We carried out this months WeBS count this morning (16th Jan) and picked up a nice variety of wildfowl and waders. Numbers are still down on previous years though due to the low water levels and the fact most of the reserve was covered in ice this probably didn’t help matters:
Reedbed: 4 mute swan, 18 wigeon, 2 gadwall, 157 teal, 55 mallard, 1 pintail, 10 shoveler, 1 tufted duck, 1 cormorant, 1 grey heron, 2 coot, 35 lapwing, 2 snipe
Greenaways: 1 european white-fronted goose, 133 greylag geese, 62 Canada geese, 1 grey heron, 25 lapwing, 3 snipe
Big Otmoor: 1 snipe
Ashgrave: 2 mute swan, 67 lapwings, 1 black-headed gull
As well as the WeBS birds there were good numbers of fieldfare, a stonechat along the bridleway, skylarks displaying, reed buntings, yellowhammers and bullfinches.