Despite the fact that we had to advise people that our starling flock (or murmuration) had moved on to warmer climes, fourteen people still decided to take the opportunity to join me on site yesterday.
Regular readers of this blog page will be aware that we did have approximately 15,000 starlings roosting in our Phase 1 reedbed. Unfortunately, consistent sub-zero temperatures have left Phase 1 frozen over. This has meant that the reedbed is no longer a safe place for the starlings to roost, due to the fact that predators such as foxes can now get across to the islands.
We made our way around the southeast corner of the reserve, through the woodland and along the public footpath by the silt lagoons.
Having carried out a WeBS survey earlier that day, I knew that Silt Lagoon 4 held most of the wildfowl that was accessible.
Although the whooper swans had moved on in the morning to feed and the mandarin duck couldn't be relocated, we still had good views of two drake pintail, a drake shoveler and numerous gadwall and wigeon. Some of the group also managed to see a snipe drop in to the vegetation and a water rail scuttling across the ice.
As we moved on to Phase 1, very little could be seen apart from a buzzard that flew off north. I did point out a large raptor that was perched on a tree, just to the east of the reserve and stated that it was probably another buzzard. However, a member of our party decided to take a closer look with his telescope and found that it was actually a peregrine! (also probably on the look-out for Starlings!).
Everyone in the group managed to get a look at it, before a couple of walkers on the Trent Valley Way flushed it off. Fortunately, it decided to fly across the reserve, so we all got flight views too.
On the way back, we paused at Silt Lagoon 1 to look at a group of seven goldeneye and a solitary grey heron.
So, all in all, everybody enjoyed the afternoon and saw some nice birds. Oh, and it wasn't actually starling-less. We did see one bird!