Sunday 27th January

Got to Kramer hide about 07:45 and it was very quiet with just a couple of Moorhen about. Plenty of white feathers under the area where the Little Egrets roost so looks like they were in last night but had already gone by the time I got there. Other visitors during the morning were:

3 Gadwall (2m1f)
2 Shoveller (pair)
2 Mallard (pair)
1 Little Grebe
1 Kingfisher
1 Water Rail

At about 08:00 there was a brief glimpse of an Otter in the channel to east Fingers and a few minutes later it appeared by the left reedbed and swam across to the left side island. A few more minutes passed and it appeared again in the channel to east Fingers swimming towards the leaning tree where it came out of the water and climbed over the base of the tree before reentering the water and swimming through to west Fingers. It wasn't seen again before I left the hide at around 09:00.

East Fingers held 10 Gadwall, a pair of Shoveller and a pair of Great Crested Grebes. The female Goldeneye, from yesterday, was still there also.


Something put up all the ducks from east Fingers including the Goldeneye which was the only one to return.

I walked around to the spit to check out west Fingers:

4 Little Grebe
2 Teal
2 Gadwall (pair)
1 Mute Swan (Juvenile)

I walked down to the crescent, on the way back along the spit, noting another 2 Little Grebe on east Fingers. A Water Rail squealed from somewhere in the crescent. Wellies are the order of the day if you want to walk through the crescent.

Back at the main path Mute Swan numbers were at around 35 on the main lake.