Holywell Birding

Started this winters day off with a walk of Red House Farm with my dog, Ruby the Short Haired German Pointer. The highlight of the walk, was when I reached the far ditch surrounding the car boot, 3 Snipe and a single Woodcock were put up, I was particularly pleased with finding the Woodcock as visits from this species are irregular at Red House Farm.

At about 14:00 I arrived at Holywell Pond, the walk down to the hide produced the regular suspects, House Sparrow, Collared Dove and Starling, but also an overhead flight of a Snipe.

SP was in the hide when I arrived, nothing new about, the pond was still mostly frozen, with the three pools now two, although the central pool has increased in size. On the left hand pool Mallard congregated 19 individuals. The larger central pool was dominated with Gulls, although 10 Moorhen and 3 Coots also made use of this larger pool. Around the main pool, and in a small group further NE on the ice 3 Great Black Backed Gull, 30+ Herring Gull, 24 Black Headed Gull and 8 Common Gull, rested, bathed and drank. Before I had left the number of Gulls had increased. Also on the ice were, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, and Magpie.

The feeding station was fairly busy, mostly with Chaffinch, and Greenfinch although, Blue Tit, Great tit, Robin, Wren, Blackbird and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker were also present.

Other birds around included a fly over of a skein of 8 Greylag, Pheasant to the West, a Kestrel on the Obelisk, and 7 Snipe which were flushed from the Public Hide end of the Meadow. They were flushed by 'tourists', I'm all for new people visting the amazing place and reserve which is Holywell, as long as they abide by the same rules as everyone else, and use their common sense, if thats possible, for an example, possibly entering the Public Hide from the footpath, and not the shoreline? to avoid disturbing the wildlife for everyone else. Hopefully they will have realised their mistake on leaving the hide.

Whilst walking back up to the car SP and I scanned a flock of mixed Geese on the close field, it consisted of roughly 80+ birds, with the majority (64) being Greylags, and the rest Pink-Footed.