Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

Today was waterbird count day at Pitsford Reservoir when an effort is made to count all areas of the reservoir. These days often provide a snapshot about what is present on any one day - it is indeed a rare event when the whole reservoir is covered by observers these days except on the WeBS count!

A first year drake American Wigeon was the best bird of the day and the first one for many years. Not surprisingly it was staying with the hundreds of Eurasian Wigeon present north of the causeway, initially being found in the Scaldwell Bay but then flying around into the Walgrave Bay. I'm afraid that distance and poor light prevented any suitable images. Hopefully it will remain and provide better photographic opportunities.

Other birds present included fifteen Pintail, a drake Mandarin Duck, a Jack Snipe, twenty-five Common Snipe, three Common Sandpipers, three Great White Egrets, a first winter Mediterranean Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Hobby, a remarkable nine Stonechats, over forty Siskins, a dozen Redpolls, six Grey Wagtails and three Ravens.

Dave Francis completed some ringing at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and processed forty-five birds made up of eight Blackcaps (one a control), eight Blue Tits, six Long-tailed Tits, five Chiffchaffs, five Great Tits, four Meadow Pipits, two Song Thrushes and singles of Reed Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Redwing, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Dunnock and Wren.

Stanford Reservoir today hosted a Short-eared Owl, two Egyptian Geese, a Great White Egret, four Red-crested Pochards, 752 Redwings, sixty-six Skylarks, forty-nine Fieldfares, four Redpolls, eleven Siskins and four Swallows.

Another Short-eared Owl was flushed from the ditch at 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton where there were also a pair of Stonechat and two Bramblings and a steady passage of Redwings. A Green Sandpiper was on the brook in the valley there and a Grey Wagtail was in the village.

Two pairs of Stonechat and sixteen Golden Plovers were at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and Summer Leys LNR provided a Cattle Egret, four Great White Egrets and a Ruff.

Regards

Neil M

Reed Warbler.

Ruff.

Common Gull.

Great White Egret.

Images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

 Video below is another clip
from Chris Payne's Storm
Petrel footage from Skokholm
with a chick receiving it's first
feed after hatching.