Latest sightings

 Pete Lambert wrote today:

Nice sunny morning for what may be my only visit to the Marsh this week, but surprisingly quiet.  The highlight of my morning was when I got back home.  Channel east of Marsh very high after all the rain on Monday, so nothing there, although I did see a female goosander fly up from the Lockwood Reservoir and go north over WM East.  Four song thrushes singing at WM East and more later reaching a total of 13 for the morning!  Four teal in the channel north of Green Bridge and a collared dove west overhead.  Two female gadwall on the Navigation just opposite the Green Bridge, but no sign of any little grebe. Eight tufted duck in the channel near the Lock.  More singing song thrushes at Clendish Marsh plus a grey wagtail and a pied wagtail in Pymmes Brook.  Single heron NW overhead near the Lock.  Hadn’t seen any egyptian geese on my walk down the Lee but what looked like “Large” flew back to the Centre as I went by.

A female kestrel flew off the Gasometer at WM West, then walking back down the Lee Navigation with the canada geese there was what looks like a hybrid goose, photo attached.  Neck too pale for canada and some pink on bill plus ‘pale-face’ effect.  Perhaps result of hybrid with grey lag goose and canada goose.

Reached home and sat looking out in my garden while I drank a cup of tea, then 4 siskin flew into the tree in front of me!  Three males and a female – probably from the group that have been feeding on alders at the Playground behind my house from time to time.  Looked really smart in the bright sunlight.  A few minute later a male blackcap appeared in the ivy on the sycamore at the end of my garden.  My first for this year, and this makes five succesive January’s that a wintering blackcap has come to my ivy berries.




DMC