Hello All
This cold spell has caused our bittern to become a bit more showy and mobile, with sightings on 13 and 18 January and 4 February in the Lee Marsh (seems to be his favored spot) and 17 and 25 January from Tern hide and 31 January flying from Draper hide to Lee Marsh (Ashby hide to kingfisher hide).
A lucky visitor also recorded a barn owl on 31 January so fingers crossed that the boxes are used this year.
Reports of yellow hammer coming in to roost in the reedbed have also increased with a max count of 15.
Water rail are on site in good numbers with regular and good sightings reported frequently from a variety of locations on site though the Draper Hide seems a particularly reliable spot.
Rye Mead's in the snow 3 February 2015
A very unusual sighting came in the fly over of 2 raven on the 25 January as they passed over the meadow, not one I have ever seen here. Snipe seem to be hiding in the meadow with 24 recorded on 31 January and only 1 other report from 18 January.
There have been no report of the male pintail in the last few weeks and may have moved on with the cold weather. Other wildfowl have remained on site with 2 shelduck, teal, pochard, tufted duck, shoveler, little grebe and gadwall, plus black headed and lesser black back gulls, canada geese, cormorant, grey and pied wagtails, grey heron and kingfisher. They have been utilising the pockets of open water as the lagoons freeze and spreading out again as it thaws. So distribution and numbers have been quite changeable depending on the amount of ice covering the site.
Birds of prey continue to visit the site with 2 peregrines on 3 February, buzzard and kestrel with multiple sightings and a sparrowhawk on 17 January.
Footprints in the snow 3 February 2015
Winter thrushes are still present on site though in smaller numbers than earlier in the winter with max counts of 12 field fare going over on 23 January and 2 February. Redwing are often present around the visitor center and car park, with max count 4, 2 song thrush often join them.
Other records include chiffchaff at the gadwall hide 16 January and again on the 17 from the kingfisher hide, bullfinch 25 January and 3 on 3 February and gold crest on 16 January. Also recorded were long tailed tit, chaffinch, blue tit, greenfinch, good number flock of goldfinch, great tit, dunnock, robin being quite photogenic and posing, jay, green woodpecker and starling.
I heard 2 cettis warbler calling yesterday as i was out with the work party, who were busy keeping warm in the snow by clearing some scrub that had created a wall of dense growth as you approach the warbler hide. We have really opened up this area with contractors coppicing or pollarding some of the larger trees to let a more diverse species mix take hold and clear flight paths.
Some of the Rye Mead's volunteers hard at work
So don't let the cold weather put you off, there is always something to see.
Thanks very much
Vicky