Ian arrived and we set up the telescopes as the rain eased and sunrise was just about starting. A single dark duck flew in, and it was a Velvet Scoter. It stayed on its own for about five minutes catching crabs before it was joined by two others. Not the best of pictures
But here in a patch of clam water all three a better view.
They have been aged and sexed as two females and a first winter male. The duck on the right shows two white patches and no sign of the white wing patch, which would make it a female.
In this photograph the female is on the right showing the two white patches, while the other two show the white wing patches which would indicate males. An immature male would have a very undefined white area around the ye, and adult a clear white patch. It is very difficult to say either way from these photographs, and even through the telescope it was not clear to me.
The Velvet Scoter stayed around drifting up and down in front of us. Scanning around I picked out a Great Northern Diver. And this moved up stream. Ian also picked out what we think was another, diver but at the time we could not be sure, however two divers were reported later in the day. Here is another very poor record shot of the diver that came in close.
It was very cold , the wind picking up as the tide rose. The sun did finally come out sending a golden light over the shingle beach. Along the tide line were several Oystercatcher, a few Dunlin and two Curlew, while on the water were Brent Geese and Mallard. The Oystercatcher started to gather on the shingle as the tide covered the mud.
It was bitterly cold, and we decided that we would move on. We opted for Fishlake Meadows where we parked in the new car park, but before walking out on to the reserve we decided to walk down to the Mercer Way park to look for Hawfinch. Along the camal path there were Fieldfare and Redwing, but in the park area it was very quiet. A small group of Starling were flying around, and there were a lot of Collared Doves and a few Blackbirds. We split up and walked around looking int ot the tree tops. I managed to find one Hawfinch at the top of a tree, and as it flew you could see the white wing patch.
We survived a short rain shower, but with no more sightings, or even any sniff of a bird thta could be a Hawfinch we decided to walk back up the canal path. Near the road bridge we came across a flock of tits and Goldfinches and with them was this Treecreeper.
While being a common resident they are not a bird that you see that often or get the chance to photograph as they scurry across the bark usually upside down or on the other side of the trunk.
We decided to check out the lakes from the viewing point. The water was very high, and it was mostly Black-headed Gulls on the water. Under the dead trees there were several larger gulls, and scanning through them I picked out a single adult Yellow-legged Gull. What stood out for me was the darker grey mantle compared to the Herring Gulls present, and the pale yellow legs. Once again another poor record shot, but enough to confirm the bird.
A male Marsh Harrier could also be seen flying around the line of dead trees scattering the duck.
After taking an early lunch we set off up the canal path. across the reed bed we could hear the squealing calls of Water Rails, and Cormorants flew from up river, but that was about it.
Some activity in the bramble below us produced a nice male Stonechat.
The sun was dropping in the sky despite the fact that it was just midday, this had the effect of turning the seed heads of the reeds a silvery colour.
Another group of tits produced yet another Treecreeper, and once again this usually elusive bird showed well.
Walking across the reserve to the centre path we met a volunteer warden who advised us that if we wanted to walk to the screens we would need wellingtons. Knowing that we were not going anywhere else we turned around and walked back to the car. As we did so we could see the male Marsh Harrier performing over the water in front of the screens. If we had opted for wellies when we set of we would probably been very close to the harrier.
Walking back there was no sign of the harrier at all. Dropping down on to the path to the centre we passed a field that was covered with reed mace and their seed heads.
Looking on the other side the seed heads of the reed mace were back lit by the low sun.
And as we tried different exposure settings a Blue Tit flew in to feed on the seeds.
The path was very flooded and in places quite deep. At the screens we were presented with open water with nothing on it. The only birds were at the back of the water, Greylags and Mallard. We stayed watching and waiting, and when this became too much there was always the reed sead heads to photograph.
And the scene across the reeds towards the distant trees.
A Buzzard appeared over the trees to the west and was immediately mobbed by Crows. Thi provided some interest but as that began to wane I picked up the Marsh Harrier once more, and it turned in the wind to head towards us. Unfortunately thi stime it passed by well over towards the canal path, but as it turned once again to head south back towards the main reed bed it came past us a little closer. This was the best we could do
After that it was back to the reeds and refelections
Then from nowhere activity, a group of about fifty duck, Teal and Gadwall appeared on the water in front of the screens, but they didn't stay long, clearly spooked by something. The Gadwall flew off heading back to the main lake, but the Teal split up into smaller groups having been joined by other teal from out of sight pools and proceeded to fly around in the groups, twisting and turning as if avoiding a predator.
We couldn't see any predator that could have spooked them to this panic, but just enjoyed the sight of the duck as they flew around the pools in front of us.
The duck finally settled down and it went back to staring at reeds and water. The Marsh Harrier appeared again but remained distant. In fact it became even more distant as it gained height and disappeared off from view to the west. It was now 15:00 and the sunlight was becoming very watery as the cloud built up from the south. The saving grace for the afternoon was hopefully going to be the Starlings coming into roost, so we decided it was time to give up on the screens and to make our way back to the canal path.
As we walked along the path that crosses the reserve, rather than the reed mace, this time I was taken by the twisted and gnarled boughs of the dead trees lining the path
Movement in the vegetation and trees along the canal path revealed a Cetti's Warbler that for once was extemely confiding and prepared to show very well.
It appears to have just had a bath and was in the process of drying off and preening before going to roost.
While it sat still long enough to be photographed it did keep creepingthrough the branches that were laying just on top of the water.
The Cetti's Warbler then flew across the path and into a fallen tree, as we looked for it another brown bird appeared on a fallen reed mace seed head. This was a Wren.
Similar in behaviour and colour it stayed in the open looking around
Then like the Cetti's was gone. A little further along we caught up with The Cetti's Warbler again. We followed it as it skulked along the edge of the water and over the floating leaves and branches before it popped up in the open once again.
Named after 18th century zoologist, Francesco Cetti, the
Cetti's warbler is a medium-sized warbler and usually inhabits damp areas
including ponds, lakes, marshes and rivers. It
is insectivorous. They prey on arthropods such as small,
soft-bodied insects and larvae, they prefer tiny insects because
they can digest them faster.
It can be very difficult to see and will normally announce its presence by singing
loudly from the cover of dense bushes. The song is considered to be, along with the Wren the
A medium rather compact warbler with a broad tail and short rather rounded wings. Plumage rufous-brown above, dusky greyish-white below with rusty tinge on the flanks and belly. Head pattern not unlike Reed Warbler with a narrow but not particularly distinct pale supercilium which is set off by dark lores and eye-stripe. At close range face shows off-white eye-ring.
The Cetti’s Warbler is a recent coloniser of the UK, Cetti's
warblers were first recorded in this country in 1961, and first bred here in
1973. Initially they established near
Canterbury in Kent before spreading west along the south coast and north into
Suffolk, although they are susceptible to hard winters such that following
several in the late seventies and eighties not one was left in Kent.
Since then Cetti's Warblers have undergone a huge range
expansion over the last 3 decades, only slightly put back by the recent
sequence of cold winters. The indications are that since then, numbers are
increasing again, with perhaps more than 2,000 territories in southern Britain.
However, where they are now commonplace, some key sites are not receiving
regular counts, leading to underestimates of numbers.
As the light dimmed birds started to move across the reed bed, cormorants coming in low and perching on the boughs of the dead trees in the middle of the lakes. Magpies appeared to be everywhere, constantly streaming in from all sides of the reserve and collecting in the bushes and trees. In one set of bushes I counted twenty eight, I am not sure what that qualifies for.
On the reed mace in front of us a Stonechat perched at the top of one of the seed heads, and again a Blue Tit was destroying the seed heads.
Overhead there were large numbers of Jackdaws and Rooks heading north, probably into the local woods to roost. The only Little Egret seen on the day also flew over the reserve prompting some hope of it being a Great Egret, the clear black bill removing that doubt.
Through all of this the Peregrine stayed on its post, like us waiting for the Starlings to turn up. A group of about fifty did appear wheeling around the distant dead trees as if to attract others to join them, one or two did but the numbers never increased to that which was expected. They definitely didn't do anything to move the Peregrine.
Overhead cloud moved aross the sky and despite the clarity in this photograph across the reserve it was very murky.
With the time moving on it was clear nothing was going to happen. We started to head back to the car park, as we did we passed a woman who told us that about 30 minutes earlier she had confronted a couple who were flying a large drone out across the marsh. Apparently they have been doing this on previous days too. The area the drone was flyingover was the roost site for the Starlings and they seem to now have abandoned the area. Numbers of up to 30,000 were being seen until the drone flying, and this must have definitely been the reason for there not being any Starlings around.
Why anyone would want to fly a drone here is beyond me, maybe their intent was just that to scare off anything that was about. This could also have accounted for the spooking of the duck earlier. As it was it meant that Ian and I had missed out, and of course the Peregrine.
A different day to those we have had previously, and you tend to be quick to brand it as a bad day, but just think about what we did see, Velvert Scoter and possibly two Great Northern Divers at Weston, while here Yellow-legged Gull, Marsh Harrier and some superb views of Cetti's Warbler. A bad day? Maybe not, any day I can get outside and spend it with nature has to be a good day.
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