspects of the reserve.
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, firstly have a look at the weather and 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