Grafham Water - 22 February 2013

With a air temperatures just above zero and an extreme wind chill factor from a biting easterly, the five hours walking was real graft this morning, fortunately there was sufficient variety of birdlife around to make the walk worthwhile.

Although wildfowl numbers have been very low in recent weeks there were 120 + Goldeneye, 2 Goosanders, the first-winter male Scaup off the yacht club, a redhead Smew in Littless Creek. The Slavonian Grebe that has been around for a while was off the dam. A Turnstone was just west of the Mander CP, 6 Redshanks, 2 Green Sandpipers were in this area also and c.60 Black-tailed Godwits flew through north-east despite the fierce wind. A walk around the west end of the reservoir afforded shelter and a few passerine sightings which included 2 male Blackcaps, 10 Siskins, 4 Lesser Redpolls and 7 + Nuthatches in Littless Wood. 

Scaup - first-winter drake 

Marsh Tit

Nuthatch