Monday 29th December [Cool & dry]
I went to the lake to refill the bird feeder, then took a walk from the Lodge to Top End gate and back late this afternoon. There were still lots of Pochard, and a probable increase in the number of Tufted Duck today. I saw the Common Sandpiper on the dam, a Barnacle Goose with the Canada Geese at Green Lawn, a male Stonechat at Holt Bay (I saw the female there yesterday), and two Little and one Great White Egret at Rugmoor. When I got to the Top End hide, I think I MAY have seen the drake Ring-necked Duck but, as I only had my binoculars, I’m basing this on the overall shape and the white peg at the front of dull side panels rather than any facial and bill detail (so it could also have been a Tufted Duck in transitional plumage). Hopefully, I’ll see it again tomorrow.
Sunday 28th December [A little milder than yesterday, but cold in the fresh breeze.]
This afternoon I took a walk to Rainbow Point and back, being keen to check the feeder still had something in it for the birds given the current cold snap. I saw lots of Pochard, I would say over 200, but not much else. There was a single Great White Egret, a Stonechat at Holt Bay, and a Barnacle Goose with the small Canada Goose flock on Holt Farm – I think it must have been the same one reported at t’other place earlier in the day. 32 spp.
Saturday 27th December [Cold, with a biting NE breeze.]
After a morning Parkrun in perishing conditions, I wasn’t too keen to go rushing back out again after a nice hot shower! However, in the end, I did venture forth for a leisurely walk through the local woods rather than heading to the lake. I don’t have any news from the lake.
Friday 26th December [Early cloud gave way to a sunny afternoon. Cold.]
I did go down to the lake yesterday to refill the bird feeder, and had a quick look from the car, but didn’t see anything of note other than the Pochard flock. This afternoon, I decided on a more leisurely walk from home to Top End and back. It is still very quiet, although I saw a Common Sandpiper, a single Great White Egret, four Stonechats, two Chiffchaffs, some Siskins, and counted at least 130 Pochard. 39 spp.
Thursday 25th December
Monday 22nd December [A lovely sunny day with a light breeze]
Due to a change of plan, I had some time to pop down to the lake before lunch to refill the feeder and sit and watch all the birds swarming in – nothing unusual, but nice to see all the activity in the sunshine. I had a proper look for the Ring-necked Duck with the extra time available, but sadly drew a blank. The only decent group of waterfowl I saw was the Pochard off Green Lawn. I counted them, and a few scattered elsewhere, giving an impressive total of 174. There was just a single Great White Egret, that was quite comfortable when I drove close by, and didn’t fly off as they so often do. I also saw three Stonechats and a Chiffchaff in the marginal vegetation. 39 spp.
Sunday 21st December [Mainly overcast]
Having met with Mark H. and Ken A. for breakfast at Farrington’s to discuss some bat work we’re proposing to do in the next month or so, I decided to walk from the house to Holt Copse and back to have a look at the lake. It was quiet in the extreme, and aside from two Great White Egrets, I spotted a Stonechat at Holt Bay. It was a very enjoyable late afternoon stroll, but I sense that until we get another weather ‘event’, the birding at the lake is going to remain quite slow. 35 spp.
I saw the Ruddy Shelduck with two Egyptian Geese in the fields beside the A39 on Chewton Plain as I drove home mid-morning.
Saturday 20th December [A cold start to a mainly bright & sunny day]
This morning, ice on the course caused a cancellation of the Five Arches Parkrun by the time I got there, but by afternoon I decided I’d walk from home to Ubley, to collect my car, and bird along the lake on the way. There were a pair of Stonechats feeding in front of the Top End hide (making at least two pairs at the lake), and at the Hatchery I saw three Siskins feeding in the Alders, and saw both Treecreeper and Nuthatch nearby. I looked to see if there were any Blackcaps feeding on the many berries on the Mistletoe, but I didnt see any, although I felt sure I heard one ‘tecking’ while I was scanning. There were few waterfowl, and the patches of woodland were exceedingly quiet in the cool breeze that got up during my visit. 43 spp.
Friday 19th December [A bright & sunny day. Mild]
I had an hour at the lake this afternoon, after a walk with friends earlier. Both Green and Common Sandpipers were on the dam wall when I arrived, and I spotted an adult Mediterranean Gull as it flew off towards t’other place to roost. There were lots of Starlings flying in to roost at Home Bay, but I didn’t see any aerial acrobatics. Two Great White Egrets were still present. 32 spp.
Thursday 18th December [Wet, wet, wet.]
I had a meeting at the lake this morning and just as I arrived it started pouring down! Anyway, several people have asked what the little white flags are around the lake and, today, I was told they were put out by a hedging contractor who is going to lay the hedges around the lake starting in the new year. Mystery solved. It is one of several new environmental initiatives planned for the lakeside and makes me so-o happy to report. The work will be carried out in stages and will include the planting of new trees along the various hedgelines. This will, in time, undoubtedly contribute to an increase in diversity around the lake especially among invertebrates, it’ll help small mammal and herptile populations that are under serious pressure and provide new nesting opportunities for passerines and better flightlines for bats. I believe I’m right in saying that the flailing of the hedges has been stopped too. It has damaged the structure of the hedges, and the machinery used to do it has really damaged some of the grassland in my opinion. Having got really wet, my inclination to spend more time out in the dismal conditions was limited to a drive through check of the waterfowl. I’m pretty convinced the Ring-necked Duck has moved on, though I’ll keep looking for it. There were even more Pochard present today, but I didn’t count them. I also saw two Great White Egrets and a pair of Stonechats. 25 spp.
Wednesday 17th December [Grey, with drizzle & occasional rain.]
Sorry for the lack of reports, I have been busy working on another project, on and off, during the last month, and will be going forward in to the new year. I had a look at the lake this morning and noted that the water level has continued to rise during my absence – I reckon it’s probably around 77%, with more rain to come overnight and tomorrow. There was work going on at Green Lawn, and very few birds in Long Bay, which might account for the fact that I didn’t see the Ring-necked Duck. I could see an increase in the number of Pochard on the lake, and I counted 154 – there may even have been more Pochard than Tufties. Two Great White Egrets were present, but there wasn’t a great deal else to report. 25 spp.
Sunday 14th December [A fine dry day. Mild.]
I was out in the local countryside this afternoon, walking a few paths I haven’t been over for many years. On the way home I had a look at the lake, and saw the drake RING-NECKED DUCK in Long Bay, where the only Great White Egret was stalking around looking for tasty morsels in the bankside vegetation. There seemed to be fewer waterbirds than earlier in the week. I saw most of the usual winter visitors, noted during the WeBS count last Monday, but at Cheddar Water there was a pair of adult Goosanders that had arrived to roost – it was nice to see them back. Also noted coming to roost at the lake, were flocks of Starlings and at least 200 Woodpigeons. 34 spp.
Saturday 13th December [An overnight frost gave way to a fine sunny day]
Yesterday afternoon, I tootled down to Swansea with Pete M. (Sid) and Mark P. to see the Scops Owl that has been showing in the evenings – hence the lack of news from the lake. However, late this afternoon, I drove to the lake to refill the feeder and hoping to see if any Goosanders came in to roost. I saw the Green Sandpiper on the dam, the drake RING-NECKED DUCK in Long Bay, an Egyptian Goose, and two Great White Egrets of note. I also counted 84 Pochard. There were no Goosanders before I left, half an hour later at 1632 hrs. 29 spp.
Thursday 11th December [Mainly dry with some sunshine]
The news is much the same as it has been for a few days. The drake RING-NECKED DUCK was in Long Bay, but I didn’t see the sandpipers on the dam. In contrast to yesterday I saw three Great White and nine Little Egrets, and a Red Kite lazily quartering the north shore fields. The large flock of Lapwings was still present, mainly on Rugmoor Point, but when they went up I saw fewer than yesterday – although there were at least 200. On the way back to the entrance I saw two Egyptian Geese on the boat quay. 42 spp.
Wednesday 10th December [Sunny & dry]
After yesterdays storm, during which I made a trip to the Exe estuary to see the Lesser Crested Tern, it was quite a pleasant morning to be out. I walked a green lane and across some fields during which I slipped down and got covered in mud, but undeterred, went on to the lake where I saw the Green and Common Sandpipers on the dam wall, and the drake RING-NECKED DUCK in Long Bay. I didn’t see any egrets at all during my visit, which was fairly brief, before heading back up the hill to get cleaned up and lick my wounds. 35 spp.
Monday 8th December [Early light rain, then drying out before it returned late in the day.]
Phil, Skip and I did the WeBS count today between 0940 and 1310 hrs. Counts were as follows: Canada Goose 43, Mute Swan 21, Egyptian Goose 7, Shoveler 20, Gadwall 126, Wigeon 82, Mallard 244, Pintail 2, Teal c. 940, Pochard 51, RING-NECKED DUCK 1, Tufted Duck 93, Goldeneye 11 (four drakes), Water Rail 1, Moorhen 23, Coot, 505, Little Grebe 7, Great Crested Grebe 8, Lapwing c. 300, Common Sandpiper 1, Green Sandpiper 1, Cormorant 12, Little Egret 1, Great White Egret 4, Grey Heron 5, Buzzard 2, Grey Wagtail 1. I logged 51 spp.
Sunday 7th December [Cloudy with rain before the wind got up in the afternoon]
I led a walk for a small group of Mendip Society members this morning that was dry at the start, and pretty wet by the time we finished. Despite the conditions, which made viewing difficult through wet optics, we had a good selection of waterfowl to watch including three stunning drake Goldeneye. The drake RING-NECKED DUCK was in Long Bay but swam out and went to sleep as we walked past. Luckily, as we came back later, it was showing very nicely with a small group of Tufted Duck. We saw a couple of Great White Egrets and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in flight, heard a Nuthatch, and I spotted a couple each of Pintail and Egyptian Geese through my scope in the distance towards Top End. The large numbers of Teal that I saw yesterday were, apparently, mostly on Rugmoor and along the north shore. We logged 41 spp. between us, before giving in to the persistent rain. Tomorrow, the WeBS team will be doing the monthly count – I hope it’s a bit drier, but the forecast isn’t looking good.
Saturday 6th December [Showers]
Some of the birds seemed to be glad I was back at the lake this morning when I refilled the feeder. It quickly attracted lots of Blue, Great and Coal Tits, Chaffinches etc. I saw a Common Sandpiper on the dam wall, and while I was there I did a quick reckoning of the new water level which I made around 62%. Quite an increase on the lowest level of less than 30% – but there’s still a very long way to go for the lake to fill again. In the week since the fishing season finished, the birds have been moved closer to the edges of the lake as the water level rises, but I was really amazed at how spooky the Teal were as I drove along the south side road. I saw the drake RING-NECKED DUCK back in Long Bay, but even those birds in the bay were frightened by the car moving along the road, and many flew out of the bay before I could check through them. I saw most of the usual waterfowl, including Pintail but, surprisingly, missed any Great Crested Grebes that may have been present. There was an Egyptian Goose in front of the Lodge, and I saw two Great White Egrets in a fairly brief look around. I’m looking forward to having a more thorough look around tomorrow, weather permitting. 39 spp.
Monday 1st December [Wet & overcast]
I had hoped to get to the lake today, but wasn’t able to make it in the end. The likelihood is that I won’t be visiting the lake again before the weekend either, so would be glad of any news if you’d like to share your sightings – just email me and I’ll post them. Thanks.