A bird strongly resembling it was briefly seen on Sunday too - but beware the 'white buzzard o' Watton' - an extremely pale common buzzard that has thrown many an observer over the last 2+ years...
The same night Martin found two Mediterranean Gulls on the D res roost, one of which we managed to re-find on the Sunday night for the successful 'roost walk'.
I'll spare you a grainy pic from 1000m and put a library pic on (the familiar Holbeck Car park bird from several years back):
No more woodcock reports yet - but a female brambling has been seen the last two days - narrowly escaping the sparrowhawk!. Yesterday 4 whooper swans were seen leaving Watton NR but could not be re-located today - only a confiding wren!
And also this kestrel - present all winter last year around East Pond - there is a new nest box to go up this winter to encourage it to stay:
On South Marsh East a water rail briefly showed earlier, but the squealing South Marsh West birds are most often 'encountered.' They were heard when we were burning the willow brash on the island - hopefully getting it sorted for bitterns. We now have a regular Thursday work gang starting out at 10am if you are interested in cuttin' and burnin':
The lone black tailed godwit has been present all week and was still there this morning, along with 11 redshank and a single greensandpiper - seen on North Lagoon for a change.
A few migrant hawkers are still limping on with the lack of frosts, and the kingfishers are still present on North Marsh - but more fleeting now. They are seen most days - but we get regular reports of failed sightings after a two hour wait now...presumably they have booted the young out now so there are not as many to see:
Finally it always pays to be alert - the great spotted woodpecker is often to be found on the antennae / conductor on top of the Treatment Works!:
