28th March 2011 - My MVCP Year List so far

A list of the 83 bird species I've seen on the park so far this year (uncommon - rare species in bold): Red-throated Diver Little Grebe Great Crested Grebe Cormorant Bittern Little Egret Grey Heron Mute Swan Greylag Goose Canada Goose Wigeon Gadwall Teal Mallard Pintail Shoveler Pochard Tufted Duck Scaup Goldeneye Smew Red Kite Sparrowhawk Buzzard Kestrel Peregrine Pheasant Water Rail Moorhen Coot Oystercatcher Lapwing Woodcock Redshank Mediterranean Gull Black-headed Gull Common Gull Lesser Back-backed Gull Herring Gull Yellow-legged Gull Great Black-backed Gull Feral Pigeon Woodpigeon Collared Dove Great-spotted Woodpecker Green Woodpecker Kingfisher Skylark Sand Martin Swallow Meadow Pipit Grey Wagtail Pied Wagtail Wren Dunnock Robin Ring Ouzel Blackbird Fieldfare Song Thrush Blackbird Mistle Thrush Chiffchaff Goldcrest Blue Tit Great Tit Long-tailed Tit Jay Jackdaw Carrion Crow Rook Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch Greenfinch Goldfinch Siskin Linnet Lesser Redpoll Bullfinch Reed Bunting & Yellowhammer.

(Water Rail -heard only)

26th March 2011

Male Ring Ouzel - in front of visitors centre cafe.

Red Kite - over the sewage works.

Swallow - over the sewage works.

Linnet - near visitors centre.

7am - 5pm

A successful day, starting with a Swallow over the sewage works from 8.05 -8.15am and a Little Egret seen flying over the visitors centre towards the Pillinge at 8.30am. A Woodcock flew past me at the Long Meadow heading towards the Pillinge at 10.30am. This was a long awaited MVCP tick for me, taking my MVCP list to 186 species. About 6 Sand Martins flew passed the visitors centre between 11am - noon. Neil Wright and I then spent some time looking through a mixed flock of Yellowhamers, Reed Buntings, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits on the field behind the sewage works but nothing unusual was seen amongst them. Neil then picked up a Red Kite drifting over the sewage works towards Stewartby Lake about 12.30pm.

A male Ring Ouzel appeared in the field in front of the visitors centre at 1.40pm, but was only there for about a minute before being flushed by some kids. 4 Cetti's Warblers were heard singing during the day. (1 near the gullwatch, 1 at the Marston corner of Stewartby Lake and 2 on Wetland 3.) Finally a mixed group of Swallows and Sand Martins were seen flying over Wetland 3 late afternoon.

5th March 2011

10.30am -4pm

Highlights

Cetti's Warbler heard at the Jubliee Cotages end of WL9
20+ Fieldfares in the Long Meadow around midday
c15 Wigeon near the access track
c1500 gulls in the Long Meadow until around 3.45pm
40+ Linnets near the sewage works late afternoon
A panorama made from photos showing the view from the Jubilee Cottages outlook.
Around 1500 gulls in the Long Meadow

A digiscoped video of some Wigeon near the access track.
Cormorants on the Pillinge.
Great Black-backed Gulls on the Pillinge

Some of the 40+ Linnets near the sewage works.

4th March 2011

9am - 6pm

Highlights
c30 Siskins & c20 Lesser Redpolls in the sewage works copse
1 Oystercatcher & 1000+ gulls (mainly Black-headed & Common) in the Long Meadow
At least 2 adult Mediterranean gulls in the Stewartby Lake gull roost, of which I saw one. (No sign of the Glaucous Gull that had been around last week)

At least 1000 gulls resting in the Long Meadow around 3pm.

A female Siskin digiscoped in the sewage works copse.

Reeds in the sunshine...