3.5°C > 4.5°C Mainly overcast. Light NE wind. Moderate visibility
A short visit on the way home from 3 weeks bird-watching in Ecuador – warmer there! Some ice mainly at W end.
(4th visit of the year)
Notes
Shoveler were new for my site year list
One of the 8(!) Cormorants had very pronounced white head-plumes – this indicates an older bird and not necessarily a bird of E and S Europe ssp. sinensis as was suspected some years ago.
High number of Great Crested Grebes, probably here from still frozen smaller waters in the area, though other numbers suggest rather little movement in.
The Yellow-legged Gull not fully confirmed: flew off while I was still counting and before I had a chance to confirm all the ID features.
The counts from the water only
2 Mute Swans
6 (3♂) Gadwall
24 (14♂) Mallard
4 (2♂) Shoveler
7 (7♂) Pochard
40 (18♂) Tufted Duck
8 Cormorants
12 Great Crested Grebes
12 Moorhens
156 Coots
c.650 Black-headed Gulls
c.160 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
19 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day in 2006, 2012 and 2014
2014
Velvet Scoter
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20121st winter Glaucous Gull
2nd winter Iceland Gull
c.300 Black-headed Gulls
c.400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.40 Herring Gulls
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson / Paul King / Ian Grant and et al)
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2006c.1100 Black-headed Gulls
131 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
35 Herring Gulls
4 Great Black-backed Gulls
(Ed Wilson)