Pitsford Water :: 28 December 2018

It has been about six weeks since I last got out and so I thought I'd try for a couple of year ticks. There had been some sightings at Pitsford Water and so I thought I'd head there. Charlotte decided to tag along for the fresh air (and the offer of lunch).

We stopped in Brixworth at The Coach & Horses for lunch - the BLT baguette came with so many chips and salad that Charlotte didn't manage to finish it all.

Back at the reservoir we put on our walking boot and both commented on how cold it was, despite the 9°C outside temperature displayed on the car. The lapwings were spooked by our passing and a small flock of about 40 rose and flew out across the water. Some goldeneye joined the wigeon and teal out on the water. Not far on, we came across the group of 11 whooper swans; two juveniles. As we reached the feeders at the end of the gated road we found numbers of chattering tree sparrows. They were joined by reed bunting, blue/great/coal tits and a couple of blackbirds. On the fringe of the reeds was a single female stonechat.

When we got to the Bird Club Hide we scanned to see what lay amongst the numbers of ducks and wildfowl on the water. Amongst the teal, wigeon and pochard was a female scaup (#149). Behind this we picked out 5 drake red crested pochard, plus four females - there may have been more. We also saw just the single great white egret.

Heading round to the Scaldwell Hide we picked out a pair of goldcrest, followed by a pair of treecreepers. At the hide we didn't spot anything new, other than a distant large gull which we couldn't be sure of the ID with just bins.

To finish, we walked both sides of the causeway, spooking the lapwing again but this time considerably more than 100 of them.

Just one more this year and I'll be happy.

Sightings (35) included: black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, canada goose, carrion crow, coal tit, common gull, coot, cormorant, fieldfare, gadwall, goldcrest, goldeneye, great crested grebe, great tit, great white egret, lapwing, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, red-crested pochard, reed bunting, rook, scaup, shoveler, stonechat, teal, tree sparrow, treecreeper, tufted duck, whooper swan, wigeon, woodpigeon and wren.