Friday 27th February: Little Egret
This morning a wonderfully sunny start to the day with little wind and blue skies.
Lots of birds singing this morning, with greenfinches particularly noteworthy. In Burgess Field there were at least 15 meadow pipits, perhaps gathering for their move off to breeding grounds. Lots of reed buntings around as well as the usual green woodpeckers. A skylark or two was also present and the pair of bullfinches were at the north end once more.
On the floods there were still plenty of PINTAIL in amongst the usual ducks. A LITTLE EGRET (the first of the year) was spied skulking in the stream over by the boats though it had moved on when I went round there later. A single REDSHANK along the river just north of the boats. Quite a few gulls including several second winter greater black-backed gulls. A single cormorant flew over.
By Fiddler's Island there was a concentration of birds down by the corner with gold and green finches, about 8 redwings, long-tailed and blue tits and a wren all in one small spot - there must have been a good food source there.
In the absence of many photos at present I thought that I would dig out a little egret shot from last year © Adam Hartley
Lots of birds singing this morning, with greenfinches particularly noteworthy. In Burgess Field there were at least 15 meadow pipits, perhaps gathering for their move off to breeding grounds. Lots of reed buntings around as well as the usual green woodpeckers. A skylark or two was also present and the pair of bullfinches were at the north end once more.
On the floods there were still plenty of PINTAIL in amongst the usual ducks. A LITTLE EGRET (the first of the year) was spied skulking in the stream over by the boats though it had moved on when I went round there later. A single REDSHANK along the river just north of the boats. Quite a few gulls including several second winter greater black-backed gulls. A single cormorant flew over.
By Fiddler's Island there was a concentration of birds down by the corner with gold and green finches, about 8 redwings, long-tailed and blue tits and a wren all in one small spot - there must have been a good food source there.
In the absence of many photos at present I thought that I would dig out a little egret shot from last year © Adam Hartley