A shell duck took off from the vicinity of Willow Pond and flew in a big circle around the Reserve this morning.
Month: April 2019
arrivals
male and female swallows over reserve near pony wood late afternoon yesterday.
Little Egret – with low quality video
a little egret in West Field pond just now (6.45am)FA74AC77-0093-4C65-BFF0-0ECA4018E3A4
Grey partridge or Not?
Yesterday early evening we spotted two grey partridge in Flora field, the first time for over a year!
Parakeet
This morning around 7.30 whilst walking the dog in the orchard I heard an unusual squawking and looked up to see a parakeet flying by. It came from Edenbreck direction and flew quite directly in the direction of the canal
A spring arrival
In the last few days we have seen (and heard) a chiff-chaff in The Orchard.
Also a blue tit using O14 nest box, song thrush in Big Meadow and The Paddock, a sparrow-hawk in Pony Wood then hunting along by the willows in The Hay Meadow, long-tailed tits and the usual finches. Plus a tortoise-shell butterfly in the Flora Field margin
Shell duck
Six shell duck observed over the Reserve yesterday. I think they took off from the West Field pond. They then made a big sweeping circle around the Reserve. Then off toward the estuary.
Also sparrowhawk perched on a dead tree between Upper and Lower Sowerholme.
Still a few snipe around
The final snipe count for this winter put up 13 snipe, all common. Seven in Big Meadow, two in the Hay Meadow and one lurking in Upper Sowerholme. Plus three in Flora Field, where there have been quite a few sightings recently. The muck spread on the arable is proving an attractive complement to the usual the marsh habitat? Overall, it remains a very poor season in terms of snipe numbers for the reserve, with the total counted just 150, less than half last year’s tally.
School Pond is still popular with the teal – 11 noted. A heron was spotted, as was a hare in Lower Sowerholme.