Weather: Mixed clouds & sunshine, cool, still. From 12:30pm.
A trip out for the reported serins on a lovely autumnal day.
From the car-park the usual Collared Dove, Blue Tit, & then something less usual, a lone Grey Wagtail flew over from the reserve to the riverside, then back to normal Crow, Magpie & Woodpigeon.
I headed out along the seawall after getting more information on the serins from the visitor's centre & after spotting Greenfinch, Goldfinch, House Sparrow around the feeders.
In the scrub either side of the path or visible on the scrapes on the reserve: Stonechat, Pied Wagtail, Wigeon, Shoveler, Starling, Meadow Pipit, Greylag Goose, Black-Headed Gull, Skylark, Grey Heron, Wren, Kestrel.
I reached the section of the path which curves to the right at the base of the mound of the tip & looked downhill into the scrubby area, on the adjacent dyke were Moorhen & Coot. On the way up a few people had mentioned that the serins had not been seen that afternoon but that the Dartford Warbler had been seen in the locality, nevertheless I had to stay put for a good 15 minutes before I finally saw it low & nearby but only briefly in some scrub apparently accompanied by a 'ticking' wren. Happy with the dartford but dipping on the serin I headed back past a Robin & alerted to some crashing in the bushes I saw a fox hastily diving away through the undergrowth towards the reserve.
The tide was up which meant the muddy bay was submerged but on the water & on small patches of mud: Shelduck, Teal, Cormorant, Curlew, Great Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull.
Back near the visitors' centre for Lapwing, a large group of chattering Linnet & a final Chaffinch.
As mentioned no sign of the serins, the theory being that they were amongst goldfinches feeding on the nearby rubbish tip which was closed allowing them to feed there undisturbed, & not on the reserve.
35 species, none new.
Update, 16/11/2008: the serins are still present, seen today (Sunday) so hopefully, if they stay around I'll have another try.
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