Wednesday 4 February 2009

COLNE VALLEY WILDFOWL COUNTS TODAY







Shovelers (female and drake) and Northern Pochard (drake) (Mike Lawrence)
WEDNESDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2009

The thaw continued after a light overnight frost with temperatures reaching 5 degrees in the afternoon sunshine. Clear skies eventually gave way to more cloudier conditions but the SE wind remained rather light.

COLNE VALLEY PITS (MIDDLESEX/HERTS)

I then decided to do a comprehensive survey of the Colne Valley waterbirds, working my way from south to north. Many of the pits were frozen or partly frozen. The results were thus, with a total of 2,658 birds counted of 17 species :-

Great Crested Grebe (80)
Mute Swan (107)
Atlantic Canada Goose (248)
Greylag Goose (76)
Mallard (187)
Gadwall (166)
Common Teal (15)
Eurasian Wigeon (99)
Northern Shoveler (266*)
Tufted Duck (474)
Northern Pochard (198)
RED-CRESTED POCHARD (just 4 located - JT had 7 yesterday)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (35)
*GOOSANDER (8)
**SMEW (2 adult drakes)
RUDDY DUCK (18)
Coot (675)

Denham South Pit (TQ 060 880)

GOOSANDERS (2 adult drakes and an adult female)
Tufted Duck (33)
Coot (34)

Broadwater GP (TQ 045 895)

A large number of birds present, with particularly impressive numbers of Great Crested Grebes.

Great Crested Grebe (73+)
Sinensis Cormorant (91 counted with 11 nests actively being used)
Mute Swan (15)
Atlantic Canada Goose (152)
Greylag Geese (76)
*Chinese Goose (2 adults, both pure)
Mallard (27)
Eurasian Wigeon (43)
Common Teal (15)
Gadwall (22)
Shoveler (85)
Tufted Duck (87)
Pochard (51)
RED-CRESTED POCHARD (2 pairs)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (15)
GOOSANDER (2 adult drakes and a redhead)
Coot (137)

Common Buzzard (1)
COMMON KINGFISHER (1-2)

Tilehouse Pit North (TQ 037 900)

Tufted Duck (11)
Coot (25)

Troy Mill Pit (TQ 040 905)

Tufted Duck (56)
Pochard (18)
Coot (17)

PYNESFIELD LAKES NORTH & SOUTH (TQ 035 910)

Gadwall (76)
Eurasian Wigeon (32)
Shoveler (18)
Tufted Duck (34)
Coot (243)

LYNSTERS LAKE & MAPLE LODGE RESERVE - not counted

SPRINGWELL LAKE (TQ 043 925)

Mallard (22)
Tufted Duck (36)
Coot (24)

STOCKER'S WEST PIT/INN'S LAKE (TQ 043 933)

Gadwall (62)
Eurasian Wigeon (24)
Tufted Duck (22)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (3 - 1 drake)
Coot (44)

STOCKER'S LAKE (047 935)

Great Crested Grebe (3)
Sinensis Cormorant (113, with many pairs nesting)
Grey Heron (17, with several pairs now nesting)
Mute Swan (5)
Mallard (26)
Gadwall (2)
Shoveler (75)
Tufted Duck (83)
Pochard (88)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (17 including 8 adult drakes)
GOOSANDER (1 adult drake, 1 redhead)
*SMEW (2 adult drakes still)
Coot (126)
Lapwing (112 on the ice)

BURY LAKE (TQ 054 938)

Great Crested Grebe (4)
Mute Swan (87)
Canada Goose (96)
Mallard (112)
Gadwall (4)
Shoveler (88)
Tufted Duck (112)
Pochard (41)
Coot (25)

BATCHWORTH LAKE (frozen)

I also checked Woodoaks Farm, where 147 EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER were present in the snow-covered fields.

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