Gassed guzzlers

The main highlight on the reserve remains the greenland white fronted goose – still present yesterday – and very likely today – but in all these winds the geese including the partially hidden white-front flock were keeping in the lee of the EA borrow pits hide. Perhaps a good excuse to visit if you’ve never been? – the easiest access is to park up at Wilfholme landing and walk up the west bank of Beverley and Barmston Drain. They are a bit flighty now as a gas gun has unsurprisingly appeared in Decoy Fields – a fair deal given the number of greylags present. HVWG sent these pics of it earlier in the week:


It is currently in the accompaniment of up to 74 eurasian white-fronts:

We also have a finder to credit – well done to Mark Breaks who was the first to log the bird and put it out on Friday – he also got the best photo yet of it at that time too:

Unfortunately he didn’t see the bonaparte’s gull…

Also around are these pink-footed geese courtesy of HVWG:

As was this picture of the continued whooper swan presence – getting seen off by the local mute swan here:

There have been up to 13 whooper swans on D res on Sunday. Another photo being on Martin’s blog here, and on James’s site here.

The best of the rest includes:
Red-head smew – daily on Watton
Grey wagtail – frequent around site in last 5 days
What must be a migrant flock of chaffinch in the car park – between 40 and 90 logged
Pintail on D res on Saturday.
Short eared owl – Saturday / Sunday – north site
Wintering green sandpiper – flying down the river on Sunday
A ringtail hen harrier at Hempholme on Sunday
An excellent 900 great black backed gulls roosting on O res on Sunday
Egyptian goose – Standingholme ponds – Saturday and Monday
Goosander – 2 females on D res – Monday
Peregrine on the approach road on Monday
Willow tit – Tuesday - woodland feeders
Barn owls – two present yesterday on north scrub – for photo see Rory’s latest Flickr entries here.
And likewise a sneak peak on Tony’s page for a cracking redwing picture – at last something is starting to eat all those berries still around!.
Also check out Brian Spence’s Flickr page – if only for his excellent gull roost pics here.

Thanks too to David Marritt for this great picture. Speaking to the regulars it transpires our kingfishers are actively targeted by the sparrowhawks – with repeated ‘range finding’ practices on the perches. Maybe it’s time for their winter quarters…

A final call too for the mammal safari on Sunday - book in adavance 01377 270690. Looking at the tracks in the snow can be great fun!...