The lock In

Quick walk round Whitacre today, feeling tired due to loss of a hour somewhere! Spent a little longer than usual as someone decided to lock us in to the reserve!!

Feeding station: Lesser Redpoll (8), Siskin (4), GS Woodpecker (1), Willow Tit (1), Treecreeper (2), Reed Bunting (8 male 1 female)

The scrape: Shoveler (2), Little Grebe (2), Teal (2), Canada Goose (2), Buzzard (1), Mute Swan (1), Coot (2)

The Wood: Lesser spotted woodpecker (calling, too tired to go looking for it), Treecreeper (2), Redwing (1)

The Flashes: Buzzard (2), Skylark (2), Sparrowhawk (1), Canada Goose (41), Reed Bunting (1 male) , Red fox (1)

from the bridge: Oystercatcher (2 in Severn Trent field), Curlew (1), Shelduck (2), Chiffchaff (1 singing)

Also a comma butterfly along the flood bank

Little Egret

Little Egret again from the railway bridge this morning (S.Seal)

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (2), Siskin (12), Lesser Redpoll (9), Willow Tit (2), Treecreeper (1), Green Sandpiper (1 over heading towards flashes), Wheatear (1 male), Redshank (2), Common Snipe (1), Fieldfare (60+), Redwing (10+), Buzzard (2), Little Grebe (1), Curlew (1), Starling (150+), Greylag (1), Canada Goose (c.40), Pied Wagtail (2), Oystercatcher (2)

Brambling (1 female in the afternoon) (Nick.T)

Sunday 23rd March

River Pool: Wigeon (30+), Little Grebe (2, 1 eating a newt), Teal, Gadwall, Grey Heron, Coot, Buzzard (1), Chiffchaff (1), Willow Tit (1)

Main Pool: Little Grebe (1)

The Scrape: Shoveler (4), Teal (2), Mute Swan (2), Canada Goose (2), Chiffchaff (1)

The Flashes: Curlew (5), Oystercatcher (2), Sky Lark (1), Meadow Pipit (1), Canada Goose (9), Sand Martin (1), Buzzard (5), Bullfinch (1), Long-tailed tit (4), Green Woodpecker (1)

The Feeding Station: Brambling (1 female), Siskin (9), Lesser Redpoll (11), Willow Tit (2), Reed Bunting (10+ ), Lesser spotted woodpecker calling

Siskin (32 at the feeding station early morning) (S.Seal/D.Hutton)

©Midland Bird Images

The Woods: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (1), Chiffchaff (4 singing), Long-tailed tit (8), Treecreeper (1) , Redwing (6)

Railway Bridge: Little Egret (1), Curlew (3), Shelduck (1), Gadwall (6), Lapwing (6), Wigeon (34), Oystercatcher (2), Chiffchaff (1)

While Steve Seal was in the Feeder hide ...

I spent a couple of hours with Steve but thought I'd take a walk around the rest of the site. !st port of call was the "Kingfisher" hide. The wind was really bad and was shaking the hide. I thought it was going to blow it off the legs! But a few minutes there revealed Shovellers sheltering in the reeds on the far side with Mallard, a couple of coots were doing the rounds. A solitary Dabchick was doing battle with the strong wind and spent a lot of time under the water out the way.

Also a pair of Mute swans were hunkering down out of the wind in the shelter of some bushes.


On to the next pool and it was a lot more sheltered but there still wasn't much around, just a few Tufted duck, Coot and Dabchick. The Coots were particularly feisty.


On the way back to the car park there were Chiffchaff singing but they were well hidden. My List for the day ... well Half day was

Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll, Great tit, Blue tit, Willow tit, Long tail tit, Mute swan, Dabchick, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted duck, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Reed bunting Greater spotted woodpecker, Dunnock and the Chiffchaff singing so 22 species in 3 hours, not bad for a beginner ...

Feeding Station

8:00am - 1:00pm

© Midland Bird Images

Siskin (14), L.Redpoll (11), Willow Tit (2), Brambling (1 female, no sign of the male), GS Woodpecker (2), Jay (1), Sparrowhawk (3), Buzzard (1), Little Egret (1 from railway bridge) (S.Seal)

© Midland Bird Images

The first singing Chiffchaff of the year

Work force present all day doing repairs to most of the hides.

Before 10:30

Feeding Station: Brambling (1 male, 1 female early morning) (P.Satch)

© P.Satch

17:00
Feeding Station: Brambling (1 male), Siskin (3), Redpoll (6), Willow Tit (2), GS Woodpecker, LT Tit (1), Chaffinch (40+), Reed Bunting (10+), Jay (1), Goldfinch (8+)

© J.Wesson

Woods: Chiffchaff (1 singing)

Main Pool: Little Grebe (2), Water Rail (1)

Flashes: Along the path, Green Woodpecker (2)

Railway Bridge: Curlew (2), Shelduck (1), small wader couldn't quite make out with bins, prob. common Sandpiper but not 100% sure.

Brambling again

Brambling (1 male, 1 female) at the feeding station today (T.Melton/N.Kiteley)

My first Whitacre Brambling

14:45 2 Little Egrets again on flood water opposite the reserve viewed from roadbridge (S.Seal)

9:00 - 12:30
Water level high and rising, by the time i left the feeding station was a swimming pool.

Feeding Station: Brambling (1 female, my first for the reserve), Siskin (15), Lesser Redpoll (11), Willow Tit (2), Chaffinch (20+), Reed Bunting (6), Goldfinch (12), GS Woodpecker (1 female), Jay (1), Treecreeper (1)



Flashes: Stonechat (1 female, still present at 12:30 when i left), Sky Lark (1 singing), Meadow Pipit (8), Kingfisher (1 flew past the hide), Canada Goose (30+), Gadwall (4), Teal (4), Mallard (20+)




Railway Bridge: Shelduck (6), Gadwall (24), Wigeon (43 one side, 37 on the other)

15th March 2008

No sign of any Stonechats, 1 Curlew on flashes, 9 Siskin, 11 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Willow Tits and 3 Gt S Woodys at wood feeding station, from car park 2 Shelduck and 12 Wigeon over towards Ladywalk, and 2 Goosanders towards Lea Marston. (S.Seal)

© Midland Bird Images

Friday Mar 14th

Nature force did more than I expected. All the hides are useable and other than some debris show little signs of all the activity. There are fewer holes.

2 curlew flew from the flashes pond and we did not see Jeff anywhere. 2 female stonechat on the wire fence and a sand martin over the river.

Thursday Mar 13th.

Nature Force from Brandon spent the day here today. I had to leave before the end but...The field hide has had a lot of work done on it and looks much better, the work is more or less complete.The feeding station hide is in chaos. It has been lifted up from the sleepers and the floor removed. It will probably be full of wood, from which a new floor will be made.The work is expected to be completed next Wednesday and all the hides usable again. Please allow for any odds and ends (mainly wood) about the place and leave it be in case it is needed in that place for work next Wednesday. When all the work is completed I am sure that you will all be pleased with the result. Nature Force are to be congratulated on their work.

Wednesday Mar 12th

At feeding station. Pair of treecreepers, 2M GSW, 10 redpoll, 9 siskins, goldfinch, chaffinch, reed bunting, willow tit, etc.
From path. 2 F GSW. There were about 20 meadow pipits feeding by fence.
At river hide 4 sand martin

Monday Mar 10th

Went down to feed during a lull in the weather. Green Woodpecker flew from near car park into reserve and we then had 1 calling and being answered.
At feeding station, at least 7 siskin, 8 redpoll, both M and F GSW, treecreeper, goldfinch, chaffinch, 2 willow tit, great and blue tit, jay, blackbird, 3 robin, reed bunting, dunnock, 3 M and 7 F pheasant.

Feeding Station Hide

Lesser Redpoll (11), Siskin (6), Willow tit (2), GS Woodpecker (2), Green Woodpecker (1) (S.Seal)

8th March 2008

Flashes: Curlew (1 calling), Stock Dove (2), Canada Geese, Sparrowhawk (1), Bullfinch (2)

Feeding Station: Lesser Redpoll (11), Siskin (3m 3f), Willow tit (1), GS Woodpecker (1m), Reed bunting (12+), Chaffinch (40+), Treecreeper (1), Goldfinch (8)

Scrape: Mute Swan (pair, male X6L), Shoveler (6), Teal (2), Little Grebe (1)

Main Pool: Water Rail (1), Little Grebe (2) River Pool: Little Grebe (1), Shoveler (12), Teal (6), Buzzard (1), Grey Heron (1)

Car Park field: Meadow Pipit (25)

Friday 7th March

Little Egret, two again on farm flood opposite NR as viewed from railway bridge (17:30 S.Seal )

5th March 2008

Lesser Redpoll (10), Siskin (5m 4f), Willow Tit (1), Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (1m)

Feeding Station hide

6 Lesser Redpolls,3 Siskin,1 Willow Tit, 15+ Goldfinches,3 G/S Woodpeckers (2M and 1F) plus the usual suspects and at one time there were 11 Pheasants (3M and 8F). (M.Silverman)

Sunday 2nd March

Little Egret (1 on flashes, 1 off railway bridge, both later on ingrams field), Curlew (4 from railway bridge), Meadow Pipit (15), Sky Lark (1 singing), Redpoll (7), Siskin (2), Willow Tit

Lesser-spotted woodpecker reported drumming nr. feeding station.

Feeding Station Hide

Lesser Redpoll (9), Siskin (4), Willow tit (1) and a pair of GS Woodpeckers (SSeal/DHutton)