9:30 - 11:45am. Weather: heavy rain shower on arrival, but stopped leaving grey & overcast conditions with a breeze (SW).
First visit to a site that often seems to have some great species. I hoped to connect with passage arctic terns which had been reported over the past few days & the diver that has been in residence the past few months. In contrast to the previous day the weather was pretty bad but it soon cleared & clouds of insects soon sprung up! I approached from the A3044 side.
Great-Crested Grebe, Mute Swan, Coot.
Mallard, Tufted Duck, Black-Headed Gull.
Cormorant - drying out on the barges.
Pied Wagtail - a couple flitting along the walkway.
Red-Breasted Merganser - I was heading towards the far-side of the reservoir to get a feel for the side before being called back by a fellow birder who I had passed as he walked his dog. Luckily he'd been informed by some other birders of this dapper -looking male that had just flown in. It stayed for 20-30 minutes before apparently flying off south-west.
Little Gull - the birding gentleman also pointed out where these cracking gulls were busily skimming the waves or not so busily floating & preening in the water. Several were adults with the lovely rose-pink wash to their underparts & I counted up to 12.
Swift - at first I heard the screaming then large flocks swirled overhead & away north. Their numbers were probably in the hundreds but lessened throughout the morning.
House Martin - a couple in amongst the earlier swift flocks.
Hospital Corner:
Wigeon - 1 male.
Shelduck - a pair.
Great Northern Diver - I had some nice views from the midway point of the causeway but completed my walk by heading up to the 'far-side' of the reservoir hoping for a better view but after a brief glimpse it promptly disappeared & did not show again despite waiting for at least 30 minutes!
Gadwall - 2 males.
Walk back:
Starling, Crow,
Lesser Black-Backed Gull - 1 overhead.
Reed Bunting - 1 male flitted along into the scanty path-side shrubs.
Greylag Goose - 1 on the near-side shore.
Meadow Pipit - only heard overhead.
A good location for a clutch of nice species, one I may well visit again, though not sure about the swarms of insects, at least they help attract the birds!
22 species.
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