Hi all,
Here are some of the wildlife highlights this week:
Monday 18th:
2 wigeon, 41 mallard, 11 tufted ducks, 4 goldeneye and a male pochard on the Aird Meadow Loch. A kestrel hunting over the meadow. 4 swallows, 1 house martin, 1 grasshopper warbler (still reeling), 2 sedge warblers and 4 male reed buntings. At the feeding station we had adult male and juvenile great spotted woodpeckers, 4 house sparrows, a pair of greenfinches, 2 goldfinches, 3 siskins, 1 redpoll and a male bullfinch.
Tuesday 19th:
On the Aird Meadow Loch, 2 adult mute swans and 3 cygnets (first of the year), 8 mallard, a male pochard, 16 tufted ducks and 3 female goldeneyes. A swift over the meadow and on the meadow itself, 1 grasshopper warbler, 5 sedge warblers and 2 reed buntings. At the feeding station 1 sparrowhawk, 3 collared dove, a great spotted woodpecker, a sedge warbler, a chiffchaff and two willow warblers (all feeding), 3 greenfinch, 2 goldfinch, 1 redpoll and 2 male reed buntings. On the Barr Loch was a pair of gadwall, a grasshopper warbler and a female blackcap with a juvenile.
Wed 20th:
1 wigeon, 22 mallard, 1 pochard, 15 tufted ducks and 3 goldeneye on the Aird Meadow loch. Also, 4 oystercatchers on the raft along with 2 black-headed gulls. At the feeding station, a common whitethroat, an adult and juvenile GS woodpecker, 2 redpolls and a pair of bullfinches.
Thurs 21st:
1 wigeon, 13 mallard, a male pochard, 16 tufted ducks and 4 female goldeneye on the AM Loch. Also, 2 common sandpipers overhead, 2 sand martins, a sedge warbler and 5 reed buntings (4 male, 1 female.) On the Barr Loch, 7 mute swans, 137 mallard, 103 tufted ducks, 1 buzzard, 2 common sandpipers. At the feeding station, a male sparrowhawk, a male GS woodpecker, 2 juvenile wrens, 1 whitethroat, 1 chiffchaff, 2 willow warblers, 5 long tailed tits, a family of greenfinches, 1 goldfinch, 2 male siskins, 1 redpoll and a pair of bullfinches. On the Aird Meadow trail, 1 grasshopper warbler, 1 willow warbler and a spotted flycatcher. Also a red admiral butterfly outside the visitor centre.
Friday 22nd:
Grasshopper warbler and sedge warbler on the Aird Meadow, willow warbler, a pair of greenfinches,1 male siskin and 1 male bullfinch.
Sat 23rd:
8 tufted ducks and 1 goldeneye on the Aird Meadow. A pair of GS woodpeckers at the feeding station, along with a pair of siskins, a male redpoll and a male bullfinch. 2 blackcaps and 1 treecreeper along the Aird Meadow trail. Also a red admiral, meadow brown and small tortoiseshell butterfly.
Sun 24th:
14 mallard, 6 tufted ducks, 4 goldeneye, 7 mute swans and 1 cormorant on the Aird Meadow. Overhead, 1 sparrowhawk, 1 raven and 1 buzzard. A dipper on the River Calder, also 2 house martins, 3 sedge warblers, 4 willow warblers, 1 spotted flycatcher and 1 bullfinch there. At the feeders, 2 GS woodpeckers, 1 sedge warbler, 1 willow warbler, 4 long tailed tits, 6 house sparrow, 2 siskin, a redpoll and a bullfinch.
Let's hope for another week of glorious weather!
Paula