13th October - another lovely sunny morning, but the NE breeze was even stronger today and felt bitter at times.
I had a quick look around the lake, but it all looked as normal. No sign of yesterday's Pintail, numbers of Wigeon, Shoveler and Teal still creeping up and 14 Snipe feeding around the base of the reeds on the spit. I had my first Great Black-backed Gulls of the autumn, with two adult birds present. Common Gulls are also beginning to increase - 14 this morning on the spit and several flying north presumably to feed on the field that is being ploughed at Emmett's. Goldcrests are everywhere, tzitting away, I also had another or the same Coal Tit in with a tit flock on the west bank - quite vocal too. Just a few Chiffchaffs around now and no other warblers. A Lesser Redpoll was disturbed from willow herb on the south bank and a few Siskins still going over, mostly singles. A lone Little Egret flew over the railway and on towards Cock Marsh. I also had my first Redwings of the autumn, with a flock of about 25 birds flying west.
I took a look at Emmett's, where there are small numbers of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Linnets along with a gazillion Pheasants waiting to be shot (lovely sport!). A couple of Raven flew over low north, cronking as they went and then distantly to the north, a flock of about 50 Golden Plover were wheeling about. Following a fairly poor first winter period, I am just now picking off the birds that I would have expected to get then, Golden Plover being another one. These birds are presumably part of a larger flock that I have been watching just up the road but off patch. They have been building up for a couple of weeks now and I counted 280 last weekend. They seem to do this every year in October, but then seem to disperse to other sites.
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