Bewick Swan
Sunday, 6 January 2019
The group started birding from the ARC Hide until 9.45 am when we decided to look for tree sparrows by the reserve entrance. None were seen but there were with plenty of tits and chaffinches on the feeders.
Returning to the car park the group had now risen to 21. This was too large a number to walk round as a group, so I decided to split it into two groups. Sue leading one and myself with the other. Sue to lead by the clockwise direction taking in the main hides and I would lead my group toward Denge Marsh.
The path leading from the car park was very quiet until we reached the viewing mound. Bearded tits were pinging but were very hard to see - just few members got a brief glimpse of them. From the mound we continued to the hide adding great-crested grebes, gadwalls, mallards and mute swans to the day list. From the hide great white egrets, Egyptian geese, greylag geese, lapwings, tufted ducks and a marsh harrier were seen.
From Denge marsh we continued up towards Christmas Dell Hide but there was nothing of note to be seen.
We met up with Karen who had decided to have a lay in as our early start was too much for her, bless!
We took in the three hides on Burrows Pit where there were huge numbers of cormorant's, probably two thousand at a guess.
Peter Saville