Trip reports

PENNINGTON FLASH COUNTRY PARK

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

At Pennington Flash we were greeted by bright warm sunshine and a tightly packed flock of about 30 whooper swans. There were lots of black-headed gulls, of course, fighting with squads of Canada geese and mallard over bits of bread. Among the mallard were one or two all-white 'calling' ducks, which are selected and bred by hunters to attract wild duck by calling and displaying as decoys.

As we walked toward Horrock's Hide, a flock of lapwing rose with "flappy" wing beats, against a clear blue sky, calling 'pway-eet, pway-eet'. From the hide we noted at least six great-crested grebe and a little grebe. When I previously visited the Flash on the 6th November there were 20+ snipe, but since then the water level had risen to cover the mud and there was just one remaining. One heron stood against the reeds looking for a snack. Of the duck there were teal, tufted, a male goldeneye and a single gadwall and, near the New Hide on the water to the left of the path, we found male and female shovelers and a diving little grebe. From the hide we noted pochard, teal, mallard, coot & moorhens and had a glimpse of a noisy wren.

We turned off the main path and took a side path to a screen overlooking the Flash and heard the persistent squealing of water rails hidden deep in the dense vegetation but we never saw them. A female reed bunting rested briefly calling her plaintive 'sui sui' note. From behind the screen we had plenty of time to watch our first female goosander preening. Back on the path we spent some time locating a party of long-tailed tits. A robin sang, he wasn't hard to find in a bush. We heard the thin, high, sharp, 'see-see-see' of a goldcrest finding it flitting from tree to tree. On the way back to the car park members saw a jay flashing his white rump in retreat and two redwings in flight.

We ate lunch at picnic tables by the flash entertained by a dunnock and a party of scrounging house sparrows, whilst being pestered by a large, bold, mute swan. We looked skyward on hearing the flight call 'hoop, hoop, hoop' of a party of whoopers, necks outstretched, all-white plumage gleaming in the sun, passing directly above us.

After our refreshment we move on to the Bunting Hide to find a large party of greenfinches with at least eight on the feeding table at one go. The nationally scarce willow tits are easily seen from this hide looking as if they had been delicately painted, with black caps & white cheeks fading down to soft tawny-buff under sides. Bullfinches, males with their bold red-pink undersides, females with more discreet pinkish-brown plumage, both flashing their bold white rumps were, as usual, seen in good numbers in the bushes and on the feeding tables. The moorhens have bred well this year as have the chaffinches and both prefer ground feeding taking the seeds spilt from the feeders by other birds.

We moved on to the Teal Hide where we had excellent views of five female and two male goosanders, The males reared up in the water breast to breast, charging each other, their predominantly white plumage shining in the bright clear light. Fortunately these tussles did not result in injury as after one or two scuffles each retired, honour having been satisfied. As we were leaving a pied wagtail flew over the car park.

We were fortunate, having picked a good day to visit Pennington Flash Country Park which is always a rewarding place to spend a few hours; on this occasion we managed to record 30+ species.

Article by Graham Tonge
Photograph by David Johnson: Female goosander