For those of you who enjoy keeping yourselves busy during the year by keeping a year list Arne is really offering some great ticks at the moment. Great grey shrike flirting with the eager public today on Coombe heath, firecrest posing for photographs in the car park and long tailed duck drifting off Shipstal point. Add these birds to Arne usual hen harrier, marsh harrier, merlin, marsh tit, brambling, spoonbill and staggering numbers of wildfowl and waders and you have got a perfect place to come and watch wildlife to end 2010 and/ or begin 2011.
So what is your new years resolution? How about lending a hand to our conservation work by coming down on sunday 9th January to one of our 'heathland bash' days where you can help maintain and protect our threatened heathland. For more information see: http://bit.ly/eupCkd. Can't make it? How about coming down to one of our free Wednesday walks which start at 10am from the visitor centre everyweek to learn about our work and the amazing wildlife it helps here? For more information see: http://bit.ly/fZnv8d.
We still had to close off Coombe today due to really icy conditions, but with tonights rain forecast, it should be melted by tomorrow, therefore re-opening the walk. That still didn't stop a top quality list of birds being seen. The great news is that the Spoonbill are back off their holidays, with 4 chilling out in front of the double decker hide (and another 7 in Holes Bay). The car park was another hot spot with 2 Firecrest again present all day, loads of Redwing feeding in the leaf litter, and a male Brambling that was feeding on the ground seed in front of the Visitors Center. Both Marsh and Hen Harrier put on excellent views in front of the hides. Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon and Brent Geese made up the wildfowl list, whilst all the usual suspects on the wader front were out in force with around 400 Avocet, Dunlin, Turnstone, Curlew and Black Tailed Godwits. I was shown numerous photos today from visitors, of birds that turned up in peoples gardens over Christmas which consisted of Skylark, Redwing, Fieldfare, Snipe and Woodcock. So just keep an eye out for something different in the garden, and if you can, take a photo because another may not turn up again for a long long time.
I'm very sorry to say that over the next few days (untill we have a thaw) Coome heath nature trail will be closed due to very icy conditions. After going down to check the paths we decided that ice skates were a better option than boots.
The good news however is that the most interesting things at the moment are actually off Shipstal point. Long tailed duck, common seal, large rafts of goldeneye, great northern diver, black throated diver, black necked grebe, slavionian grebe, red brested merganser and perhaps not as rare but one of my favourite birds the elegant pintail.
Apologies again, and have a good Christmas.
Arne, as Paul and I keep banging on about is a great place to see wildlife all year round, but for me the best time is now.
Just getting out of your car at the reserve you might see firecrest, goldcrest, redpoll, redwing, long tailed tit, marsh tit, nuthatch, great spotted woodpecker, sparrowhawk and brambling. The shear numbers of birds on the feeders (the ones which thankfully were not stolen this week) is staggering too.
Taking a walk off to Shipstal point? Well keep your eyes open for buzzard, kestrel, green woodpecker, fieldfare, mistle thrush, siskin, goldfinch and reedbunting around the farm. Out on the water the possibilities are (nearly) endless. Great northern diver, black throated diver, black necked grebe, slavionian grebe, little grebe, great crested grebe should all be lurking out in the deeper water, perhaps you'll spot goldeneye, scaup, scooter or even eider duck with them? The common seal is putting on some great shows off the beach as well (check out Dom's pictures in the Arne gallery). Looking out from the double decker hide is your best chance of spotting the spoonbill who tend to nap out on the sand spit. A few avocet may be amoungst large numbers of curlew, redshank, wigeon, teal, brent geese and shelduck. Little egret and grey heron tend to be here in quite large numbers too.
Go for a walk out on Coombe heath and get the tide right and it could be dynamite! The heath itself contains 1 of only 10-15 great grey shrikes in the country, dartford warblers, meadow pipit, stonechat, merlin and linnet. Down on the mudflats there should be hundreds and hundreds of avocet, black tailed godwit (with one or two bar tailed in there too), dunlin and grey plover and with them more wildfowl perhaps including shoveler and pintail. Looking to the right ovedr the reedbeds is your best chance to spot hen and marsh harrier and it's also a good place to look for short eared owls (hunting during the day).
With that much to see surely you'd stay till dusk and on your drive out, keep your eyes open for woodcock and snipe. The visitor centre will be open everyday over Christmas except Christmas day and boxing day (Paul and I are allowed some time off it seems) but the carpark and toilet facilities will remain open. The free wednesday walks are still running every week starting at 10am come rain, snow or sleet and Paul and I would love to see you there.
Merry Christmas
Today I thought I'd adapt a well known Christmas song to incorporate some of the sightings today, so here it goes:
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me A marsh tit in an oak tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Three Fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Four hen harrier, Three Fieldfare, Two avocet
And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Five goldcrests, Four hen harrierThree Fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Six brent geese laying, Five goldcrests, Four hen harrier, Three Fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Seven mute swans swimming, Six brent geese laying, Five goldcrests, Four hen harrier Three Fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eight spoonbills feeding, Seven mute swans swimming, Six brent geese laying, Five goldcrest, Four hen harrier, Three Fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Nine Dartfords singingEight spoonbills feeding, Seven mute swans swimming, Six brent geese laying, Five goldcrests, Four Hen harrier, Three Fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Ten divers divingNine dartfords singing, Eight spoonbills feeding, Seven mute swans swimming, Six brent geese laying, Five goldcrests, Four hen harriers, Three fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eleven redpoll chirping Ten divers diving, Nine dartfords singing, Eight spoonbills feeding, Seven mute swans swimming, Six brent geese a-laying, Five goldcrests Four hen harriers, Three fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve woodpeckers drumming, Eleven redpoll chirping, Ten divers diving, Nine dartfords singing, Eight spoonbills feeding, Seven mute swans swimming, Six brent geese laying, Five goldcrests, Four hen harriers, Three fieldfare, Two avocet, And a marsh tit in an oak tree!