Weather: grey though getting out as the day wore on.
On my way back to London I wanted to visit a fenland reserve, in particular the one that now has breeding corncrake. Unfortunately I picked the wrong one - not the first time I'd ended up in the wrong location this Easter! In fact I should have visited Nene Washes for the corncrake & not the nearby Ouse Washes, however both report tree sparrow & yellow wagtail which would be great to see, particularly tree sparrow which I last saw in when I lived in Germany nearly 15 years ago.
Outside Manea at some farm buildings.
From 10:45am.
Corn Bunting - 12 on overhead lines, one singing heartily: great to hear.
Mute Swan - 20 or so in a field, noticeable for their number.
From 11:10am.
Arriving at the reserve, a nice little visitors' centre & a hive of farming & birding activity.
From the carpark alone: Blue Tit, Blackcap, Goldfinch, Woodpigeon, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Song Thrush briefly through the hedgerow, Mistle Thrush, Collared Dove, Kestrel, Great Tit.
At the visitors' centre a few feeders were placed around the picnic area & quite a few species were active: Great-Spotted Woodpecker at first overhead but later I spotted one on the feeder. Then amongst the house sparrows a few smaller Tree Sparrow with distinctive deep chestnut-heads. Although they visited the feeders they were definitely more comfortable in the surrounding bushes. It was great to reacquaint myself with this species & I was amused that they made up for their slightly smaller size by being so noisy, emitting an angry-sounding buzzing churr. Also present were Stock Dove (~3) & unusually a lone Long-Tailed Tit.
On the way to the hides: Swallow, Mallard,Wren, Starling, Cormorant, Reed Bunting, Crow.
Welches Dam Hide.
Mute Swan, Black-Headed Gull, Shelduck, Lapwing, Marsh Harrier - a lone female sitting on a post in the field, Herring Gull (juvenile), Greylag Goose, Meadow Pipit, Grey Heron, Sedge Warbler, Skylark, Corn Bunting heard singing from a distant oasis of trees in the agriculutral fields.
Common Wash Hide:
Whooper Swan - a lone, slightly bedraggled looking individual which I assume will now stay the summer, Oystercatcher, Redshank (~3), Coot, Gadwall, Shoveler.
Rickwood Hide: additional Pied Wagtail (2).
Kingfisher Hide, is in the opposite direction to the other hides I visited & it proved to be the most productive: Greenfinch, Moorhen, Wigeon a few in the further fields; a Sparrowhawk flew in low & fast with something in its talons, & landed on the ground under a thick bush. Here it rested until a mute swan took an interest whereupon it beat a hasty retreat!
In the dyke in front of the hide, Great-Crested Grebe (1); Little Egret (pair) roaming the distant washes; several Black-Tailed Godwit resting together in one of the distant wash pools; Green Woodpecker flew right to left in front of the hide & then yaffled; Common Sandpiper picked out bobbing & feeding on a muddy bank next to a protective-looking mute swan; finally Magpie also flew in front of the hide.
Despite not looking too promising & being the 'wrong one' an excellent number of species seen, the highlight undoubtedly the tree sparrows.
50 species.
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