October 2019

Heronry South lake.

2nd October: It rained a lot on the previous days so not much doing and not many visitors, that is, until today!

Distant shot of wigeon, gadwall, black-tailed
godwit and green sandpiper.

Heronry South lake was the place to be with rafts of wigeon mixed with gadwall and shoveler ducks. Around the edges the stars were seven (Yes SEVEN!) green sandpipers, a black tailed godwit, lapwings, little grebes x 3, herons and a little egret. A Cetti's warbler was heard at the moorings.

6th October: Peter Cariuk photographed a mink at the river viewpoint.

Coal tit.

7th October: Mallard x 28, tufted duck x 14, wigeon x 240, shoveler x 21, gadwall x 60, teal x 15, mute swan x 33, lapwing x 9, Canada goose x 53, greylag x 43, cormorant x 20, GREAT WHITE EGRET, heron x 2, green sandpiper x 3, moorhen x 8, g-c grebe x 10, l b-b gull x 2, b-h gull x 22, magpie, green woodpecker, jay, l-t tit, coot, goldfinch x 6, wren, mistle thrush, song thrush, kingfisher, green-finch, grey wagtail, starling, jackdaw, crow, woodpigeon, blue tit, dunnock, great tit, coal tit, robin, blackbird. 40 spp....(Terry Brown)

Mink at the River Viewpoint. (Peter Cariuk)

9th October: 6 swallows and two house martins followed the river south. A bullfinch took a bath in a puddle and a coal tit was visiting the bird table at the visitor centre. On the mammal front we had rats at both bird tables and, sadly a dying fox cub near the arable fields.

10th October: (Heron Trail) blue tit, great tit, l-t tit, chaffinch, robin, g-s woodpecker, woodpigeon, stock dove, magpie, carrion crow, greylag goose, Canada goose, mallard, wigeon, teal, shoveler, heron, cormorant, kihgfisher, green sandpiper, gadwall.

Muntjac and brown rat.

Moorhen

11th October: From Russell Leavett. Weather comments: 7/8 cloud cover, bright with strong winds.
Visit comments: Visits to Hayden and Kingfisher hides only.
Black-headed Gull, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Cormorant, Gadwall, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Sandpiper (1), Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Little Egret, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pheasant, Robin, Shoveler, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.

13th October: Lots of blue-tits and kingfisher at the Hayden Hide.

15th October: Wigeon x 275, mallard x 40, shoveller x 17, tufted duck x 22, g-c grebe x12, mute swan x 48, moorhen x 9, teal x 12, gadwall x 145, green sandpiper, lapwing x 34, b-h gull x 80, cormorant x 16, skylark x 4, pied wagtail, redwing x 25, yellowhammer x 18, reed bunting, greylag goose, Canada goose, dunnock sparrowhawk, kestrel, swallow x 3, goldcrest x 3, chiff-chaff, l-t tit, wren, linnet x 15, heron, goldfinch, jackdaw, green woodpecker, blackbird, magpie, crow, blue tit, woodpigeon, robin, gt tit. (43 spp. Terry Brown)

Black-tailed godwit on Heronry North (JK)

Mallard drake.

16th October: I paid a visit to the little sewerage works at Stirtloe, just off the north end of the Reserve. I was hoping for goldcrests, firecrests, yellow browed warblers; all those October migrants that pop in from the dark northern forests as the first snow falls. I didn't see any of those but found a very smart wintering chiff-chaff and watched several flocks of redwings drift over. Let's hope they are the vanguard for an interesting couple of weeks to come.

11:30 -14:00 Shovelers, gadwall, ringed plover, muntjac x 2, cormorants, wigeon, rabbit, g-s woodpecker. (J and LW Epson)

Blue tit.

17th October: Third Thursday Walk:
Blackbird, b-h gull, black-tailed godwit, blue tit, crow, chaffinch, coot, cormorant, collared dove, Canada goose, dunnock, gadwall, goldfinch, g-c grebe, g-s woodpecker, great tit, green sandpiper, green wood-pecker, grey heron, greylag goose, kestrel, kingfisher, lapwing, l-t tit, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, robin, feral pigeon, ruff, shoveler, tufted duck, wigeon, wood pigeon, wren. (36 pp)

Sparrow hawk.

18th October: Hayden Hide: Wigeon, teal, mallard, tufted duck, shoveler, g-c grebe, cormorant, mute swan, greylag, coot, moorhen, magpie, crow, jackdaw, blue tit, great tit, chaffinch, dunnock, robin, b-h gull, wood pigeon, collared dove.

19th October: Black tailed godwit, green sandpipers (Heronry Lakes)
Coal tit, mallards, greenfinch and mooorhen. (Imogen aged 9 from Royston)

22nd October: Mallard x 28, Tufted duck x 29, teal x6, shoveler x 17, gadwall x 95, wigeon x 60, mute swan x 56, green sandpiper x 6, lapwing x 21, cormorant x 12, great crested grebe x 14, b-h gull x 75, l-b-b gull x 2, grey wagtail, heron x 2, green woodpecker, buzzards, pheasant, meadow pipit, yellowhammer x 4, skylark x 5, redwing x 10, pied wagtail, l-t tit, Canada goose, greylag, chaffinch, bullfinch, song thrush, blackbird, crow, wren, moorhen, great tit, collared dove, blue tit, golldfinch, robin, woodpigeon, magpie, dunnock, g-s woodpecker. Terry Brown. (46 spp.)

24th October: In Garden: Squirrel, brown rat, blue-tit x 2, great tit x 2, wren, dunnock, sparrow, collared dove, robin, coal tit.

27th October: Blue tit (Harry Emeleus) goldcrest x2, fieldfare (small flock), green sandpiper, green woodpecker, linnet, reed bunting, l-t tit, greenfinch x 2. Kingfisher at River View.

28th October: (Heron Trail) Mute swan, Canada goose, greylag, Egyptian goose, mallard, shoveler, wigeon, teal, gadwall, tufted duck, coot, moorhen, lapwing, b-h gull, green sandpiper, heron, cormorant, crow, magpie, woodpigeon, pheasant, green woodpecker, chaffinch, great tit, blue tit, l-t tit, robin, dunnock, redwing.

30th October: Grey squirrels, blue tit x 3, dunnock (in garden).
Bullfinch, greenfinch, yellowhammer, goldfinch, reed bunting, great tit, l-t tit, g-s woodpecker, green woodpecker, shoveler, mallard, wigeon, gadwall, coot, moorhen, Canada goose, heron, cormorant, green sandpiper, g-c grebe, mute swan, robin, chaffinch, magpie, kestrel, teal, redwing and buzzard.

Red crested pochard x 2 drakes and a juv male goldeneye on Heronry Lakes. (TG)

31st October: Wigeon x 140, tufted duck x 65, shoveler x 17, teal x 12, gadwall x 145, mallard x 14, Mute swan x 37, cormorant x 14, l b-b gull x 2, snipe, b-h gull x 115, green sandpiper x 2, coot, lapwing x 7, g-s woodpecker x 2, blue tit, great tit, blackbird, robin, woodpigeon, wren, goldfimch x 10, greenfinch, dunnock, crow, collared dove, bullfinch, chaffinch, redwing x 10, moorhen x 12, Canada goose x 71, heron x 2, goldcrest, jackdaw, skylark x 3, l-t tit, g-c grebe x 7, yellowhammer, reed bunting x 4, magpie, green woodpecker, sparrowhawk. Terry Brown (43 spp)