Friday Sightings

Peter Lambert wrote today:

Over the Marsh early this morning and no mist this time so I could see birds flying over. A bit of a change to my last walk on Monday morning. Was wondering if I might see the woodcock that both George and Terry have now seen flying around and thinking that if I did this would make my year total for the Marsh 100 birds. (In fact, when I got home and checked my records I found I’d already seen a woodcock over the Marsh in January this year, when we had the other cold snap!)

A small wader flew silently down the side of the Lockwood Reservoir as I walked in from Blackhorse Road. May have been a green sandpiper, but it was too gloomy still to see any plumage details, so without any calls, it remains a mystery. Nine redwings flew SE calling over WM East and on over the houses as I approached the Marsh. A pheasant called from the west side of WM East as I walked over the East Bridge but I didn’t see it, then 3 goosander shot north over the bridge and vanished. I could hear a fieldfare calling as I reached the Sandpiper Bridge and then it flew out of the trees just east of the bridge and went off N. As I walked down the side of the west channel, a couple of teal flew up. A collared dove came high NE at the Green Bridge and there were six tufted duck in the channel there and one little grebe, then 5 teal shot SE from the channel towards the Lockwood Reservoir. The Lee Navigation was still frozen and there were another 11 tufted duck in the channel plus a female teal. Two egyptian geese still by the Centre (looked like LIttle and Large) seemingly unworried by the Lee being frozen over.

Crossing the bridge over Pymmes Brook to Clerndish Marsh, there were 3 pied wagtails, 1 grey wagtail and 1 meadow pipit on the concrete in the channel. Clendish Marsh continues to be very quiet with just a sparrowhawk going NE as I finished my circle round the Marsh. But there were 12 mute swans in Pymmes Brook, an unusually high number, perhaps refugees from the frozen Lee.

On to the Pond and Stonebridge Wood (also very quiet), but then at 8.48am the highlight – a duck came W over the Marsh, circled and went back towards the reservoirs, it was a female goldeneye! My first goldeneye record since 2005 and my 100th species for the year! Soon after I heard a green sandpiper calling and the call seemed to go SE, but I couldn’t see the bird. On to the open part of WM West bouyed up by my goldeneye, I found a grey wagtail in Pymmes Brook by the bridge to Northumberland Park, plus four teal on the concrete with the usual mallards. And a few minutes later, heard redwing calls and 28 small thrushes flew high NW – all redwings I assume.

3 high flying swans looked like worth checking, but they were all mute swans rather than anything more exotic. Reached the Chalk Bridge at 9.18am and heard a ‘zit, zit’ call like a goldcrest but different. Waited searching for movement and a small bird came up in the elders just east of the bridge – a firecrest! In the bins for a second before it flew off, this is presumably the same bird that George saw on 5 December (and maybe the same bird I saw in October?).

Would have been hard to improve on the morning after that. but it was nice to see a female goosander fly N over WM East as I left the Marsh.

DMC