November was mild, little wind but high pressure remained over most of The Midlands resulting in grey skies and no sun. Today was no exception. Insects were almost non-existent, just a single Red Admiral late in the day.

Woodland birds were likewise scarce. Great Tits, Blue Tits, Goldfinch and Greenfinch provided welcome sightings on the first bank of feeders. As we left the wooded area, a Robin welcomed us to the start of the lagoons, together with the first Redwing of the winter, later joined by a flock of about 12 birds in the same tree.

Scanning the wetlands, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Cormorant, (one with an almost pure white breast) were soon recorded. Then the shout went up: Bittern, as it flew and disappeared into the reeds. A bonus for the lucky few who latched onto this most sought after heron. In a backwater two splendid male Wigeon performed well for the cameras. A pair of distant Stonechat proved elusive but later in the day, on our return leg, performed well down to a few meters.

The stars of the skies were a nervous flock of Lapwings. A flock of circa 250 birds periodically took flight for no apparent reason. Careful observation also pinpointed up to 5 small waders amongst the swirling mass, later identified as Dunlin. Meanwhile, scanning the waterline yielded at least 14 Snipe feeding in the shallows.

Moving away from the lagoons we returned via a woodland loop said to be good for owls. However, this loop was almost devoid of birds. Keep this in mind should we visit in the future.

Almost 5 hours of birding yielded 41 species, the highest daily total this year. Hard to believe considering the places we have visited and reflects a difficult year for all wildlife.

An enjoyable day attended by Glynne & Carol, David & Veronica, Ivan & Carole, Rob & Margaret, Sarah & Tim, Richard, Liz, and Tony.

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Tony Wardell