Our recent period of good birds has continued over last weekend, with some excellent sightings by our staff and volunteers, including a first for the reserve….
Saturday’s records from our Conservation Officer, Carl Cornish include the first male goldeneye of the winter on Phase 2, a male pintail on Phase 1 (first for the winter), 3 jack snipe on Phase 2, 4 green sandpipers across the site, 3 brambling again the first of the winter and a ruddy shelduck on Phase 1.
This was followed on Sunday by volunteer John Ellis’ sightings including more brambling, siskin and redpoll moving overhead and the first reserve record of hawfinch, flying over the balancing pond before heading off north west over the Trent – fantastic!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite match this on site today (!), however a party of 12 grey partridges on Phase 2 was a nice reserve record, as well as hundreds of fieldfares around the public footpath and surrounding farmland on the eastern edge of the site, a female sparrowhawk by the viewing screen and a male goldeneye on Phase 2.
And the sunshine hasn’t gone unnoticed by the last remaining insects on the wing, with numerous common darters flying this afternoon, caddisflies, a green shieldbug and a queen common wasp.