Thursday, 13th December 2012

Another cold day with a hard frost brought an influx of winter Thrushes and a trickle of cold weather movement. The highlight of the day was found in unusual circumstances at dusk; a Bittern, the third winter in succession one has been found at the Obs.

Offshore

15 Whooper Swans west, 16 Common Scoters west, 2 Goosanders - a pair landed briefly on the sea before continuing west, 11 Red-breasted Mergansers, 5 Red-throated Divers west, 2 Great Crested Grebes west and 2 Auk sp. west.

Visible Migration

1 Pink-footed Goose east, 5 Skylarks south, 2 Blackbirds south-east, 16 Redwings south-east and 1 Fieldfare east.

Grounded Migrants

1 Woodcock, 100 Redwings and 120 Fieldfares.

Others 

1 Bittern - whilst watching a Barn Owl, snapping twigs could be heard from

the direction of the pools and a quick peek over the wall produced the Bittern crashing around in the top of a Willow! It flew off over the pool and landed in the reedbed on the far side. 

 

750 Pink-footed Geese, 1 Scaup, 9 Goldeneyes, 1 Little Egret, 3 Water Rails, 1 Buzzard, 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 17 Golden Plovers, 138 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull, 1 Med. Gull, 1 Barn Owl, 3 Short-eared Owls and 1 Snow Bunting.

 

 Goldeneye

 

 Red-breasted Mergansers

Ringing

2 Blackbirds, 1 Great Tit, 1 Blue Tit and 2 Chaffinch.