While the hide and trails are still closed at Greylake due to flooding, the car park and its viewing platform continue to provide an excellent (and the only) place for watching birds across the reserve. All main habitats can be looked out over including seed crops, reedbeds, and of course wet / flooded grassland, and the species from these are continually flying over or even moving into the car park itself.
For Saturday 1st December Brambling, Chaffinch, Reed bunting, Blue tit, and Great tit were all seen feeding at the car park bird tables on any seed put out for them included. Use your own car for an amazing bird hide to watch them all up close! Other birds landing in the car park, picnic area, and its surrounding trees included Robin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Long tailed tit, Goldcrest, Wren, Dunnock, Pied wagtail, Magpie, Starling, Song thrush, Blackbird, Carrion crow, and even a Great spotted woodpecker. Many of these were also seen especially well looking southwest from the viewing platform into the seed crop field. In the reedbed species extended the list to include Stonechat and Cetti’s warbler (heard, but not seen), with Kestrel, Marsh harrier, and Hen harrier all hunting overhead, and a Water rail feeding along the flooded Reedbed Loop path. Then, flying over and looking out north or northwest further afield onto the flooded grassland were Buzzard, Redwing, Fieldfare, Lapwing, Black headed gull, Cormorant, Heron, Little egret, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Snipe, and Mute swan!