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| Drake pochard |
Set off for Amwell at lunch time. Grey and a tad nippy but plenty of birds from the Viewing Point. 100's of swallows over the water and mixed in with these were several Sand martins, House martins and my first Swifts of the year. I tried to get some flight shots but the light was just too poor for a high shutter speed.
Roosting on the mud were 8 Common terns, another year lister whilst everywhere were gulls, mainly Black headed but a few Common, Herring and Lesser Black Backed mixed in with them.
Off to the James Hide but only a pair of nesting Canada geese so onwards to the White Hide. More gulls, Grey heron and Cormorants.
I headed back to the Viewing Point where a pair of Little Ringed plovers arrived. Then decided to try the hides at Rye Meads, just down the road.
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| Common tern |
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| Common tern and 2nd CY Common gull |
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| Herring gull |
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| Flyby Mallard drake |
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| 2nd CY Common gull |
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| Swift |
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| Inquisitive Robin |
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| Lesser black backed gull |
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| Cormorants |
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| Cormorant |
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| Common tern |
Arrived at Rye Meads and grabbed a coffee before heading to the Draper Hide. Here, a pair of Little ringed plover, gulls and wildfowl so took the seasonal trail around to the bust Kingfisher Hub. No sign of the star attraction in the 20 minutes I was present. Day old coots, Reed bunting, Kestrel and Gadwall all noted, though.
Around to the Tern Hide where pochard were diving and then a check on the reed bed from the Ashby Hide. At first, a very distant female Kingfisher in a willow that then came to the reeds to check for fish before heading back to the willow and lost from view. Few poor record shots below.
Species list for the day:
- Little grebe
- Great crested grebe
- Cormorant
- Grey heron
- Mute swan
- Greylag goose
- Canada goose
- Mallard
- Gadwall
- Shoveler
- Pochard
- Tufted duck
- Kestrel
- Common buzzard
- Pheasant
- Moorhen
- Coot
- Little ringed plover
- Lapwing
- Black headed gull
- Common gull
- Herring gull
- Lesser black backed gull
- Common tern
- Wood pigeon
- Stock dove
- Collared dove
- Swift
- Kingfisher
- Sand martin
- Swallow
- House martin
- Pied wagtail
- Wren
- Dunnock
- Robin
- Song thrush
- Blackbird
- Blackcap
- Whitethroat
- Sedge warbler
- Reed warbler
- Cetti's warbler (heard)
- Chiffchaff
- Great tit
- Blue tit
- Long tailed tit
- Magpie
- Jay
- Jackdaw
- Carrion crow
- Starling
- House sparrow
- Chaffinch
- Goldfinch
- Linnet
- Reed bunting
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| Little ringed plover |
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| 2 Little ringed plover |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Female Tufted duck |
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| Male Tufted duck |
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| Drake Gadwall |
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| Female kestrel in her nest box |
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| Day old Coot |
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| Female Reed bunting |
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| Black headed gull |
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| Little grebe |
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| Duck Pochard |
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| Drake Pochard |
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| Diving Pochard, drake |
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| Very distant female Kingfisher |
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| Closer but still distant! |
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| Canada goose family on an afternoon stroll |
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| Canada goslings |
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| Another gosling |
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