Monday 1 January 2018

A weighty eighty

A perfect excuse to beat the post festive blues and get out and see wildlife today.  It always tickles us when we get folks in saying 'It's quiet, there's nothing about...'.  Hopefully below is a good illustration of what can be seen with a bit of application...
1. Tree Sparrow - Starting at the outer extremity of the Tophill recording area at Angram Farm (with more at the old wildlife centre later.
2. Great tit around the feeders
3. Feral Pigeon under the feeders
4. Wood pigeon in numbers on the fields
5. Stock dove in decoy fields
6. Rook - in the tree tops
7. Magpie in the covet
8. Carrion crow on Watton Carrs
9. Jackdaw
10. Blackbird - crossing the roads
11. Herring Gull - in the fields and over
12. Little egret - in Barmston drain:
Though a pair of otters actively hunting callously put off the moorhen initially:
13. Mute Swan - indifferent to the above
14. Pheasant - on the road.  Arrival at the car park saw a meet up with volunteers whom had been in since early and had already added
15. Coal tit - centre feeders
16. Great black-backed Gull - approach road
17. Kestrel - over the horse paddocks
18. Common Buzzard approach road
19. Black-headed gulls - approach road
20. Fieldfare - Approach road
21. Starling - over the carrs
22. Kingfisher - in drain
23. Moorhen in drain (pre otter)
24. Siskin
25. Goldcrest
26. Goldfinch - feeders
27. Chaffinch
28. Dunnock
29. Coot - one of hundred on D reservoir
30. Tufted duck
31. Pochard
32. Blue tit
33. Shoveler
34. Goldeneye
35. Cormorant
36. Woodcock - two on the access road at first light a good find by Geoff Barker
37. Barn owl - approach road first light
38. Marsh tit
39. Great spotted woodpecker
40. Pied Wagtail
41. Wren
42. Great crested grebe
43. Gadwall
44. Wigeon
45. Greylag geese
46. Teal
47. Common Gull
48. Black cap - A good early sighting by Gayna near the car park
49. Song thrush - a good one to nail as sometimes they can't be found
50. Robin.  Which concluded the pre walk at 10am!
51. Long tailed tit as we went south around O res
52. Collared Dove - At Hempholme lock and latterly Hallytreeholme Farm - a difficult tick now.
53. Little Grebe - Hempholme Weir - only one this mild winter so far
54. Greenfinch feeders
55. Curlew Watton NR
56. Lapwing Watton NR - with more over
57. Redshank - on a high river and with 14 on Watton NR
58. Golden Plover - Two parties of 35 and 12 respectively through day
59. Meadow Pipit - Wilfholme
60. Grey Heron - Watton NR
61. Bullfinch - South Scrub
62. Reed bunting - various reed beds particularly towards end of day
63. Mistle thrush - Lukas found this sometimes tricky bird on the flooded field on Watton Carrs
64. Mallard - none on D but a few on Watton and South Lagoon
65. Canada goose (or at least its mother was) on Watton NR
66. Grey Partridge - Lukas managed an impressive flock of 12 at the southern site
67. Black-tailed Godwit - winkled out of the curlews
68. Marsh harrier - sub-adult and female various places with hunting bird over SME a highlight
69. Sparrowhawk - carrying some unfortunate off
70. Treecreeper - Lagoon alders
71. Water rail - various calling - but a few seen river Hull and North Marsh
72. Redwing - south scrub
73. Yellowhammer - Watton Carrs
74. Grey Wagtail - Car park
75. Linnet - Watton carrs
76. Cetti's warbler - actually showing in the open at North Marsh
77. Stonechat - pair amongst the flooded vegetation at North end of Hempholme Meadow
78. Willow tit - on D woods feeders with Marsh
79. Goosander - late addition from the Scotts at Watton NR (and a drake for a change)
80. Tawny owl - flying around car park trees at dusk after a fruitless gull search.

A cracking day and shows what is achievable - an all time January 1st record bettering last year by 2.  Thanks to everyone who helped out through the day.  Again if anyone wishes to donate towards Jean Thorpe's rehabilitation work any contributions will be gratefully received by next Sunday. 

So hopefully if the rest of the year carries on in the same vein it'll be a good 'un...