Saturday 14 February 2009

Time, tide and geese wait for no man

Following the exciting sightings made by others in the past week I couldn't wait to get down Aldcliffe this morning, my first opportunity in nearly 2 weeks. I was particularly hoping that some of the several thousand pinkfeet in the area would be present for me to grill. They weren't.

Highlights otherwise as follows:
Frog Pond - 63 oystercatcher, 34 Canada geese, 27 greylag and 1 measly pinkfoot.
Wildfowlers' Pools - c250 greylag, 4 teal & 9 skylark over. A green sandpiper was flying noisily around.
Aldcliffe Marsh: very quiet with just 22 teal on the river of note plus a flock of 34 skylarks.
Bank Pool: 50 greylag, 1 Canada goose
Freeman's Pools: 1 little egret, 2 tufted duck, 3 gadwall, 3 shoveler & 7 snipe (on the island). I was pleased to see that the spotted redshank was still present on the top pools along with a single common redshank.
5 goldeneye were on the Lune at Snatchems.
No sign of the tawny owl in Freeman's Wood, though I heard one hooting merrily away from there yesterday evening. Pretty quiet all round with just bullfinch of note.

Bumped into Pete Crooks near the Spar shop (glamorous eh?) who reported the waxwing still present in his front garden. I'm on my way there now...

LATE BREAKING NEWS....
Waxwing seen upon arrival! It was in the top of a tree behind the house opposite the Rowan - easily accessed by a footpath off Leighton Drive which allowed me to stand directly below the bird as it preened (and indeed defacated - the waxwing, not me).
Decided to have a quick look round Admiralty Wood where I soon found 2 little owls. Hundreds of redwing and fieldfare were in Pony Wood and the immediate area.

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