Trip reports

Low Barns Feb 14th 2010

Lesley Curwen

Sunday, 14 March 2010

Alongside the car park a two man team was already at work ringing and recording the contents of several small canvas bags, their first haul from the mist nets out of sight in the woodland. We were able then and later in the day to get very close views of the small birds they were handling, including a siskin, brambling and redpoll.

The feeding station, also by the car park, was very busy with great, blue, coal, long tailed and marsh tits. There were plenty of green, gold and chaffinches, a brambling and goldcrest, and a nuthatch which gave us prolonged views as it fed on peanuts. A cute woodmouse, popping up now and then from a hole right under the feeders, made a change from the usual rats inhabiting most feeding stations now.

We did the circular walk around the reserve, stopping off at the 4 roomy hides. Water birds were not plentiful as most of the lakes were frozen, but teal and goldeneye looked very smart in the sunlight and a sparrowhawk half hidden in a tree made for some lively discussion. As we walked back to the visitor centre a tree creeper obligingly gave us close views and as a final treat Vana found us a barnacle goose, fortuitously in the forefront of the 400 greylags grazing on adjoining meadows.

Not a day for long lists or rarities but a pleasant walk, good company and birds enough to keep us entertained throughout.

Lesley

Bird List: Siskin, brambling, redpoll, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, long-tailed tit, marsh tit, green finch, gold finch, chaffinch, goldcrest, nuthatch, teal, goldeneye, sparrowhawk, treecreeper, barnacle goose, greylag, dunnock, crow, blackbird, robin, moorhen, woodpigeon, jackdaw, mallard, cormorant, heron, canada geese, mute swan.
mammal list: wood mouse.