3rd January 2011

A fairly short visit to the gullwatch provided views of 3 Scaup. The Red-throated Diver was not seen today. Other people also saw the 4th Scaup, at least 1 Bittern and the Smew.

2nd January 2011

A digi-scoped image of the Red-throated Diver

Another digi-scoped image.

A photo taken with my DSLR, this shows how small the diver looked...

A few photos of the rather good sunrise this morning, taken from the Stewartby Lake gullwatch.

The Red-throated Diver was still present at least well into the afternoon. Unfortunately, as yesterday, it was well out from the edge of the lake again today...

I also saw all four of the Scaup together in the Marston corner this afternoon, the first time I have seen them all together. The Smew was comuting between the scrapyard and Marston corners of Stewartby Lake. I had a Peregrine on one of the chimneys late morning. I didn't see any Bitterns today, but at least two were seen by other people.

I caught up with a few common birds that I had missed yesterday:

Kestrel

Green Woodpecker (only heard yesterday)

Pied and Grey Wagtails (sewage works)

House Sparrow

Meadow Pipit (sewage works)

1st January 2011

Red-throated Diver - Found by Paul Nye on Stewartby Lake.

My intended day-listing around the park was interupted when I got a call to say that Paul Nye had found the above Red-throated Diver on Stewartby Lake. I watched the bird for a couple of hours in the hope that it would swim near to one of the banks but unfortunately it stayed in the middle of the lake. If it still there tomorrow I hoping it will be a bit more co-operative...

Before the diver was found I had seen a Bittern and a couple Scaup near the Marston corner of Stewartby Lake. I also had distant views of the female Smew - and saw the male Pintail which was still in the Marston corner stream outlet to Stewartby Lake. I cut the day short about 1.30pm as the weather was pretty cold and drizzly but still ended up having seen and/or heard 52 species in the park and my parent's garden.