Sunday 18 October 2020

Farmoor Reservoir :: 18 October 2020

There was a shout early doors that a mandarin duck (juv) had dropped into Grimsbury Reservoir - I didn't see the message straight away. When I was ready to leave I sent a reply asking if it had stayed but unfortunately it departed after just 20mins. Charlotte and I decided for a walk at Farmoor Reservoir instead.

Very few boats on F2 but around 25 people on the eastern corner of F1 by the causeway learning to paddle board. Nothing at all on the causeway and still the rock pipits eluded me. There were a handful of tufted ducks - hundreds of coot and great-crested grebe. In the grey calm this tuftie looked isolated - a bit of an arty shot for me!

A female scaup was on the western side of F2 but we decided to stop our circuit there and dropped down to the river. A group had been swimming in the river and were dressing as we appraoched - brrr. Onto the river and we saw a kingfisher skim near to the oposite bank and ahead - we looked but never caught up with it.

We had three cetti's warbler calling at various points, and a single fleeting view - looks like I'll not have a photo of one this year. Redwing and bullfinches fed in the trees and bushes on the opposite bank.

We looped back to head for the Pinkhill reserve and came across a female blackcap feeding on berries. There was probably more than one but we decided not to wait and confirm.

A little disappointed I haven't found these pesky rock pipit on several visits - the meadow pipits at the water treatment works are far more obliging ...

Sightings (27) included: blackcap, bullfinch, carrion crow, cetti's warbler, coot, cormorant, great black-backed gull, great crested grebe, great tit, grey wagtail, greylag goose, herring gull, kingfisher, lesser black-backed gull, little grebe, magpie, mallard, meadow pipit, mute swan, pheasant, pied wagtail, redwing, robin, rook, tufted duck, woodpigeon and wren.

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