Heronry Lakes are back to normal winter levels or perhaps deeper with all the small islands submerged and most of the wildfowl have left.
December 4th: Otter on Heronry South. Robin, bullfinch, redwings, blackbirds, goldcrest, g-s woodpecker, chaffinch, sparrow hawk, goldfinches. Muntjac x 2. (JAS)
December 8th: Sparrow hawk, goldeneye ad green sandpiper on Island Pit + GREAT EGRET x 2.
Green sandpiper, great white egret, gadwall x 44, tufted duck x 92, wigeon x 157, shoveler x 4, goldeneye x 12, coot x 18, g-c grebe x 8, common gull x 8, b-h gull x 395, water rail, mute swan x 79, cormorant x 10, wood pigeon, blue tit, mallard x 19, moorhen x 7, great tit, chaffinch, blackbird, dunnock, crow, robin, pied wagtail, greenfinch, goldfinch, wren, magpie, buzzard, greylag geese x 100, yellowhammer x 9, reed bunting x 2, linnet x 80, Canada goose, green woodpecker, l-t tit, song thrush, redwing. (Terry Brown)
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| Why not be like Terry and send us your sightings? |
December 15th: Great white egret and goldeneyes on Island Pit. Kingfisher at Bill's Bench. Stoat, bullfinch and treecreeper on the Haul Road. Squirrels and rat.
December 17th: Black squirrel, redwing x 5 (from the Visitor Centre window).
December 18th: Mallard x 43, gadwall x 121, wigeon x 110, shoveler x 4, tufted duck x 255, goldeneye x 32, coot x 29, b-h gull x 34, common gull x 2, g-c grebe x 20, mute swan x 96, great white egret x 2, green sandpiper, heron, goldfinch x 15, blackbird, crow, moorhen, woodpigeon, blue tit, great tit, robin, wren, dunnock, redwing x 12, jackdaw, grey wagtail, green woodpecker, magpie, chaffinch, rook, l-t tit, fieldfare, g-s woodpecker, lapwing, greylag goose x 55, bullfinch x 7, greenfinch, pheasant, buzzard x 2, reed bunting, linnet x 60, yellowhammer, cormorant x 10, kestrel, song thrush, jay. (43 spp. Terry Brown)
December 19th: Blackbird, blue tit, robin, squirrel, rat, great tit, moorhen, wood pigeon, heron, kestrel.
Third Thursday Walk: Blackbird, b-h gull, blue tit, buzzard, crow, chaffinch, common gull, cormorant, gadwall, goldfinch, g-c grebe, great tit, green woodpecker, heron, jackdaw, kestrel, kingfisher, lapwing, l-t tit, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pheasant, robin, rook, shoveler, stock dove, tufted duck, wigeon, wood pigeon, goldeneye. (32 spp, David Wilson)
Great tit, squirrel, blue tit robin.
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| Long-tailed tit by "Squid Diddley" |
December 21st: Cormorant, mute swan x 80+, tufted duck, mallard, teal, wigeon, gadwall, goldeneye, shelduck, g-w egret, crow, jackdaw, magpie, chaffinch, great tit, blue tit, l-t tit, robin, blackbird, collared dove, woodpigeon, greylag goose x 15, g-s woodpecker, lapwing x 100 overhead. (Simon Marsh).
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| Robin (JS) |
December 23rd: Water Rail (Rudd Pit and another at Washout Pit.) Great white egret at Island Pit, fieldfares x 20+ near workings. (Stephen May)
December 24th: Mallard x 33, mute swan x 122, goldeneye x 34, teal x 9, shoveler x 5, gadwall x 147, wigeon x 112, great white egret x 2, tufted duck x 240, cormorant x 7, l-b-b gull, b-h gull x 110, common gull x 4, lapwing x 18, g-c grebe x17, greylag goose x 74, chaffinch, magpie, blackbird, blue tit, woodpigeon, great tit, goldfinch x 12, heron x 7, jackdaw, robin, green woodpecker, greenfinch, moorhen, wren, meadow pipit x 3, pied wagtail, reed bunting x 2, linnet x 30, kesterl, yellowhammer x 17, long-tailed tits, rook, coot x 24, dunnock. (42 spp, Terry Brown)
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| Great spotted woodpecker. (JS) |
December 26th: Dunnock, robin, chaffinch, mute swan, goldeneye, shoveler, b-h gull, magpie.
Rat, squirrel, tufted duck, great tit, blackbird, jackdaws, cormorant, wood pigeon.
December 29th: Squirrel, rat blue tit, robin, blackbird, sparrow. (VC)
Stonechat (arable), Great white egret.
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| Blue tit (JS) |
Gadwall x111, shoveler x 4, wigeon x180, goldeneye x 39, teal x 6, tufted duck x 247, mallard x 51, b-h gull x 470, herring gull x 2, gc grebe x 15, coot x 34, common gull x 42, cormorant x 20, heron x 5, mute swan x 128, blue tit, woodpigeon, wren, goldfinch, carrion crow, greenfinch, great tit, robin, stock dove, chaffinch, l-t tit, jackdaw, song thrush, moorhen x 9, g-s woodpecker, blackbird, lapwing, greylag goose x 93, magpie, linnet x 16, skylark, yellowhammer x 4, stonechat, herring gull, water rail, rook, buzzard, bullfinch x 8, dunnock, pied wagtail, reed bunting x 11, green sandpiper (47 spp. Terry Brown)
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| Stonechat (JS) |
G-s woodpecker at the Cobham hide, Goldeneyes displaying and a pair of Egyptian Geese on Island Pit, Goldcrest in haul road, 3 very vocal buzzards hovering near River Viewpoint.
December 31st: Rat on bird table. Long tailed tits x 11.
Fungi: Aricularia spp, Auricularia mensenterica, Bulgaria inquinans, Chondrostereum purpureum, Fomes fomentrius, Ganoderma applanatum, Stereum hirsuitum, Trametes versicolor, Xylaria hypoxien. (Robin and Rowan)
