Saturday 10th February 2007

Rained heavily until mid afternoon so I visited the park later than normal arriving around 3:30pm. Temperature was around 7c and sky was overcast with a light breeze. I walked around the main lake to the hide.

Main Lake:
1 Goosander
21 Great Crested Grebe
10 Shoveler
20 Cormorant
4 Coot
187 Pochard
11 Tufted Duck
3 Heron

Finger Lakes:
5 Reed Bunting (4m1f) in the Crescent reedbed
4 Coot
2 Gadwall (1m1f)
2 Teal
11 Corn bunting came in to roost in the Crescent reedbed
1 Little Egret
1 Little Grebe

Other stuff:
15+ Magpie in the rough. 1 Sparrowhawk in the trees next to the Barns hotel

Sunday 4th February 2007

Even colder this morning! As I drove to the park the thermometer dipped to -5c! Large areas of the Finger lakes had a thin covering of ice. There was a Reed Bunting singing, and a Water Rail, in the crescent. Other birds on Fingers:

2 Coot
6-8 Little Grebe
9 Teal (6m3f)
2 Gadwall (1m1f)

There was a lot of Greylag Goose movement this morning, the highlight being a group of 12 over heading towards Willington. 3 other groups of 2 and another solitary bird also passed over and a further 2 birds were seen, with the Canada Geese, on Kingsmead. Also had groups of 10 and 2 Mute Swans over.

On the main lake:

138 Pochard
9 Tufted duck
67 Shoveller
2 Gadwall (1m1f)
3 Teal
10 Cormorant
1 Kingfisher

Again no sign of the Goosander. Greenfinch and Chaffinch were in abundance all around the park with many Chaffinch in full song. Bullfinch were keeping a very low profile with only a couple heard.