It was once again time for the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) yesterday and with some nice recent wader sightings and the first teal of the autumn seen last week, I was hoping for some good birds. Here are the results of the count....
19 mute swan
52 mallard
91 tufted duck
16 gadwall
1 teal - my first of the autumn
92 coot
4 moorhen
11 great crested grebe
6 little grebe - a very successful breeding season here this year, with 7 young fledged
5 cormorant
7 grey heron
6 little egret
38 lapwing
3 green sandpiper
4 common sandpiper
9 snipe - numbers just starting to build up again
1 kingfisher
Also on site yesterday were a lovely flock of around 50 goldfinches feeding on thistle seeds on Phase 2, 6-8 yellow wagtails Phase 3 and I was pleasantly surprised to see a grey wagtail on Phase 3, my first here for 18 months. Insect-wise, there are several common blue butterflies around bird's-foot trefoil (the larval foodplant) on Phase 2 and peacocks seem to have had a successful emergence recently, with good numbers of this striking species across the site.