early doors and up to 30 common sandpiper, 4 pink footed geese,which were in the process of flying in a westerly direction and in Middlemoor lane 3 male Blackcaps having a right ding dong!!!
15 Common Sandpipers and all 3 Hirundines present this morning and my first Swifts of the year!
9 common sandpiper this early morn, and a group of around 15 martins feeding over the water, GSwoody in the lane and a Bullfinch by the sports ground carpark
pair of Swallows settled on overhead wires by sports ground car park this evening
early doors, a gathering of a mixed group Swallows and house martins, 30 approx
15-Apr-2016
One Common Sandpiper on a Buoy just off the yacht club.
3 Common sandpipers (I think) around the pontoon area on Cheddar reservoir this morning.
Otherwise, reservoir has been pretty quiet over the last couple of weeks - although have regularly been 2 to 4 Canada Geese. A few tufties and GC Grebes but not much else except cormorants, mallard, hybrid ducks and coots.
down the lanes this morning, Middle Moor and Stubbington Drove to the River Axe, a Goldcrest, 2 green woody’s, 2 m Reed Bunting, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 m Bullfinch, numerous Chiff Chaff,Skylark and Goldfinch and 6 deer,
Large flock of Sand Martins feeding joined by a few early Swallows - is summer really coming??
7.45am - 2 Red-crested Pochard (m & f)
^ 8am - Brief glimpse of a Plover (? Ringed Plover)
^ 1.30pm - 4 Canada geese and what I think looked like a pale Gadwall (from my photo) (possibly the same one that Neville thought he had seen this morning when I met him on my walk)
^ 7pm - Red Kite soaring overhead before heading eastwards towards the Gorge. 2 Shovellers (m)
The tufted duck numbers have been decreasing over the last few days and today I’ve only see a couple (from perimeter wall)
3pm still no scoters. 3 scaup and c 100 hirundines, mostly sand martins with a few swallows.
7 - 8am
I did a circuit of the reservoir and didn’t see the Common Scoter.
The 3 Scaup (1m, 2f) are still there and so is the female wigeon.
^6pm
Popped down to see the pair of Common Scoters (which we did see). As we were watching them, a female wigeon flew in, joined them and stayed with them for the remainder of the time we were watching them (^20 mins)
3 Scaup still present (1 m, 2 f), sand martins and swallows.
M and F Common Scoter, M Goosander, ad Med Gull. Aprox 100 Sand Martin with small numbers of House Martin and Swallow.