Monday 29th June - Evening - All change!

Sunny, hot!
4:00 to 4:30pm

First visit for a coulple of weeks due to holidays and much has changed. Water level now well down with just one sizable pool in the NE of what was the main body of water and a series of puddles. Unless there is drastic change given the current weather the hot spot might not be so warm come autumn migration.

For the record the only birds were;
38 Black Headed Gulls
39 Lapwings
2 Grey Heron
1 Little Egret
and a pair of Little Ringed Plover are hanging on in there on the baked mud.

Friday 12th june 09 - Update - Little Owl

Via email from Rob Norris:

"A Little Owl - a bird I don't think you've reported before - down at the Haversham end where the big lorries cross the path to dump the gravel."

Friday 12th May 09 - Quietness returns.

2:00 to 2:30pm
Warming up, sunny intervals.

Two LRP, a single Lapwing and a Little Egret that walked the width of the lake showing how low the water levels are getting, were the only things of note.
A fledged family of Pied Wagtails were at the west end of lake.

Monday 8th June 09 - Evening - More of the same...

5:00 to 5:30
Cool, cloudy, breezy, spitting rain (its June!)

Highlight was Fox mother ambling along north shore being divebombed by crows. Birdwise, three LRP's, single Oystercatcher, single Common Tern and thats your lot...

Friday 5th June 09 - Afternoon - Oystercatcher

3:30 to 4:00pm
Sunny spells, cloud, cool east wind.

Brief visit, Oystercatcher, two LRP's and five Lapwing on mud, nothing much else.

Friday 5th June 09 - Early Morning - Tufted Ducks

6:30 to 7:00am
Dull, cool easterly breeze.

A newly arrived pair of Tufted Ducks the highlight.
Also Little Egret over, three Little Ringed Plovers, five Lapwing.
Mallard have bred with four chicks, their safety may well be down to the absence of the Shelduck pair (now not seen for over a week) who were driving all other wildfowl off the water.

Thursday June 4th 2009 - Morning - BHG's

7:00 to 7:15am
Cool, sunny, still, mirror like lake.

Brief visit, quiet.
Wader wise, single Lapwing, single LRP.
Three very pristine summer plumaged Black Headed Gulls.
Fifty plus movement of Swifts over and through heading north.

Wednesday 3rd June 09 - Evening - Fox Cubs

4:30 to 5:30
Cool breeze, cloudy, sunny spells.

Little Egret usually seen around Back Brook for the first time seen in shallows of main body of water.
Three Common Tern.
Three Little Ringed Plover
Seven Lapwing, increasing in number day on day.
Gadwall
Twenty Greylag Geese on water.
Further Canadian Goose goslings in evidence.
And at a well hidden part of the general area a pair of Fox Cubs playing in the evening sunshine.

Wednesday 3rd June 09 - Early Morning - Little Egrets

7:00 to 7:15am
Cloudy, sunny spells, slight breeze, less warm than of late.

Usual suspects seen in brief visit to south side.
Single Little Ringed Plover and five Lapwing on 'Wader South Central'
Pair of Common Terns flitting about.
Two Little Egrets on Back Brook.

Monday 1st June - Evening - Lapwing

5:15 to 5:30pm
Warm, sunny, breezy.

Brief visit, south side.
Highlights were:
Five Lapwing
Four Common Tern
Three Little Ringed Plover

Monday 1st June - Morning - BHG's

7:00 to 7:20am
Sunny, warm, breezy.

Three Little Ringed Plovers on mud.
Two Lapwing.
Oystercatcher pair.
Three SumPlum Black Headed Gulls
Six Mute Swan.

Friday 29th May 09 - Afternoon - Lapwings

4:00 to 6:00pm
Warm, sunny, easterly breeze.

Common Tern 2
Little Ringed Plover 4
Up to 39 adult Canada Geese, seven goslings.
18 Greylag Geese
Lapwing 6, highest number in a while.
Little Egret 1
Pair Mute Swan
Single Oystercatcher over.
And as with everywhere else it seems a smattering of Painted Lady butterflies, no great numbers but passing through in ones and twos all afternoon.
And as you can see Greater Spotted Woodpecker have bred.

Wednesday 27th May 09 - Early Morning - Yellow Wagtail

7:00 to 7:20am
Westerly breeze, moderate rain.

Quiet again.
Three Little Ringed Plovers in Godwit Corner.
One Ringed Plover on 'Wader South Central' along with a single Yellow Wagtail.
Only bird on water single Mute Swan.
Landscaping on eastern side of main body of water has moved right to the edge of Godwit Corner, changes may be about to happen once more.

Tuesday 26th May - Lunchtime - Shelduck

1:10 to 1:50pm
Cloudy, sunny spells, brisk cooling NW wind.

Again not too much about.
Single LRP on mud.
Shelduck pair.
Handful of Martins over water.

Tuesday 26th May - Morning - LRP's

6:30 to 7:00am
Rain, breezy.

Not much about.
One Common Tern
Three Little Ringed Plovers
Ringed Plover
Little Egret on back brook.
Only bird on water single Canada Goose, main flock still in top field.

Monday 25th May 09 - Morning - Greenland Wheatear

6:30 to 11:30am
All over site.
Overcast, muggy, odd sunny spell, later odd spot of rain.

In no particular order.
One very smart almost pinkish looking Greenland Wheatear.
Little Egret, around site all morning.
'Invasion' of 45 Canada Geese.
Six Mute Swans on water.
Pair Shelduck.
Two Oystercatcher on newly emerging mud areas.
Up to four Common Terns around site.
Four sum plum Black Headed Gulls.
Three Tufted Ducks briefly before Shelduck flushed.
Single Lapwing.
One Little Ringed Plover.
Cormorant over.
Cuckoo heard.
On river Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler singing.
Reed Bunting.
Hobby through.
Common Buzzard over.
And last but not least first thing this morning on pool south of farm buildings a Common Sandpiper.

Wednesday 20th April 09 - Evening - No Plovers!

4:15 to 5:15pm
Sunny spells, warming up, slight breeze.

Suprisingly not a single LRP or RP seen on site, worrying.
Single Oystercatcher on WSC only wader to be seen.
Common Tern pair still present, as were the Shelduck.
Hobby over.

Wednesday 20th May 09 - Early Morning - Mute Swan

7:00 to 7:15am
Breezy, sunny, cloud building.

Still quiet times at Manor Farm.
A pair of Mute Swan the only arrivals.
2 x LRP's and 2 x RP's on Wader South Central, others elsewhere.
Lapwing.

Tuesday 19th May 09 - Lunchtime - Red Kite

1:15 to 1:30pm
Breezy, sunshine then heavy rain.

A bird of prey themed visit.
Hobby over Farm Buildings
Pair Common Terns over water.
Usual LRP/RP suspects around site.
Kestrel over west end field.
And as the rain moved in a Red Kite racing the storm heading north.

Tuesday 19th May 09 - Morning - Treecreeper

6:45 to 7:30am
Breezy, cloudy, dry.

Up to six RP/LRP's on mud.
Pair Common Terns, Shelduck and a Treecreeper flitting around the trees at Godwit Corner viewpoint area.