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This morning the frost had taken a hold of the site and thin ice was forming on most of the lagoons. There were large flocks of winter thrushes, Redwings, Fieldfares and Blackbirds. By the Gravel Pits there were two Cetti’s Warblers and the Slurry Lagoon held over 300 Teal with Black-headed Gulls and Lapwings. A [...] [...]
This morning there was lots of evidence of migration at the lagoons with a constant trickle of Skylarks flying over. One or two large flocks of Fieldfares also went through and some Redwings are already in the hawthorn hedges. A flock of thirteen Lesser Redpolls dropped onto the bushes on the Deep Pit banks and [...] [...]
At last the first spring migrant has arrived. A Chiffchaff was seen in the willows along the Ouse Dyke path this morning, along with two Goldcrests and three Siskins. On the Large Gravel Pit the Golden-eyes were displaying, as were some Lapwings on the Severn/Trent land. A female Goosander was on the river and a [...] [...]
The two Little Egrets were on the Ouse Dyke again this morning and what was probably one of them was later seen in the Deep Pit. The Slurry Lagoon and Gravel Pits are mostly frozen over now but most of the Deep Pit is still clear. Most of the Coots on the Large Gravel Pit [...] [...]
A Woodcock was flushed from near the metal gates this morning and two Snipe flew over the Lower Path, calling. All three Cetti’s were heard singing but there was no sign of the Red-crested Pochard, or the Ross’s Goose, despite most of the Grey-lag and Canada Goose flock coming onto the Large Gravel Pit. A [...] [...]
The Willow Tit and eight Redpoll were seen along the Lower Path this morning and one or two Siskins are still flying through. All three Cetti’s were heard singing, so let’s hope they all survive the winter. A Peregrine flew over the site putting everything to flight and landed on a pylon. Two Golden Plover [...] [...]
There were a good number of ducks on the Large Gravel Pit today, including Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Wigeon and two male Red-crested Pochard, one still in eclipse, as well as lots of Coots. Seven Swallows flew through and four more, possibly the remnants of our residents, were near the railway line. On the Slurry Lagoon [...] [...]
Two juvenile Ruff, a male and a female, were on the Slurry Lagoon this morning. A Peregrine sliced through the Lapwing flock but didn’t manage to catch anything and ten Wigeon arrived to rest on the lagoon. A large flock of Swallows passed through late morning, accompanied by three Swifts and the Willow Tit was [...] [...]
There was a Willow Tit and several very smart juvenile Chiffchaffs along the Lower Path today. On the Slurry Lagoon the Lapwings kept chasing a Little Stint, that only wanted to have a snooze. The Lapwings also chased a Redshank until it found a corner well away from them. Two Snipe were also present, dwarfing [...] [...]
On the Slurry Lagoon this afternoon there were one Little Egret, 43 Common Tern, 102 Lapwing, one Common Sandpiper, two Green Sandpipers, two Yellow-legged Gulls and a Water Rail. RW. [...]

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