6th February 2011

Another windy day...

I spent most of my time around the wetlands, mainly in the Pillinge and WL3 hides taking some digiscoped videos. I also saw an adult Mediterranean Gull in the Stewartby Lake gull roost in the afternoon:


Adult Mediterranean Gull in the Stewartby Lake gullroost


Redshank - videoed from the Pillinge hide


Little Grebe - videoed from the Pillinge hide


A pair of Gadwall - videoed from the WL3 hide.

5th February 2011

Guided Walk 8 - 11am
There was a pretty good turn-out of about 12 people for the walk this morning, especially considering the damp and windy conditions. The highlight was probably a Chiff-chaff found by Bob Hook near the sewage works, the first one any of us of us had seen on the park in 2011. We also had good scope views of a Redwing near the visitors centre.

There were three different Mediterranean Gulls in the Stewartby Lake gullroost in the afternoon. A 1st year, an adult and another one that was probably a 2nd year bird.

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.

31st December 2010

Three Scaup (with a Tufted Duck behind them)

A flock of 60 Wigeon on Stewartby Lake

A slightly closer view of the Wigeon flock.

A bank of fog across the middle of Stewartby Lake, seen from the gullwatch.

Highlights:

3 sightings of Bitterns today, at least two different birds present.

4 Scaup - time first time I've seen all 4 of these birds in one day.

The redhead Smew was also seen again today, but not by me. a flock of about 60 Wigeon were in the centre of Stewartby Lake around 11.30am and the male Pintail was in the stream outlet at the Marston corner again around 8.45am. Cetti's Warbler heard singing, and Water Rail also heard - both in the Marston corner of Stewartby Lake.

At least 4 Bullfinch in Bramble Meadow, Sparrowhawk seen twice from the visitors centre and a Buzzard was perched by the Pillinge around 1.20pm.

30th December 2010

Video-grab of a group of Coot on a small piece of ice floating in the scrapyard corner of Stewartby Lake. And here is a short video:

Video-grab of a typical view of a Scaup on Stewartby Lake (asleep...)

Video-grab of a female-type Goldeneye - near the scrapyard corner of Stewartby Lake.

2 Scaup - One near the scrapyard corner, a different one near the gullwatch later. (At least three were seen by Roy Nye, who also saw the female Smew)

A good selection of duck were still present but the numbers were well down on previous days as the snow/ice had pretty much gone.