Trip reports
Mid-week Walk at Dorney Wetlands
Thursday, 5 November 2009
I was greeted on arrival at the car park by Geoff and Dennis with the words 'We think we've got a ferruginous duck ('fudge-duck')!' And after studying the relevant page of the Collins field guide and comparing the illustration with the dark chocolate and white 'female tufty' type duck happily swimming with a group of mallards a few feet away, I had to agree that they were right! Ian and Brian arrived shortly afterwards and were delighted to find that they had just added a new species to their life lists. We watched the fudge-duck for some minutes as it swam across the river and started diving for food before returning to our side and dozing off, leaving the mallards on guard duty. Quite a few of the fudge-ducks that we get in our area are hybrids, usually with tufties or pochards, but this one had correct colouring, including the pale eye and small white patch of feathering just visible on the waterline, a grey bill neatly tipped with black and white and no trace of a crest on its high-peaked head. The real McCoy!
Having enjoyed this rare visitor from Eastern Europe we started checking what else was about and the answer was 'lots'. A large bird landing on a telephone pole on the other side of the river was quickly identified as a common buzzard and, surprisingly, it was being completely ignored by the thirty or so starlings perched alongside it on the telephone wires. Plenty of small birds were flying over almost continuously and proving tricky to identify in the rather weak sunlight but there were a surprising number of pied wagtails amongst the goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, blue and great tits and linnets. A pair of green woodpeckers noisily investigated a large dead tree with a view to an early lunch. Looking east we could see quite a few gulls and wildfowl in the main reserve area so quickly headed that way. The majority of the gulls, as would be expected, were black-headed but there was a late-departing lesser black-backed and a few common and herring gulls mixed in with them. Ducks included teal, gadwall, wigeon, pochard and tufted, mostly newly moulted into breeding plumage and looking at their best. A few cormorants, great crested grebes and little grebes added to the variety.
We investigated a side path between planted banks of berry bushes which eventually gave as a view across a field towards the M4. This proved a good spot with another, or possibly the same, buzzard spotted by Ian. Geoff, rising to the challenge, then spotted two fairly distant red kites, a sparrowhawk and a stock dove. Heading back by a different route to the hill overlooking the sewage works, eagle-eyed Geoff soon spotted the fourth raptor of the morning, a hovering kestrel.
From the hill you get a grandstand view over the area and we soon spotted a mass of lapwings and golden plovers resting on the islands in the river and further searching revealed several snipe and a grey heron tucked away. An irritating duck which kept popping its head up from behind a bank appeared to be a female red crested pochard but had gone when we moved on to a better viewpoint later. Scanning towards the M4 we again noted several red kites, at least four individuals which, surprisingly, seemed to be flying around an area of housing. Could they be nicking the food put out for the neighbourhood's pets? I would be happy to give them some cat food for the pleasure of having a red kite on my garden list! While we were at this viewpoint the lapwings and golden plovers went up several times, allowing us to estimate that there must have been some 300 of the latter. It was an impressive sight.
Heading back towards the cars Geoff (again!) spotted a water rail close to a boardwalk but it had gone into the reeds by the time the rest of us got focussed on the area.
All in all an excellent morning, which provided far more of interest than I, for one, had expected. My thanks to Ian, Brian and Dennis for their company and of course my co-leader Geoff for his spotting skills. Sorry you guys who couldn't join us. Geoff logged some 46 species, which isn't at all bad for an early winter visit.
Peter Hambrook
Missed out? If you would like to visit, most people will find it easiest to come via Eton. As you get to Eton College on the B3022, look for a right turn to Dorney Court (big brown outline of a building) on the B3026. Mind you don't run over any of those young lads in their quaint-looking uniforms who rush around like ants in this area - you wouldn't want to deprive the country of a future prime Minister. Follow this road through Eton Wick and Dorney then, immediately before you get to the bridge over the Jubilee River, you will find a small parking area on the right. Park here and explore to the east on both sides of the river as far as the second of the two footbridges, or just beyond. The garden centre for loos and a café is just a few hundred yards back towards Eton - look for the large orange sign by the right turn.