Arrived early to check for Otters but nothing doing again this morning. Very cold start with minus 5.5c on the car thermometer on my way to the park. A good covering of ice over most of Fingers and significant portions of the main lake, even the navigation channel had a covering along a lot of its length. On the way to Kramer Hide a Chiffchaff was singing in the long hedge just after I left the conservation area having just passed the Sedgewick Seat.
At Kramer hide little movement with just a couple of Moorhen showing some tentative nesting behaviour. A female Muntjac was feeding on the far bank at the back of the right hand channel. A male Sparrowhawk flew in, from behind the hide to the trees on the far bank, below the old nest site. I left the hide and had a pair of Coot on east Fingers along with a single Little Grebe and a Great Crested Grebe. A Reed Bunting was singing in the Crescent.
I joined the guided walk and we headed down the main path to the steps stopping to scan the main lake for "odd" Gulls but finding only BH, LBB and Common. EN counted c.40 Pochard and there was a Male Tufted duck in amongst them. We turned off the main path at the steps and continued around the Finger lakes. There were plenty of Finches and Tits about and a single Heron on west Fingers. The pair of Sparrowhawks showed briefly overhead. Just passed the Sedgewick Seat we stopped to watch a Treecreeper while a couple of Green Woodpeckers called behind us. Leaving the conservation area a beautiful Male Bullfinch was sunning himself in the Long hedge with a female nearby. Another Treecreeper flew from the Long Hedge to join the other one we had just seen. We followed the Long Hedge up towards the kissing gate pausing to watch a female Great Spotted Woodpecker in the top of one of the trees. The "sickly" Mute Swan was still on the meadow grazing but had moved back onto the water as we walked back along the navigation channel. There were 8 Moorhen on Kingsmead.
By east Fingers we stopped and watched 6 Little Grebe at the north end. Further along a single Coot and a Great Crested Grebe were seen but then we noticed a number of ducks circling and estimate 20+ Shoveller and 20+ Teal most of which finally settled on east Fingers. A pair of Wigeon joined them. They had all been put up from the main lake, by a group of canoeists, and had no where else to go as the rest of the Finger lakes were still frozen. We searched for Siskin along the beach end of the main lake and crossed the Leat and walked back along the canoe slalom. Our final hope for Siskin, by the Crescent, was in vain, maybe next time. There were 38 Mute Swans on the main lake. That's about it another cracking morning in good company and some great sightings. See you at the next one.
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