30 September 2015
– Another cool start, light easterly wind.
Precious little seemed to be on the move overhead, but there was still activity around Railway Hide with at least three Blackcaps on the railway embankment and possibly a Lesser Whitethroat that eluded final identification. Three Grey Wagtails appeared to come off the river, just west of the bridge and flew away towards Bradnocks Marsh.
On the causeway there are a few Siskins feeding in the Alders there or on the central streamline and there was also a singing Chiffchaff. Plenty of wildfowl on the pools included at least 29 Pochard.
Over 100 hirundines that appeared around Packington Park in the evening suggested a quick visit to the Reserve might be worthwhile but, actually, there were no hirundines there at 6.30 but instead a Great White Egret flew low, north, down river and appeared to be looking for somewhere to roost around the Patrick Farm area but, at 6.50 p.m., a walk around Patrick Bridge yielded no further sign. This is only the second record for the Reserve although Stewart Hares has kindly informed me that Birdtrack has one recorded for the Hampton in Arden on the 21st September.
The behaviour of the Egret was quite interesting in that as it was clearly looking for somewhere to land, it elongated its neck and looked from a distance quite Spoonbill like. The yellow bill remained obvious, event at some distance.
250 Starlings came in to roost and 13 Snipe came off Car Park Pool in the vening. ThePochard count had reached 36.
29th September 2015
– Another cool start, light easterly wind.
No records.
28th September 2015
– Another cold start, but sunny.
An early morning ringing session around the back gate copse recorded a further 11 Blackcapsand two Chiffchaffs. 29 birds were ringed in total of which five were re-traps:
11 Blackcaps
3 Dunnocks
3 Blue Tits
1 Song Thrush (one of at least three calling at dawn)
2 Chiffchaffs
3 Great Tits
5 Goldcrests
1 Robin
Again most of the birds were juveniles.
The range in weights for the Blackcaps were 15.8g to 21.7g and the one Blackcap that was re-trapped had lost .1g since the 16th September. The other re-traps included three Robinsand a Goldcrest. It will be interesting to discover if the Song Thrush is ever re-trapped as the end of September is proving to be a regular time for an arrival of this species and it would be fascinating to know whether the birds are British or Continental.
There was a Tawny Owl seen at dawn, a Sparrowhawk was terrorising the feeders, a Ravenwent over and at least 33 Siskin flew through as well. A Treecreeper called along the central stream and five Meadow Pipits dropped in by Oak Hide but did not linger before moving on.
The mowing of the grass around Car Park Hide and Orchid Field was an attraction for a Kestrelwhich was accompanying the mower. Possibly the disturbance of the grass lead to twoHobbies ranging around the Reserve between 2.30 and 3 p.m., and showing particularly well by Oak Hide.
On the pools, there were at least four Little Egrets, nine Herons, 24 Cormorants, 21 Mute Swans, seven Snipe, a Common Sandpiper, about 90 Wigeon, 60 Teal, 80 Gadwall, 40Shoveler, 80 Tufted, 24 Pochard, 200 Lapwing, 250 Black-headed Gulls and six Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
Migrants or passage birds of interest included a Stonechat by Oak Hide, three Swallowssouth, a late Willow Warbler with a Chiffchaff around the Car Park and two Blackcapsalong the Old Road. At least 150 Starlings were feeding on or around the Reserve.
27th September 2015
– Cool morning, sunny day, light north-easterly wind.
There were two Little Egrets on Railway Pool this morning and the Bar-headed Goose was again with the Goose flock. Other wildfowl counts included 29 Pochard, 58 Shoveler and 61Wigeon. There was a Grey Wagtail again by the lorry park, 16 Stock Doves on the floodplain and several flocks of Siskin went over including a flock of six. There were also a trickle of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks through again, together with several Swallowsincluding a flock of 18. There are still a number of lingering Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps on site, including three Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap and several Goldcrests along the Old Road.
The Hobby continued to linger and was present again in the afternoon and the warm weather saw that at least a Comma Butterfly was on the wing.
26th September 2015
– Cool start, sunny, light northerly wind
The autumn colours are developing nicely and there are plenty of fruits in the hedgerows, Guelder Rose berries, Hawthornes and Blackberries and Elderberries in particular with the latter remaining a favourite of the few lingering Blackcaps. Their presence is often in evidence by a vibration of the branch as the tug to remove a berry. There were at least four around the pumping station area with seven Chiffchaffs. Tit flocks included a Nuthatch, a presumedMarsh Tit (which flew between two trees but never called and was not seen again), Goldcrestand Siskin.
Against the clear blue sky, visible migration was difficult with a scattering of Meadow Pipits,Skylarks and Alba Wagtails going through with the usual Grey Wagtail around the pumping station itself.
The pesky Peregrine made sure that anything unusual on the pools was quickly dispersed in the early morning.
As the morning developed, two additional Grey Wagtails are added to the list, one by the lorry park and one by Railway Hide. 125 Starlings, that had probably roosted in the Reedbed, were perched up or feeding around Railway Hide and a flock of 35 House Martins and a singleSwallow went through during the middle of the morning.
Other birds were as follows: nine Little Grebes, two Herons, 16 Cormorants, 17 Mute Swans (nine adults and eight juveniles), a Black Swan, 460 Greylags, two Canada /Greylag hybrids, 15 Canadas, the Bar-headed Goose, 43 Wigeon, 51 Gadwall, 62 Teal, 26 Mallard, 47 Shoveler, 25 Pochard, nine Tufted, ten Moorhen, 107 Coot, 68 Lapwing, three Snipe, 87 Black-headed Gulls, 26 Lesser Black-backs, a Hobby, a femaleSparrowhawk and, later in the morning, a further nine Skylarks, six Meadow Pipits and sixSiskin went through.
In the evening, there were three to four Chiffchaffs calling around the back gate copse and the Water Rail showed well on the causeway. Two adults and a single juvenile Green Woodpecker were feeding around Oak Hide.
25th September 2015
– Sunny, relatively still.
Raptors are clearly on the move at the moment and those recorded at lunchtime included fiveBuzzards, two Hobbies and singles of Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Merlin, the latter a female that went straight through.
In addition to the birds already mentioned there were 40 House Martins over Siden Hill Wood and three Little Egrets on Railway Pool.
24th September 2015
– Sunny after overnight rain, cool westerly wind.
There was very little by way of visible migration this morning and much of what there was, was only noticeable because of calls. The limited passage in an hour from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. comprised three Swallows, four Meadow Pipits, one Grey and one Alba Wagtail and of note a Dunnock which could not seem to make up its mind whether to fly off or not. It was initially picked up flying off with two Meadow Pipits from the Old Road area but then came back, circled again, dropped into the hedge, flew up and circled again and then eventually dropped back into the hedgerow.
There were at least 14 Chiffchaffs on site between the central steam and the car park, 23 Siskins along the central streamline and an adult Water Rail from the causeway.
23rd September 2015
– Mostly sunny, westerly wind.
The Mute Swan count was up to 33 (17 adults and 16 cygnets) and there were also nineLittle Grebes (three adults and six juveniles). The Bar-headed Goose returned with theGreylags and there were three Little Egrets on Railway Pool and two Snipe on Car Park Pool islands.
22nd September 2015
– Initially wet and showery, slowly improving, sunny intervals, north-westerly wind.
Another ringing session produced an interesting mix of birds today. A few Meadow Pipits in the orchid field, behind Oak Hide, encouraged the setting of a net there and with a little help from a tape-lure 25 to 30 over-flying Meadow Pipits dropped down into the area, of which seven were ringed, all nice buffy juveniles.
There was another good catch of Blackcaps, with nine new birds caught, eight of which were juveniles. Of the 21 birds caught in total, there were single juveniles of Wren, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Blackbird and the only other bird caught was a re-trapped Dunnock which had been ringed on site on the 4th September.
The heaviest Blackcap was 22.4g and the lightest was 18.3g. The Meadow Pipits varied between 16.1g and 20.9g. The cold, wet and initially windy start did not really help the ringing at all.
Other birds included 20 Swallows south and five Little Egrets on Railway Pool. There were also 13 adult Mute Swans and 11 cygnets, a juvenile Water Rail from the causeway and aKingfisher on the Dragonfly Pond.
21st September 2015
A good selection of birds today included a female Stonechat by Car Park Hide, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Blackcap on the railway embankment, two Little Egrets on the pools, aHobby hawking over the pools and a Water Rail perching 3 ft. above the water in the rushes in front of the Causeway Hide, perhaps because of the unseen presence of a Mink. On the subject of Mustelids there was a Stoat hunting on the Old Road.
20th September 2015
– South-westerly wind, sunny intervals.
A juvenile / cream-crowned Marsh Harrier appeared from the east at 8.30, put everything up and carried on to the west. A good autumn record.
There were seven Snipe feeding in front of Oak Hide and four Little Egrets roosting on the gravel bar and the immature Peregrine again appeared over the pools, late morning. Limited passage over included five Siskin and two Meadow Pipits whilst, on the flood plain, there were 22 Rooks feeding amongst the Jackdaws. A Grey Wagtail fed along the concrete road and by the mobile phone mast there were again at least five Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps.
Butterflies over the last few days around the mobile phone mast have included at least one each of Small Tortoiseshell and Comma and two Speckled Woods.
19th September 2015
– Cool start, warm with mostly sunny weather, south-westerly wind.
The tall hedges by the mobile phone mast again proved productive with singles of Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat, at least ten Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps, a flock of nine Greenfinches and five Siskins with at least three additional Siskins flying over. A Grey Wagtail was again feeding by the pumping station and overall around the pools an immature Peregrine, a Hobby and a single Little Egret added to the tally.
Other counts courtesy of Graham Rowling were as follows: six juvenile Little Grebes, but no adults, three Herons, 23 Cormorants, 17 adult and eight juvenile Mute Swans, the Black Swan, 126 Greylags and 57 Canadas, 21 Wigeon, 57 Teal, 90 Gadwall, 12 Mallard, 27Shoveler, six Pochard, 15 Tufted, 17 Moorhen, 124 Coot, 76 Lapwing, a single Snipe and a Water Rail, 289 Black-headed Gulls (a substantial increase over the previous week’s count), two Lesser Black-backs, seven Buzzard and 30 Swallows through.
18th September 2015
– Sunny, westerly wind.
Close to or a record count – 336 Canada Geese! There were also two Little Egrets and twoSnipe on the pools and two Lesser Whitethroats, a Common Whitethroat, threeBlackcaps and four Chiffchaffs by the mobile phone mast.
17th September 2015
– Mostly sunny am, light northerly
A small amount of visible migration this morning between 8am and 9am included at least sixMeadow Pipits, two Siskins, three alba Wags, a Yellow Wag and four Swallows. There were probably further Meadow Pipits going over higher and there were at least two in the crop field along with six Reed Buntings.
Warblers included Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Chiffchaff on the railway embankment, at least one further Blackcap and a Chiffchaff in the Tit flock in the back gate compound, three Chiffchaffs on the Old Road with at least another Blackcap there and a further Siskin on the central stream.
An adult Peregrine put all the birds to flight about 9am and swooped down to try and catch something in front of River Hide, on two occasions, but failed.
Two or three Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters were on the wing, as were twoSpeckled Woods in the back gate copse.
In the sunny hedgerow by the mobile phone mast there were singles of Lesser and Common Whitethroat plus at least five Chiffchaffs, two Blackcaps and a Siskin with a Grey Wagtailby the pumping station and 30 Swallows feeding over it.
A Yellowhammer was in the car park at 1.15 and a Hobby was hunting over Siden Hill Wood. 15 adult Mute Swans and eight cygnets on Car Park Pool was also of note and there was also a late Willow Warbler along the Causeway.
16th September 2015
–
The predicted heavy rain never actually reached the Reserve and, after a fine start and some storm clouds over in the afternoon, the northerly wind appears to have been just enough to keep the rain away.
A hastily arranged ringing session from 7 a.m. on a cold morning, yielded no more than six birds in the first hour and 14 in the second, before a roving Tit and Warbler flock at 9 a.m. boosted the total to 69. The totals were as follows:
9 Blackcaps with one being an adult female and the rest juveniles;
3 unaged Chiffchaffs;
1 juvenile Willow Warbler;
11 Great Tits of which only two were adults;
1 juvenile Wren;
26 Blue Tits of which three were adults;
3 juvenile Goldcrests;
1 juvenile Dunnock;
1 juvenile Robin; and
12 Long-tailed Tits, unaged.
There was also a re-trapped Bullfinch, the only re-trap of the day. The heaviest Blackcap was 19.1g, the lowest 17.7g and for Chiffchaff, 7.1g and 6.9g respectively. The Willow Warblerwas 8.1g.
The fact that there was only one re-trap again shows the interesting and significant turnover of birds moving through the back gate copse area.
The birds on the pools were put up by a large, unidentified raptor, visible from the ringing area at some distance without binoculars to hand. It seems likely to have been an Osprey as there was one in the Fillongley area on Tuesday.
At least 50 Starlings came out from the roost, there was a roving flock of 30 Goldfinch and both Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker were around the back gate area.
15th September 2015
– Periodic heavy showers, south westerly, sunny intervals
Eight attended the evening work party with various jobs achieved, including more strimming of the Railway Pool islands. Thanks to all those who attended.
During the evening, a Green Sandpiper went over calling to the north, 30 Swallows and aSand Martin moved through with three of the Swallows appearing to roost in the Car Park pond. There was a flock of 30 Goldfinches about, a Greenfinch on the Oak Hide feeder and on the Pools, there was a Little Egret and 19 Pochard amongst other wildfowl.
14th September 2015
– Mostly wet
A Whinchat was present on the Reserve, though unfortunately no location was given. APeregrine hunted over Railway Pool and there were at least three Snipe on site.
13th September 2015
– Initially sunny, slowly clouding over, south-westerly wind.
A clear turnover of birds this morning still saw five Yellow Wagtails in amongst the cattle but two of them were males, unlike yesterday when there was only just a single. The Pied Wagtail was different and there was no sign of the Whites but there were two Meadow Pipits. The Grey Wagtail was again by the pumping station and warblers in the hedges were the same as yesterday, including the Lesser Whitethroat. There was a further Lesser Whitethroat on the embankment behind Railway Hide.
A large number of hirundines were feeding over the flood plain or perching on the wires and Hawthorn bushes and included a minimum of 150 to 200 House Martins, over 60 Swallowsand four Sand Martins. At least three of the Swallows were very russet underneath but whether they were strong enough in colours to be of any of the eastern races is not clear.
On the pools there were at least four Little Egrets.
12th September 2015
– Overnight rain, slowly clearing, mostly sunny thereafter, southerly wind.
There were six Yellow Wagtails feeding with the cattle near the pumping station in the morning along with one White and two Pied Wagtails. On the adjacent pumping station there was also a Grey Wagtail and in the adjacent hedges there was a single Lesser Whitethroat, three Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps. 30 House Martins and ten Swallows were feeding over the fields and were paid an unsuccessful visit by a juvenile male Sparrowhawk.
On the pools, Wigeon have now increased to 40 and there were three Snipe and two Little Egrets, with a Hobby hawking Dragonflies over the pools. A flock of 30 Goldfinches were feeding on the thistles around Railway Pool with another ten by the pumping station. At least five Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps were in a roving tit flock along the concrete road.
Graham’s full counts for today were as follows:
Two Little Egrets, nine Herons, three adults and three juvenile Little Grebes, 16Cormorants, the Black Swan, ten adult and four juvenile Mutes, 474 Greylags, threeFarmyard Geese, a Canada Greylag cross, 307 Canadas, 40 Wigeon, 148 Gadwall, 32Teal, 28 Mallard, 17 Shoveler, 16 Pochard, 18 Tufted, 14 Moorhen, 138 Coot, 82Lapwing, three Snipe, 41 Black-headed Gulls, six Lesser Black-back Gulls, two Siskinover plus a Hobby and there was a single female Pheasant and one chick by Oak Hide.
11th September 2015
– Warm, sunny, brisk easterly
A further ringing session this morning, limited to the back gate, ringed a total of 49 birds with no re-traps. The through put of birds is quite astonishing and well beyond our previous understanding. Of this total there were, 13 Blackcaps (all juveniles), ten Goldcrests (all juveniles), four Robins (all juveniles), six Blue Tits (of which five were juveniles), fiveChiffchaffs (one un-aged and four juveniles), an adult Blackbird and ten Great Tits (four adults, six juveniles).
The weight difference between the heaviest and lightest Blackcap was 20.6g and 17.3g respectively with the bird at the upper end undoubtedly ready for migration. The difference between the heaviest and lightest Chiffchaff was particularly marked at 8g and 6.2g with the lightest bird having an apparently different structure to the heavier bird and having a longer wing. It suggests that both these birds are migrants from elsewhere and probably not from within this country.
Birds also noted this morning included a single Snipe, at least 30 Swallows south, flocks of ten Linnets and 20 Goldfinches and a flock of over 100 Starlings coming out of the roost. AHobby was again hawking Dragonflies over the Pools, a Water Rail was by the causeway screen, and a Mink was noted in the log pile by River Hide.
Many thanks to the Brewood ringers for their information today.
10th September 2015
– After a cool start, sunny and warm with temperatures over 20° easterly
A Kingfisher showed well this afternoon, hovering over the reedbed pool before flying away up stream. There were two Little Egrets on site and both Brown and Southern Hawkersaround the causeway and car park area.
9th September 2015
– Mostly overcast, light north easterly
Three Little Egrets were roosting on the Railway Pool gravel bar from 1pm – 2.30pm, whilst two Hobbies hawked over the Car Park Pool. An immature Peregrine also put in a brief appearance and lingering Warblers included a Whitethroat by Oak Hide and a Reed Warblerin the reeds and marginal vegetation by the south-west pond.
Other Warblers included at least ten Chiffchaffs and in the evening, a Green Sandpiperwhich flew low over to the East and a Little Owl that called by Patrick Farm. The latter is the first record this year and indeed for some months before that.
8th September 2015
– Overcast, still.
A juvenile Spotted Redshank put in a brief appearance on Railway Pool this morning. It was being hassled by the Lapwings and then the waders were disturbed and the Spotted Redshank could not be relocated. Many thanks to Jeff Rankin who not only found the bird but managed to grab some photographs as well.
Two Snipe, a Whitethroat and a Reed Warbler were all visible from Oak Hide.
7th September 2015
– Mostly sunny, light northerly, cool early morning and overnight
There were two Hobbies over Car Park Pool this morning along with a Sparrowhawk and twoLittle Egrets were visible from Oak Hide. Lingering migrants included two Reed Warblersaround Oak Hide.
6th September 2015
– Decreasing north-westerly wind, sunny all day.
Yesterday’s juvenile Whinchat showed briefly from Car Park Hide in the late morning and there were three Siskins feeding up in the alders along the concrete road first thing, with a further 15 along the central streamline later. The first six Meadow Pipits of the year went over and other birds of note included a Hobby on a number of occasions, a single Snipe, an increase in Wigeon to six, 12 Pochard, 36 Shoveler, 158 Gadwall and a juvenileWhitethroat along the causeway.
A Peregrine flew over north in the early afternoon (having apparently been seen the previous day, although not in the log), and a Grey Wagtail also flew over as well. Two Sand Martinswent through as part of the trickle of Swallows and House Martins south during the day.
5th September 2015
– Mostly overcast, north-westerly wind.
There was definitely one and possibly a second juvenile Whinchat around the car park during the late morning and early afternoon, occasionally elusive but regularly showing well on the fence and bushes there. It is just conceivable that it was the bird seen on the 3rd on the west side of the River near the sewage pumping station.
Other counts today were as follows: nine Herons, two Little Egrets, 11 Cormorants, four adult and five juvenile Little Grebes, nine adult and four juvenile Mute Swans, the Black Swan, 250 Greylags, 98 Canadas, four Wigeon, another increase in Gadwalls to 167, 31Teal, 56 Mallard, 34 Shoveler, 11 Pochard, 32 Tufted, 20 Moorhen, 136 Coot, 82Lapwing, 28 Black-headed Gulls, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Kingfisher on the Reedbed, a Water Rail from the causeway and at least 50 House Martins over. There was also a Greenfinch by the car park feeder, noteworthy simply because they have been relatively scarce over the last few months although post-breeding numbers seem to be slightly on the increase.
4th September 2015
– Cloudy with occasional sunny intervals, increasing north-westerly wind.
A few Swallows were again on the move with about 20 through by 8.20 am and a Grey Wagtail also went over. A Kingfisher showed well by the Reedbed. There were clearly plenty of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs around, as the Brewood Ringing Group proved this morning, with a catch of 50 birds between dawn and 9.30am of which 20 were Blackcaps and 14 wereChiffchaffs. All but three of the Blackcaps were caught in or adjacent to the back gate compounds where they were gorging themselves on Elderberries. The total counts were as follows (of which none were re-traps):
Blackcap 20 – 17 being juveniles, Chiffchaffs 14 of which eight were juveniles, one juvenileWillow Warbler, one juvenile Reed Warbler, five Blue Tits (three juveniles), three juvenileRobins, one adult Dunnock, three juvenile Wrens and one juvenile of each of Blackbird andBullfinch.
The heaviest of the Blackcaps was 19.4g and was an adult male and the lightest was a juvenile male at 16.5g. In contrast, the Chiffchaffs are significantly lighter with the heaviest being 8.9g and the lightest 6.3g. The Reed Warbler weighed in at 10.4g.
Mid-morning, a mixed flock of about 50 Swallows and a few House Martins were feeding over the flood plain by Patrick Bridge and may have been lingering resident birds. The Thistles there had attracted a flock of about 20 Goldfinches.
3rd September 2015
– Mostly overcast, some showers, light northerly wind.
Thank you to Andy Hale for phoning in to say there was a Tree Pipit in the Ash tree just beyond Oak Hide, mid afternoon, and was showing well.
Other birds of note in the morning included Green and Common Sandpiper and a singleLittle Egret, a Hobby over Lower Siden, a Lesser Whitethroat on the Old Road andCommon Whitethroats behind Railway Hide and near Oak Hide.
In the evening, a distinct movement of Swallows in the evening saw 166 move through in an hour between 6 pm and 7 pm. All but 13 came in from due-west, fed over the flood plain and moved on to the line of the Old Road and then seemed to move off south-east from there. There was a Green Sandpiper on one of the pools in the wet field south of the mobile phone mast, along with a juvenile Whinchat which showed well either in the field or perched up on the hedge adjacent to the game cover.
A Lesser Whitethroat also showed well, albeit briefly, in the brambles by the mobile phone mast. In the fields there, there were at least 435 Greylags, one Canada / Greylag hybrid and two Farmyard Geese.
2nd September 2015
– Sunshine and showers, cool light northerly wind.
There are still plenty of commoner warblers on site, though of varying difficulty in locating them. A Reed Warbler was working its way south along the Old Road in the hedge by the car park, with at least one Chiffchaff and at the east end of the causeway a mixed Tit flock included at least three Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and a Blackcap. Two Jays, a Green Woodpecker and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were also by the car park. An adult Water Rail showed well from the north causeway hide and amongst other birds on the pools, there were two Pochard, 27 Shoveler and a Common Sandpiper.
Between 10 a.m. and 12.15 p.m. there were four Little Egrets on Railway Pool, three Water Rails showed together from the north causeway screen and a Sparrowhawk and Hobby were perched together on the central streamline and were also hunting independently, but close together, over the pools. There was a Whitethroat in front of Oak Hide.
In the afternoon, a Spotted Flycatcher showed well at the junction between the concrete road and the Old Road.
Evening counts were as follows: ten Mute Swans (ten adults and four juveniles), so a noticeable increase on previous weeks, two Wigeon, 96 Teal (a substantial increase over the week perhaps as a result of the wet weather), six Pochard, 16 Little Grebes (seven adults, eight juveniles and two chicks between Railway Pool and the Sand Martin bank), 73 Lapwingand 150 Swallows south.
1st September 2015
– Sunshine and heavy showers.
A late Swift was amongst several hirundines by the aeromodellers from 12.45 to 1.10 p.m., and at 2 p.m., a Ruff was found on Railway Pool along with a Common Sandpiper, four Little Egrets and 158 Canada Geese. At least two Hobbies were also hawking over the site. At least eight Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap and a Nuthatch were in the Tit flock by the south west pond and two Kingfishers were also seen on the Reedbed.
