Today around the reserve 22/2/14

What a beautiful day, there was so much to see around the reserve today - so after some great craft activities which some of our younger visitors were having great fun with( as was some of the volunteers) a walk around the reserve in the afternoon was a must, Over on the meadow - Shoveler - Teal - Black headed Gulls - Green Sandpiper Draper Hide- Heron - Little Grebe - Tufted Duck - Coot- Moorhen Gadwall Hide - Shoveler - Gadwall- Teal -Cormorant -Starling -Shelduck - Lapwing (count around 190) Kingfisher Hide - Kingfisher showing interest in the bank, one photographer had some lovely shots of a pair with one checking out one of the holes,lots of other visitors also saw a single bird spending a lot of time around in the trees next to the bank - looking promising, tufted duck - Cettis heard and a very vocal Water rail heard but not seen also around Pochard - Swan - Canada geese - Kestrel - Sparrowhawk -Blue Tit - Great Tit - Long tailed tit - Redwing at closing we had a real treat along the trail back towards the Ashby hide 10+ yellowhammers on the top of the bushes, they looked fantastic in the late afternoon sun - they got chased off by a large group of Magpies moved on along the trees until finally flying down into the reeds, a little further on the way back to the visitor centre, a group of 12 Fieldfare were perched in the top of a small tree again lovely sight in the sun