Cress Marsh 2023

From today...

12th March
Weather: Overcast with sunny intervals, warm (12C), SW wind
Time on site: 12:05-15:00

A visit to site this afternoon found the following present:

Black-headed Gull    80 - all on the "Pylon" scrapes
Buzzard    1 - perched on a fence post at the back of the "Hide" scrapes area
Carrion Crow    3
Common Gull    3 - all on the "Pylon" scrapes
Curlew    7 - all feeding on the "Field" scrapes area
Gadwall    30 - sixteen on the "Field" scrapes and fourteen on the "Pylon" scrapes
Goldfinch    9 - flock feeding in the "Field" scrapes area of site
Green Sandpiper    3 - one in the "Field" scrapes, one in the "Hide" scrapes and one in the "Pylon" scrapes areas of site
Greylag Goose    18 - fifteen on the "Field" scrapes and three on the "Pylon" scrapes
Herring Gull    1
Lapwing    40 - all in the "Pylon" scrapes
Lesser Black-backed Gull    3 - all on the "Pylon" scrapes
Little Egret    1 - single bird in the "Field" scrapes area
Little Ringed Plover    1 - feeding on the lagoon shore in front of the hide before flying onto the "Field" scrapes area. My first sighting of 2023.
Magpie    1
Mallard    5 - two on the lagoon and three on the "Pylon" scrapes
Meadow Pipit    3
Moorhen    1 - on the ditch by the car parking area
Mute Swan    5 - two on the "Pylon" scrapes and three on the "Field" scrapes
Pied Wagtail    10 
Reed Bunting    1
Robin    1
Shelduck    5 - two on the "Pylon" scrapes and three on the "Field" scrapes.
Shoveler    11 - all on the "Field" scrapes
Skylark    2 - singing over the site
Starling    30
Stock Dove    2
Teal    21 - ten on the "Field" scrapes and eleven on the "Pylon" scrapes
Tufted Duck    2 - both on the lagoon
Wigeon    45 - all on the "Field" scrapes

Roe Deer    7 - herd seen sheltering out of the wind on the "Field" scrapes area.

 

26th February
Weather: Sun, cold, NE wind
Time on site: 14:25-16:16

Noted during a late afternoon visit to site were:

Black-headed Gull    50 - all on the "Pylon" scrapes
Buzzard    3 - seen soaring over the site
Coot    1 - on the "Pylon" scrapes
Curlew    2 - one on the "Pylon" scrapes and a second bird on the "Field" scrapes
Gadwall    2 - both on the "Field" scrapes
Goldfinch    4
Green Sandpiper    2 - both in the "Field" scrapes area 
Greylag Goose    15 - all on the lagoon bank
Herring Gull    4 - all on the "Pylon" scrapes
Lapwing    86 - all on the "Pylon" scrapes
Linnet    7 - small flock seen feeding in the "Field" scrapes area
Meadow Pipit    3 - all in the "Field" scrapes area
Mute Swan    1 - single bird on the "Hide" scrapes
Pheasant    1
Pied Wagtail    6
Shelduck    10 - six birds on the "Field" scrapes and four birds on the "Pylon" scrapes
Teal    38 - thirty two birds on the "Field" scrapes and six birds on the lagoon
Tufted Duck    2 - a pair on the lagoon
Wigeon    11 - all birds on the "Field" scrapes
Roe Deer    7 - herd feeding in the "Field" scrapes area.
 

20 Feb - the 14 Snow Buntings were still around this morning, as well as 4 Stonechats - two males and two females. I also spotted 3 Spoonbills flying over, just before 10 am, heading upriver. 
 

19th February
Weather: Sunny, warm, SW breeze
Time on site: 12:15-14:15

Noted during today's visit to site were:

Black-headed Gull    8 - all on the "Pylon" scrapes
Blackbird    1
Carrion Crow    2
Coot    2 - both on the "Pylon" scrapes
Cormorant    1 - flew in and landed on one of the islands in the lagoon
Gadwall    1 - female on the "Field" scrapes
Goldfinch    1
Great Black-back Gull    1 - on the "Pylon" scrapes
Green Sandpiper    2 - both feeding on the "Field" scrapes
Greylag Goose    165 - flock flew off a neighbouring field onto the "Pylon" scrapes
Kestrel    1 - hunting over the site
Lapwing    184 - all on the "Pylon" scrapes
Little Grebe    1 - on the "Field" scrapes
Magpie    1
Mallard    2 - a pair on the lagoon
Meadow Pipit    2 
Moorhen    1 - on the ditch by the car park
Mute Swan    2 - both on the "Field" scrapes
Pied Wagtail    3
Pink-footed Goose    1 - with the Greylag flock on the "Pylon" scrapes
Shelduck    3 - one on the "Field" scrapes and two on the lagoon
Shoveler    2 - a pair on the "Field" scrapes
Skylark    1
Snow Bunting    14 - flock feeding around the "Field" scrapes. Good to see that they have stuck around for a week!
Starling    10
Stonechat    2 - a pair perched on fence posts along the path to the hide
Teal    33 - twenty on the "Field" scrapes, three on the "Pylon" scrapes and ten on the lagoon
Wigeon    51 - all on the "Field" scrapes
Roe Deer    7 - a herd feeding in the "Pylon" scrapes area of site.

 

Cress' Snow Buntings today.