Wednesday 4 December 2019

December 2019

There is a new Bird Checklist on the way. It should be on the counter on January 1st for our New Year's Day Ice Breaker event.



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)

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.
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).

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)

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.
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)
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)