Appologies in advance for the lack of updates over the next two weeks, as I will be away birding somewhere a little warmer. Please still send any sightings to me or Steve (just dont find anything too good while im not around!).
L Johnson...

December 20th

Another brief scan of the main pool this morning produced 12 Wigeon at the western end and 2 LBB Gull in the centre of the pool. A single Bullfinch and a Goldcrest were present around the car park.
L Johnson...

December 18th

A brief check at midday saw the 3 Greylag Geese back on the main pool and 25+ Lapwing flying around distantly to the north of the site. The main pool however was generally very quiet again.
L Johnson...

December 16th

Both pools were quiet again this morning with only 7 wigeon, 20+ Pochard and 30+ Tufted duck. 1 Lesser redpoll was at the eastern end of the small pool. Other species of note were 7 Goldcrest, 2 Nuthatch, 1 Willow Tit and 3 Yellowhammer (over).
L Johnson...

December 15th

Very little of note again today. Duck numbers dropped again after the sailing at the weekend, with only around 20 Tufted duck and 10 Pochard. 400+ Wood pigeon flew over heading north and 4 Goldcrest along the north shore of the main pool were the only things worth a mention.
L Johnson...

December 13th

A brief check of the main pool in the rain this morning produced a single drake Goosander at the western end. The 3 Greylags were still present with the Canada Goose flock. Aside from these the pool seemed very quiet. 400+ Wood Pigeon flew over heading north.
L Johnson...

December 11th

A single drake Shovler was present briefly on the main pool early morning before flying off towards Ladywalk. After the good count of Teal earlier in the week one drake Teal was all that was left on the small pool today. 37 Wigeon and a drake Gadwall were also present on the small pool. 2 Mistle Thrush flew over the western end of the main pool. Also present this morning were Nuthatch, 5 Goldcrest, Treecreeper, 6 Bullfinch, 4 Siskin, Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail.
L Johnson...

December 8th

Numbers of Wigeon had increased this morning, with 46 now present, mostly on the small pool. A good site count of 7 Teal were also present on the small pool, and a single drake Ruddy Duck was on the main pool. Other species noted this morning were 3 Greylag Goose, 12 Pochard, 3 Goldcrest, 1 Treecreeper and a Yellowhammer (over).
L Johnson...

December 5th

Once again a large group of Gulls dropped on to the main pool mid morning. 17 Herring Gull and 4 Common gull were mixed in with the flock. A nice surprise was a rather inquisitive Weasel at the eastern end. The Weasel bounded towards me down the path before stopping just 2 meters from my feet, it then circled me keeping at a 2 meter distance before running off again down the path. Wish i'd have had the camera with me. Duck numbers had decreased with only 5 Pochard and 14 Wigeon, there was also no sign of any Ruddy Duck. 1 Redpoll and 10 Siskin flew over the eastern end, it appears that the main flock are now favouring somewhere further along the river to feed. Also noted this morning were 2 Treecreeper, 5 Goldcrest, 3 Nuthatch and 2 Buzzard.
L Johnson...

December 3rd

After last nights temperature the south east end of the main pool was still frozen over this morning. Again the cold weather had improved duck numbers, with 5 Ruddy Duck (1 drake, 4 duck) on the main pool. Wigeon had increased to 17 on the small pool along with a female Teal, however no Gadwall were present. The 3 Greylag Geese have returned to the main pool, in with the Canada Goose flock. At around 11 o'clock a sizable group of Gulls dropped on to the main pool with at least 13 Herring Gull, 22 LBB Gull and 4 Common Gull. The Siskin flock to the east of the small pool was highly mobile this morning, a minimum of 4 Lesser Redpoll were mixed in with the flock however the true number may have been much higher. A further single Redpoll flew high over the western end of the main pool. Other species noted were 1 Willow Tit, 9 Goldcrest, 2 Nuthatch and a Sparrowhawk.
L Johnson...

December 1st

Upon arival this morning 2 drake Goosander were present at the western end of the main pool. These are presumably the same two drakes that have been present further north along the valley for over a week. Another surprise this morning was the sudden sharp rise in Wigeon numbers, with 11 present on the small pool and a further 3 on the main pool, probably a result of the recent cold weather. Other species noted this morning were 14 Pochard, 2 Gadwall, 4+ Goldcrest and 3+ Siskin.
L Johnson...

November 28th.

Common Pochard...........photo by S Seal.

Large flocks of Common Pochard winter on the region,s larger lakes, reservoirs and gravel pits, but is a scarce and sporadic breeding species.Within the region, a significant change in winter distribution began in 1980,s when large flocks first gathered at the new purification lakes at Coton/Lea Marston. Shustoke Reservoir is also frequently used as a refuge when birds are disturbed from elsewhere. But over the last decade numbers have dramatically declined.
Oct04, 210...... Nov04, 281...... Dec04, 160.
Oct05, 17....... Nov05, 35....... Dec05, 73.
Oct06, 37....... Nov06, 49....... Dec06, 56.
Oct07, 11....... Nov07, 28....... Dec07, 65.
Oct08, 9........ Nov08, 21......

S Seal.....

November 28th

A drake Teal was a slightly unusual record late morning in the centre of the main pool, this represents only the 4th record for the site during this autumn/winter period so far. A drake Ruddy Duck was also present again on the main pool. Pochard numbers increased to 21. Although the Siskin flock in the eastern corner of the site had decreased in size compared to yesterday, there are now 3 Lesser Redpoll mixed in with the group. Other birds noted were 8 Goldcrest, 1 Willow Tit, Treecreeper, Kingfisher, 2 Common Gull and 6 RL Partridge.
L Johnson...

November 27th

Duck movement has continued over the last few days with no sign of any Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck or Wigeon today. The drake Gadwall was still present on the small pool with another drake new in on the main pool. Tufted Duck numbers had increased greatly, with 106 this morning. Also recorded were 10 Pochard, 4 Goldcrest, Grey Wagtail, Treecreeper, 45 Siskin and 2 Lesser Redpoll.
L Johnson...

November 24th

Another quick walk around the pools produced 9 Pochard, 1 Ruddy Duck (female), 1 Gadwall (drake) and a Goldcrest. New in were 2 drake Wigeon on the small pool, hopefully the start of the returning wintering flock.
L Johnson...

November 23rd

Little of note this morning in a brief walk around the main pool. Birds noted were 9 Pochard, 3 Goldcrest, 1 Treecreeper and 10+ Siskin. There seemed to be good numbers of Song thrush around, with 3+ in the horse paddocks and at least 5 with 20+ Redwing and 10+ Blackbird at the western end.
L Johnson...

November 19th

This morning saw further increases in duck numbers, with Tufted now up to 75, Pochard numbered 16. Also present were a Gadwall and a female Ruddy Duck. There was no sign however of Mondays Goldeneye. Other species noted this morning include 9 Golcrest, 3 Treecreeper, 1 Willow tit, 5+ Coal tit, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail and 11 Red legged Partridge.
L Johnson...

November 17th

A quick walk around the main pool in the rain this morning saw another increase in duck numbers. Pochard were up to 14 while a female Goldeneye was a new arival, as was a drake Ruddy Duck. Other species noted included Gadwall, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, 6 Goldcrest and a Redpoll (over).
L Johnson...

November 16th

Another increase in Pochard numbers this morning to a total of 10. 1 Redpoll flew over the main pool. Goldcrests numbered 11 with at least 2 treecreeper. A Grey Wagtail was the only other bird of note. Highlight of the morning was a weasel, present on the railway embankment for several minutes before heading off into the fields north of the railway.
L Johnson...

November 14th

The main centre of interest this morning was around the horse paddocks and adjacent field, where a reasonably large flock of finches was present. The majority of the flock was made up by Linnets, which numbered around 50. Also present were 20+ Chaffinch, 10+ Greenfinch, 5 House Sparrow, 1 Yellowhammer (female) and a Meadow Pipit. There was a small movement of large gulls heading south over the main pool early morning, this contained 2 Herring Gull and around 30 LBB Gull. Also noted this morning were 5 Pochard, 3 Bullfinch, 6 Goldcrest, Nuthatch, 18 RL Partridge, Grey Wagtail, 6 Skylark (over), 60 BH Gull and a Common Gull.
L Johnson...

November 13th

Some duck movement over the past few days has resulted in a drop in the number of Tufted duck on site, with 44 recorded this morning. There was also no sign of the female Ruddy duck. Pochard numbers on the other hand had increased from 3 drakes on Tuesday to 7 (4 drakes and 3 ducks). The first recorded wigeon at the site for this winter period flew over the main pool mid morning, the flock numbering around 30 continued north along the Tame valley. Other species noted were Grey Wagtail, 9 Goldcrest, 20 Siskin, 100+ Redwing, 80+ Fieldfare, RL Partridge, 17 Phesant and a Gadwall (drake).
L Johnson...

November 11th

Not much change from last week with similar numbers of duck, including the 3 Pochard. A single Brambling was again present along the railway, although proving to be rather elusive. A female Ruddy duck was new in, spending most of the time in amongst the coot at the eastern end. The only other species not recorded for a few weeks to be present this morning was Tree Sparrow; a few of which were in the horse paddocks, mixed in with a large group of House Sparrow and Greenfinch. Other species noted this morning were 7 Goldcrest, Green Woodpecker, 80+ Redwing, 20+ Fieldfare, 20+ Siskin, 2 Sparrowhawk and Kingfisher. Finally on a sad note, the last remaining Mute swan cygnet from this years brood was found dead just north of the car park.
L Johnson...

Nov 6th - Gull roost

After the 3 Caspian's this week I took the chance to do the roost in the hope that one or more may come in tonight. It soon became apparent however that my luck had run out after the Lesser spot and Brambling this morning. The gull roost had decreased greatly in size since my last look on Sunday. LBB Gull's numbered just 100 with 300+ BH Gull and just 15 Herring Gull. Interestingly Common Gulls were up to 6 (from 4 on Sunday). The most notable bird in the roost was an albino Black headed Gull. Other birds of note were Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail.
L Johnson...

November 6th

Not much change on the pools this morning with the usual suspects around the site. Until that is, when checking the hedge line along the railway. My luck suddenly changed while looking through a mixed tit flock. As I was searching through the flock a Brambling flew in calling from the south and landed in trees on the opposite side of the railway. After admiring the female Brambling for litterally seconds, a bird caught my eye flying between tree trunks through the back of the same headge, soon revealing its self as a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. After hanging around for all of about 30 seconds the woodpecker then flew off west along the railway. This represents the first record of both of these species at the site this year. The 5 or 6 mixed tit flocks around the site this morning also produced high counts of 4 Treecreeper and a total of 21 Goldcrest (equaling my previous highest count of this species for the site). Also noted this morning were 8+ Siskin, 1 Redpoll (over), 5 Meadow Pipit, Kingfisher, 2 Nuthatch, 3 Green Woodpecker, 1 GS Woodpecker, 3 Bullfinch, 1 Grey Wagtail, 16 GC Grebe, 48 Tufted Duck, 1 Gadwall and 3 Pochard.
L Johnson...

Report - November 4th

A 1st winter Caspian Gull was reported to be present in the gull roost at 16:45. Never recorded at the site until Sunday...now 3 in a week!

November 3rd

Another unusual record at the site this morning, this time in the form of a female/1st winter Blackcap. The bird was present in the horse paddocks to the south of the main pool. It will be interesting to see if it over winters or was just passing through. Other species noted this morning were 15 RL Partridge, 1 Common Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 8 Goldcrest, 5+ Redpoll (over) and at least 10 Siskin. Although Tufted duck numbers seemed slightly lower than yesterday Pochard were up to 3, all of which were drakes.
L Johnson...

Nov 2nd - Gull roost

After the adult Caspian this morning I decided it was about time I did the gull roost. This evening left me wondering why i didn't do the Shustoke roost more often. Shortly after my arival the adult Caspian gull from this morning came into the roost, quickly followed by an adult Yellow legged Gull and another Caspian Gull, this time a sub adult. Other gulls numbered 92 Herring Gull, 400+ LBB Gull, 400+ BH Gull, just 4 Common Gull and 1 GBB Gull (2nd winter). To round off the evening a Dunlin flew in calling from the east and circled the pool before heading off to roost along the southern shoreline.
L Johnson...

November 2nd

The highlight this morning was in the form of an adult Caspian Gull. The bird was present in the centre of the main pool in the company of an adult Herring Gull. Both birds were present for around 25 mins before departing high to the east at 11:00am. This represents the first ever site record of Caspian Gull. Also noted this morning were 20+ LBB Gull, 3 Greylag Geese, 50+ Redwing, 40+ Fieldfare, 20 Chaffinch, 30+ Goldfinch and 3 Goldcrest. Duck numbers appear to have increased again with 58 Tufted duck, 2 drake Pochard and a drake Gadwall
L Johnson...

October 28th

Braved the heavy rain and sleat this afternoon with little to show for my efforts. A drake Pochard was present on the main pool along with the regular 3 Greylag geese. Aside from the Pochard numbers of ducks and grebes seemed low. Gull numbers were building up already by 15:00, so a quick count yeilded 80+ BH Gull and exactly 100 LBB Gull. It would be interesting to get a more accurate estimate of the total number of gulls that are roosting/pre-roosting on the res at the moment, but this will have to wait for another day, as when the sleet turned to snow i got too cold to stand there any longer.
L Johnson...

October 25th - Afternoon

Another brief check of the pool late afternoon produced 400+ BH Gull, 200+ LBB Gull and 6 Herring Gull in the roost. A lone Fieldfare was feeding with the Starling and Lapwing flock in the ploughed field to the south of the main pool.
L Johnson...

October 25th

Very little of note on a brief walk around the main pool this morning. 30+ Redwing flew over heading west, and 250 Wood Pigeon flew south. 3 Goldcrest were along the north shore. 14 Siskin and a Kingfisher were also seen.
L Johnson...

October 21st

It was very quiet around the site this morning, with little of note. Although clear skys in the past few weeks have produced good visable migrant totals, very little passed over this morning, given the good weather. Totals included 1 Mistle thrush, 10 Redwing, 2 Song thrush, 2 Meadow pipit and 3 Skylark. Red legged Partridge numbers seem to have built up over the past few weeks with several large flocks in the area; todays count reached 44 birds between 3 flocks. Other species noted this morning were 10 Goldcrest, Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtail, Bullfinch, 35 Siskin and a Willow tit.
L Johnson...

October 20th

Went out this morning in the hope that the strong south westerly winds might have blown a sea bird in, but no such luck. Due to to wind passarines were keeping low and were therefore difficult to locate. Goldcrests were still numbering at least 6, with 3 Coal tit and a willow tit, all sheltering in the bushes along the railway line. 25+ Siskin, 30 Redwing and a single Fieldfare were also around the area to the north of the small pool. An immature male Peregrine passed low over the eastern end of the small pool at around 9:30, heading south. Tufted Duck numbers on the two pools have increased slightly over the past few days with around 35 present today. The seemingly ever present drake Gadwall was still at the eastern end of the main pool.
L Johnson...

October 18th

With clear skys again this morning there was a large amount of visable migration taking place. The majority of birds flying over seemed to take a line that passed over the southern edge of the pools, heading north west from the end of the main pool and heading off just south of Ladywalk. Species counts included the first Fieldfares of the autumn, with 57 over. The majority of birds passing through were Redwing, numbering 356 birds. Also present in the thrush flocks were 1 Song thrush and 2 Mistle thrush. Meadow pipits totaled 115, with 11 Skylark and a single Linnet. Wood Pigeon passage was also evident with a minimum of 300 over. Also noted this morning were 40+ Siskin, 1 Nuthatch, 2 Bullfinch and 1 Willow tit. Goldcrest numbers, although still high, were down on the last few days with 15 present.
L Johnson...

October 16th

This morning saw another high count of 20 Goldcrest. One of the areas that was most productive on Tuesday for goldcrests was not checked today, therefore the actual number of birds present on site may be much higher. At least 2 Coal tit were present with the groups of Goldcrest. There seemed to be an increase in visable migration taking place this morning, compared to that of the previous few days, probably down to a light north westerly wind. Birds passing over included 40 Meadow Pipit, 18 Skylark and 8 Redwing. Other birds noted this morning were 13 RL Partridge, 20+ Siskin, Green Woodpecker, Kingfisher, 3+ Bullfinch and an adult Herring Gull.
L Johnson...

October 14th

This morning saw a total of 21 Goldcrest around the site. Birds were scattered around in small groups. This raises the question when will Shustoke's first Firecrest and Yellow Browed Warbler's be? Firecrest is surley long over due having never been recorded at the site. With so many Goldcrests around it must only be a matter of time. 3 Coal tit were present mixed in with the Goldcrest flocks. Visable migration today included 16 Meadow pipit, 5 Skylark and 3 Redwing. Other species noted were 1 Pochard (drake), 2 grey Wagtail, 15+ Siskin, 1 Treecreeper, 16 RL Partridge and Sparrowhawk.
L Johnson...

October 13th

The pools were again very quiet today, with only a drake Gadwall and 24 Lapwing of note. An impressive flock of at least 90 Siskin were present to the north of the small pool, with other small flocks present on the north shore of the main pool. Tit flocks around the site contained 13 Goldcrest, 1 Willow tit and a Treecreeper. Other birds of note were Kingfisher, Mistle Thrush, 3 Bullfinch and Sparrowhawk. 3 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail and 8 Skylark flew over.
L Johnson...

October 12th

The pool was very busy in the sunny weather this afternoon, and as a result there was not much around. At least 10 Red Legged Partridge were present in the fields south of the small pool. 5 Herring Gulls were on the main pool with a minimum of 30 LBB Gull. Around 20 Siskin were scattered around the site. A tit flock south east of the main pool held 20+ Long tailed tit, 1 Goldcrest and a Nuthatch. 1 Grey Wagtail flew over. Common Darter and Migrant Hawker Dragonflies were noted. Butterflies making the most of the late sunshine were 1 Comma and 2 Small Tortoiseshell.
L Johnson...

October 10th

No sign of yesterdays Med Gull but reasonable numbers of other Gulls present this morning on the main pool, with at least 400 BH Gull, 40 LBB Gull and 2 Herring Gull. Highlight of the morning was an immature female Peregrine which circled the main pool before drifting off north east. A total of 22 Red legged Partridge were present in the fields to the west of the main pool with a further single bird south of the small pool. Some visable migration was noted this morning, with 14 Redwing, 2 Meadow pipit, 2 Skylark and a Swallow over. Other species of note were 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Grey Wagtail, 9 Siskin, 2 Goldcrest and 1 Chiffchaff.
L Johnson...

October 9th

An adult Mediterranean Gull was reported to be present late afternoon

Oct 6th.

Nothing to report from the pool this morning in very heavy rain and strong winds. Just one Common Sandpiper noted and a few Swallows passing through. Gt crested Grebe numbers are building up but to wet to count them today. Hopefully we will get a Leach's or a Phalarope shortly .
S Seal.

October 5th

A quick stroll in the torrential rain around the main pool early this morning produced 3 Greylag Geese, 2 drake Gadwall, 3 Grey Wagtail and a Goldcrest. 5 LBB Gull flew over with a 1st winter Herring Gull.
L Johnson...

September 30th

Another quiet day this morning. The pools held 1 Gadwall, 1 Common Sandpiper and 1 Herring Gull dropped in briefly. There was some visable migration taking place but the light rain resulted in numbers of birds on the move being much lower than that of the previous few days. Birds noted were 3 House Martin, 2 Swallow and 3 Meadow Pipit. Small tit flocks around the pools held at least 3 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff and 2 Coal tit. Also of note were 4 Mistle Thrush, Kingfisher and 2 Bullfinch.
L Johnson...

September 29th

The two pools were again quiet today with only a Common Sandpiper of note. The clear weather this morning again produced some visable migration with 5 Swallow, 2 Skylark and a total of 45 Meadow pipit over. A minimum of 8 Siskin were scattered around the area, although the total number was probably much higher. A nice surprise was a female Teal, present on a small section of river just east of the fishing lodge. Other species of note were 14 Red legged Partridge, 2 Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, 2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Green Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Coal tit, 2 Jay, Song thrush, Treecreeper and 7 Goldcrest.
Lee Johnson...

September 28th

The pools were relatively quiet again today. Yesterdays Common Sandpiper was still present and 4 Gadwall dropped in briefly. There was some visable migration taking place again with 1 Golden Plover, 6+ Meadow Pipit, 3 Swallow and 3 Skylark all flying south over the main pool. Also of note was 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Goldcrest, 6 Tree Sparrow, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Bullfinch and a Treecreeper. Two seperate Siskin flocks were present totaling at least 35 birds.
L Johnson...

September 27th

The heavy fog this morning serverely hampered the chances of seeing very much. However 4 Grey Wagtail were present infront of the car park, with 13 Pied Wagtail seen on the shoreline around the main pool. 27 Meadow Pipit flew over with at least 2 Siskin heard flying over. 3 Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest were also heard around the main pool. Once the fog began to lift enough to see the pool the Cormorant flock became visable with at least 100 birds. The fog also meant that last nights Gull roost lingered on the main pool for a bit longer this morning. 50+ LBB Gull were present with 17 Herring. Finally a Common Sandpiper was present by the sailing club jetty.
L Johnson...

September 22nd

An exceptional count of 162 Cormorant early this morning was a major increase on the counts of the previous few weeks. Aside from the Cormorants the two pools were again quiet with 3 Greylag Geese, 19 LBB Gull and 2 Grey Heron the only species of note. A few migrants passed over before the clouds rolled in, these included 25 Meadow pipit, 24 Siskin and just 1 Swallow. A total of 6 Buzzard and 1 Sparrowhawk were present around the area. Other species of note were; 2 Chiffchaff, 1 (male) Blackcap, 2+ Jay, Kingfisher, Coal tit, Bullfinch, 2 Song thrush and Green Woodpecker. The only butterflys present were Large White and 1 Small Copper, with a single Migrant Hawker being the only dragonfly.
L Johnson...

Sept 21st.

Nothing new at the pool today, 3 Common Sandpipers in front of the sailing club,a Hobby went over heading north, 67 Cormorant fishing and 2 Buzzards over north side. 12 Chiffchaff, Willow Tit, Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap noted around the pool, and 37 L B B Gulls loafing in the middle. A good number of Little Grebe with 38 being noted which is about average for this time of the year. The Canada Geese flock has now moved on but the 3 Greylags still remain. 8 Siskin were feeding along the stream between the two pools, and Nuthatch heard there but not seen. And finally 18 Meadow Pipits headed south over the car park.
S Seal....

Late News from yesterday
A report of two Dunlin sized birds flying from sailing club shore yesterday with white rumps, (Curlew Sandpipers) ?.

September 19th

This morning saw another good passage of Meadow pipits, with 24 over all heading south. Other visable migrants included 2 House Martin and 2 Song thrush. 19 Pied Wagtail were present in the ploughed fields, with at least 2 Grey Wagtail along the river. Cormorant numbers increased yet again this morning to a total of 71. A Siskin flock was present in the alders on the north side of the small pool, although difficult to count the flock held a minimum of 30 individuals. Also present this morning were 5 Chiffchaff, 4 Goldcrest, Kingfisher, Willow Tit and 5 Bullfinch. With the warm sunny weather a few butterfly were around today including 1 Small Copper and a Comma. Migrant Hawker was also noted.
L Johnson...

September 18th

The main pool its self was very quiet this morning with 3 Greylag geese, 1 Gadwall and a total of 59 Cormorant. The ploughed fields to the west of the pool held 3 Phesant, 9 Pied Wagtail and 7 Red legged Partridge. A Goldcrest was present in the car park with good numbers of other passarines scattered along the river and around the small pool including 9 Chiffchaff, 1 Tree Sparow, 1 Willow tit, Bullfinch. Jay, Nuthatch and Kingfisher were also present in the area. Due to the good weather this morning there was notable visable migration taking place, counts of birds included 18 Meadow pipit, 12 Swallow, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 9 Siskin, 2 Skylark and a Mistle thrush. The best bird to pass over the pool this morning however was a Greenshank, which called several times as it circled high over the pool before moving off.
L Johnson...

September 15th

During a quick scan upon arrival at the pool this morning a flock of 19 siskin flew over the pool and off in a southerly direction. Whilst walking along the north shore i noticed a wader flying west low over the water, the bird then turned north and gained height, flying into a small flock of jackdaw which briefly mobbed it. The bird then turned back and circled low over the pool when it became obvious it was a Curlew sandpiper. After circling the pool it gained height once again and headed off in an easterly direction. This represents the first record of Curlew Sandpiper at the site. Also of note this morning were 7 Meadow Pipit (over south), 3 Buzzard, Little Owl and 4 Greylag Geese.
L Johnson...

Sept 14.

Osprey flew west towards Coleshill at 3-40.
K Wimbush.

Sept 13th.

Hobby.

Buzzard.

Swallow juvenile.

An Osprey flew west over the pool at 11-00, 2 Hobby were commuting to and from there usuall site, 6 Buzzards circled over the north side of the pool and a Sparrowhawk over twice. On the pool 1 Common Tern, 17 Shoveler and 32 Cormorants. The finch flock to the left of the car park still holds around 30 Goldfinch, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler and just 1 Lesser Whitethroat noted today.
S Seal...

September 12th

With clear skys last night the Grey Phalarope was no where to be seen this morning. One juvenile Common Tern put in an apperrence mid morning but soon departed. Highlight was two Lesser Whitethroats, showing well feeding on berrys along the hedgeline to the west of the car park. A male Blackcap was also present in the same area and 8 Chiffchaff were scattered around the main pool. 2 Hobby and a Raven flew over all heading east. Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail were present along the river. Gadwall numbers on the pools had dropped down again to 3 birds with only 15 Shovler present. Finaly there was a notable count of Red Legged Partrige, with 7 birds noted in a ploughed field to the west of the main pool.
L Johnson...

Sept 11th.

Grey Phalarope.

Grey Phalarope.

Grey Phalarope still on the north shore this morning and showing very well. This bird has finally given its self up to photographers after days out of range, this morning it was just feet away. Two Black Terns arrived at around 10-40, and 3 Siskins flew over going south west. Their are good numbers of Swallows and Martins hawking over the water. Four Black Terns had arrived by the time i got back this afternoon, also a juvenile Arctic Tern had flown through, and the Grey Phalarope was showing very well in the afternoon sunshine.
S Seal, D Hutton, L Johnson.

Grey Phalarope collection - 10th Sept

A few of todays photo's of our current star attraction, which after days of waiting finaly gave good views

L Johnson...

September 10th

Osprey

Wheatear

Yet again another productive walk around the two pools this morning. The Grey Phalarope was still present along the northern shoreline. Upon arival a Wheatear was on the bank at the western end, by mid afternoon it was feeding in the marshy field to the west of the main pool. An Osprey flew west over the main pool at midday before drifting off towards Ladywalk. 2 Common Terns (adult and juv) were present all morning with an adult Arctic Tern flying straight through at around 11am. A Willow Tit was present along the railwayline to the north of the small pool, with Green Woodpecker, Bullfinch and Jay also around the small pool. Cormorant numbers have increased again to a total of 37, Gadwall also increased slightly to 4 birds. Shoveler numbers had however dropped this morning to 53, Mute Swans numbered 14. After an absence of a few weeks there were 2 Tree Sparrow again at the back of the sailing club, with a Whitethroat in the same hedgerow. A Grey Wagtail flew over.
L Johnson...

September 9th - Afternoon

Grey Phalarpoe still present on the north side of the res. 5 Common Tern joined the 4 Black tern at the western end and what was presumably yesterdays Teal reappeared on the southern shore
L Johnson...

September 9th

The Grey Phalarope was still present this morning, once again well away from the shoreline at the western end.

4 Black Terns (2 adult, 2 juvenile) were also present, interestingly one of the adults had only just began moulting out of summer plumage. A Hobby again tried to make a pass at the swallows and martins around the car park but was unsuccessfull. A Common Sandpiper was noted on the northern shoreline. 1 Gadwall, 1 Pochard and 2 Grey Wagtail were also present.

L Johnson...

Sept 8th.

Sand Martin.

Swallow.

A few things had cleared out overnight with only the Grey Phalarope and the 1st winter Little Gull left this morning. Other birds of note were 5 Yellow Wagatils, Hobby, Teal, R L Partridge, good numbers of Martins and Swallows, and a movement of Meadow Pipits. 34 Little Grebe were around the pool along with a good number of Great Crested aswell. 7 Greylag Geese flew south mid-morning, and the Canada flock arrived with around 300 birds. 15 Cormorants were fishing around the sailing club and 12 LBB Gulls mainly juveniles were bathing in the middle.
S Seal, L Johnson, D Hutton.

Sept 7th. Afternoon.

A selection of some of my images taken today at the pool.
S Seal.
Little Gull juvenile.

Little Gull juvenile.

Little Gull juvenile.

Black and Arctic Tern juveniles.

Arctic and Black Tern juveniles.

Black Tern juvenile.

Common Scoter drake.

Grey Phalarope.

Another cracking afternoon , arrived just after mid-day to find the Grey Pahlarope was even closer than this morning so straight into action with the camera. Also present a supporting cast of 2 1st winter Little Gulls, 1 Arctic Tern, 2 Black Terns and 4 Common Terns Yellow Wagtail, a very close Hobby , Perigrine and to finish the day off a drake Common Scoter at the eastern end. Over 65 birders visited the pool today, nice to see some many old friends and made many new ones, nice to see you all there.
S Seal, D Hutton. et al.

Sept 7th.

Grey Phalarope...photos by S Seal..




Very wet again this morning but the Grey Phalarope is still present just off the car park, not as confiding as normal Phalaropes this bird spends most of its time well away from the shore line. Also present this morning 2 Black and 2 Common Tern.
S Seal, L Johnson, D Hutton.

Sept 6th, Afternoon.

Grey Phalarope above, and a very wet looking Swallow below...Photos by D Hutton.

Another visit to the pool this afternoon proved to be very productive again, with 56 Common Terns now in also the 2 Blacks from this morning still present and the Grey Phalarope still opposite the car park. At around 2-15 an Osprey made a brief appearance as it came in from the direction of Ladywalk and drifted off low towards Coleshill. The weather is not fit to be out in but both Lee and Dave took the oppertunity to photograph the Phalarope , guys you must be mad.
S Seal, L Johnson, D Hutton.

September 6th

Another good morning at the pool this morning, if you were willing to put up with a soaking. The Grey Phalarope was still present at the western end of the pool, although it tends to stay well out from the shoreline. 5 Arctic Tern flew through mid morning, with 2 Juvenile Black Tern coming in at 10:45 and 10 Common Tern dropping in at 11:00am. A Common Sandpiper was present moving between the two pools and a Red legged Partridge was calling from a field at the western end. Shovler numbers were up again to 60, most of which had departed by the time the sailing boats came out. A high count of 26 Cormorant and a Hobby were also noted.
L Johnson, S Seal, D Hutton...

Midday: A group of 29 terns dropped into the pool, at least 8 of which were Arctic.
T Perrins, S Haynes...

September 5th

Grey Phalarope.

Grey Phalarope .

Grey Phalarope.

As Steve said there certainly was time for a sea bird to drop in...in fact two and a half hours after writing that, Pete Softley found a juvenile Grey Phalarope on the main pool, just off the car park. The bird was still present at 19:45 this evening, loosely associating with the BH gulls just past the green netting at the western end. At 19:30 a group of 5 Arctic Tern (1 adult and 4 juvenile) flew though. Also of note were 12 Gadwall, which flew in from the direction of Ladywalk, circled the pool and departed again. Shoveler numbers were down to 10. Two Hobbys were also seen at dusk.
L Johnson, S Seal, T Perrins, G Rowling et al...

Sept 5th.

With this weather front moving through i visited a very wet Shustoke this lunch time, with the anticipation of finding a sea bird. Nearby counties already have Sabines Gulls, Grey Phalaropes and Sandwich Terns , so its well worth getting wet to find something. Good numbers of Martins and Swallows were hawking low over the pool well over a 1,000 birds, House Martins being the most abundant. 51 Shoveler circled the pool several times before 17 landed and the rest flew off towards Ladywalk. Yellow Wagtail and Common Sandpiper were on the eastern shore and 27 L B B Gulls sat in the middle and 9 Cormorants were on the pontoon. Other wise its very quite, but still time for that sea bird to arrive.
S Seal...

September 3rd

There was another good count of Shovler on the main pool this morning with 12 birds present early on, all but 1 had however departed by 9.00 in the direction of Ladywalk. Other than this the pool was very quiet with 15 Cormorant the only other notable count. A single Pochard was present, but there was no sign of any Gadwall today. Even the area around the fishing pool was relativly quiet with 1 GS Woodpecker, 1 Nuthatch, 5 Chiffchaff and 3 Bullfinch.
L Johnson...

Sept 2nd

Very good for warblers around the pool today, with 16 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 5 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warbler, and 3 Whitethroat . Also noted 2 Little Owl, Hobby, 3 Buzzard, 2 Nuthatch, Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper, 4 Red-legged Partridge, 4 Treecreeper, 2 Shoveler, 37 L B B Gulls mainly all juveniles and still 3 Greylags amongst the Canada Goose flock. A large tit flock along the north edge with at least 8 Coal Tit and 5 Goldcrest amongst them.
S Seal.
Greylag Goose.

September 1st

A brief visit to the pool at 16:00, after some heavy showers. Recently ploughed fields in the area seem to be increasing the amount of gulls present over the past few days, this afternoon numbers were up again with 300+ BH Gull, 57 LBB Gull and 1 Herring Gull. Small groups of Duck were noted flying around to the west (possibly disturbed from Ladywalk or Coleshill GP), after a short time some of these groups came down on the pool, producing a total of 11 Shovler. Two Gadwall were also noted.
L Johnson...

Sept 1st.

A good start to the month when five Black-tailed Godwits flew in from the west at 10-20 this morning. They were on the ground for only a matter of seconds before being flushed by a dog walker, they flew towards the eastern end circled the pool once then flew of high to the east.This is only the second record for this species at the pool, the previous being in July 2006.

Black-tailed Godwits.

Black-tailed Godwits.

Also noted this morning were, 2 Little Owls, 2 Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Hobby, Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper, and 81 Great Crested Grebes. The eastern end of the small pool is still very productive with 4 Goldcrest, 12 Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Nuthatch, 2 Blackcap, 2 Green Woodpecker, 16 Long-tailed Tits and several Bullfinch noted.
S Seal, L Johnson.

Aug 31st.

Seen from the car park area this morning, 15 Greylag flying south, Common Sandpiper by the sailing club, 2 Hobbies over one carrying food and 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the water. The Canada Geese flock remains steady at 341 birds and still 3 Greylags with them. No Terns of any kind on the pool this morning.
S Seal...

Aug 30th Afternoon.

Black Terns still present along with, 2 Hobby, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and 6 Chiffchaff.
K Wimbush, P Forbes.

Aug 30th Sanderling.

This mornings Sanderling record is only the fifth record for the site, previous records are.
29-05-91 x3.
16-05-95 x1.
15-07-95 x1.
09-08-99 x1.
S Seal.

A further five Arctic Terns went through later on in the day.
B Duckhouse.

August 30th

Upon my arrival at the pool this morning 2 juvenile Black Terns could be seen feeding just off the car park. On my walk around the main pool a small wader was seen flying around the eastern end although the bird was too distant to identify. Just before 9 o'clock two groups of Terns dropped onto the pool, these groups totaled 21, with the majority being Arctic Tern. Both groups however departed after just 2 or 3 minutes. 10 minutes or so later 3 more juvenile Arctic terns dropped in with 3 further juvenile Black Terns. Once again the Arctics didn't hang around and flew off south after 5 minutes. Shortly after their departure a moulting adult Black Tern dropped in. This left the morning Tern total at 6 Black and at least 20 Arctic. As if this was not enough the wader that i had failed to identify earlier flew across infront of the car park, revealing its self as a Sanderling. The bird paused briefly infront of the sailing club before being losed to view, but was picked up again at 11 o'clock flying off high to the west. Other species noted this morning included Hobby, 2 Grey Heron, 5 Cormorant, 4 Greylag Geese, 25+ LBB Gull and Kingfisher.
L Johnson, S Seal...

August 29th

Common Darter.

Common Darter.

The main pool was relatively quiet this morning. Yesterdays 3 Greylag Geese were again in the Canada Goose flock. Lapwings totaled 66, along with 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Grey Heron, 3 Cormorant and 1 Gadwall. A Hobby flew low over the pool late morning. The area to the north east of the fishing lodge was again productive with 7 Bullfinch, 2 or possibly 3 Willow tit, 2 Nuthatch, 4 GS Woodpecker and 4 Goldcrest. At least 8 Chiffchaff were around the site, with the majority of these being in the north east corner. Singles of Jay and Green Woodpecker were also noted. Dragonflys seen included 5+ Brown Hawker, 3 Migrant Hawker and 1 Common Darter. The warm but cloudy weather also produced 1 Red Admiral, 1 Small Copper and 6+ Speckled Wood.
L Johnson, S Seal...

Aug 28th.

The Canada Geese flock is still increasing now upto 348 birds also 3 Greylags with them. Tufted Duck total still remains at 27, with 14 Little Grebes, 1 Pochard and 1 Gadwall. A walk around the back of the fishing cottage produced 1x Willow Tit, 5x Chiffchaff , 1x Blackcap, 1x Treecreeper, 3x Gt S Woodpecker, 2x Green Woodpecker, 5x Coal Tit, 3x Goldcrest, 1x Nuthatch . Back in the car park and a Sparrowhawk flushed a Redshank from the sailing club shoreline.
Dragonflies noted included, 4 Brown Hawkers, 8 Common Darters and 2 Southern Hawkers.
S Seal...

August 26th

Spotted Flycatcher.

Spotted Flycatcher.

Following the Spotted Flycatcher report two days ago, the area along the river to the north east of the fishing lodge and bushes around the small pool were checked thoroughly this morning. This proved to be very rewarding producing 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Willow tit, 2 Goldcrest, 5 Chiffchaff, 3 GS Woodpecker, 3 Green Woodpecker (1 juv), 13 Bullfinch, 2 Whitethroat, female Blackcap, 1 Nuthatch and 2 Treecreeper. Species noted around the main pool included 1 Hobby, 2 Cormorant, 1 Goldcrest and another Whitethroat. Canada Geese numbers increased again this morning to a total of 307.
L Johnson, S Seal...

August 25th

Willow Tit.

Willow Tit.

The Willow tit was again present along the railway line by the small pool, along with 2 Garden Warbler. Also around the site this morning were 3 Blackcap, 1 Goldcrest, 12+ LBB Gull, 1 Pochard, 1 Gadwall (drake), 1 Kingfisher, 231 Canada Geese (including 3 Greylag hybrids), 5 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron and a group of 30+ Mistle thrush to the north east of the small pool. Dragonflys included a Brown hawker and a male Southern Hawker.
L Johnson, S Seal...

Late news from 24th August: 2 Spotted Flycatcher along the river just north east of the fishing lodge

August 23rd

Yesterdays Teal was still present on the main pool, with a total of 25 Pied Wagtail, 209 Canada Geese and a Little owl. A Raven flew over the fishing lodge mid-morning. The area around the fishing lodge also held Nuthatch, Jay and the first Willow tit to be recorded at the site this year. Another quick visit at midday produced 1 Hobby and 5 Buzzard over. Butterflys noted included 1 Small Copper and 1 Red Admiral. A phone call from S Cawthray around tea time saying their was a Marsh Harrier from Ladywalk drifting over the north of the pool.
L Johnson...

August 22nd

Not much to add after Steve left this morning although Buzzard numbers increased to at least 9. A Coal tit was also present along the river. At around 13:30 a group of 50 BH Gull, 17 LBB Gull and 1 Herring Gull dropped in briefly. Butterflys included several Speckled Wood, 8 Meadow Brown and 4 Small Copper.
L Johnson...

Aug 22nd.

A steady walk around the pool this morning produced, 180 Coot, 131 Mallard, 59 Great Crested Grebe, 16 Little Grebe, 28 Tufted Duck, 1 Pochard and 1 Teal first back this year. Also 33 Canada Geese, 7 Mute Swan, 4 Moorhen, 2 Gadwall, 85 Lapwing, 2 Common Tern, 1 Common Sandpiper, 13 Bullfinch in one bush, 2 Buzzard, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Nuthatch, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Jay, 4 Cormorant, 20+ Swallow and 40+ House Martins.
S Seal, L Johnson.

Aug 19th afternoon.

Three Black Terns still present , also Peregrine, Common Tern and Common Sandpiper.
J Harris.

Aug 19th.

A record shot of one of the three Black Terns present on the pool this morning. The birds are staying in the centre of the pool making it very difficult for photography.
Black Tern.

Black Tern.

The three Black Terns were still present this morning, along with 2 x Little Owls, 3 x Red-legged Partridge, 1 x Common Sandpiper, still around 75 x Lapwing, 2 x Chiffchaff, 1 x Willow Warbler, 1 x Blackcap and 7 x Swift .
S Seal, D Hutton, L Johnson.

Aug 18th.

Viewed from the car park this morning, 3x Black Terns all adults , Buzzard , Little Owl and 3 x LBB Gulls.
S Seal, D Hutton.

Aug 17th.

On arrival at the pool this morning around 10-30 there were just 6 Common Terns sitting on the bouys just off the car park , when at 10-40 a flock of 33 birds came in from the north circled the pool twice, and moved off high to the south. Other birds of note , 2x Common Sandpipers, 2x Buzzards, 75x Lapwing and a Hobby.
S Seal.
Late news from Wednesday.
Goldeneye (female).
Part of the flock of 33 Common Terns.

There was a good number of Lesser Black Backed Gulls today at the pool, mainly adults with a small number of juveniles. This juvenile was photographed close to the shore at the western end .
Lesser B B Gull (juv).

Lesser B B Gull (juv).

Lesser B B Gull (juv).

August 17th

With good numbers of Black Terns around in the rest of the country and some in the Midlands, I headed down to the res this afternoon in the hope that there would be some present. However there were none to be seen but the heavy showers around did produce 10 Common Tern (including 1 juvenile) and a count of 83 Lesser black backed Gull. Also present were 2 Gadwall and 2 Common sandpiper. A Raven flew over the western end of the main pool at around 5pm, this represents the first record for this species at the site this year.
L Johnson...

Aug 15th.

One of the Little Owls was showing reasonably well early this morning, also noted 3x Common Tern and 1x Common Sandpiper .
S Seal.
Late News from yesterday.
8x Common Sandpipers dropped in during last nights storm, but must have moved on again during the night.
P Forbes.
Little Owl.

Little Owl.

August 15th

No sign of the Redstart or the B N Grebe this morning. The area seemed very quiet today with 2 Little Owl, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Treecreeper, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 (male) Blackcap, 2 Pochard, 1 Gadwall, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Common Tern and 8+ Buzzard the only species of note. Numbers of Lapwing continue to increase daily with 77 birds counted this morning.
L Johnson...

Aug 14th. (Redstart).

While on the phone to Lee a female Redstart flew from the hedgerow in front of me and landed about 20yds away. It started calling then flew into a nearby oak tree, were it spent the next couple of hours fly catching from the canopy. This is only the third record for the pool the other two being in April 1988, and April 2000. Bob soon joined me and we had good views as it kept flying between the hedgerow and the tree. Other birds of note were, 2x Common Sandpipers, 2x Common Terns, 49x Lapwing, 3x R L Partridge , but no sign of the B N Grebe.
S Seal.

August 14th

Another very brief check of the pool this morning produced 2 Common Sandpiper and 2 Common Tern. Numbers of Black headed gulls have been building up over the past few weeks, with at least 50 birds present at 11am. There was no sign of the B N Grebe this morning, although it has occasionally dissapeared for short periods during its stay, so could well be still around.
L Johnson...

Aug 12th.

12 Arctic Terns went through at 19-30 this evening.
K Wimbush.
Black-necked Grebe still present.

Late news from yesterday 1 x Green Sandpiper.
P Forbes.

August 11th

A brief walk around the main pool this morning produced 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Common Tern, 3 Cormorant, 1 Little Owl, 7+ Buzzard and 1 Hobby as well as the juvenile Black necked grebe. Also of note was an increase in Lapwing numbers, with 32 birds present this morning (compared to a highest count of 10 in recent weeks).
L Johnson...

Aug 10th.

One of the pools resident Little Owls was showing reasonably well this morning, these secrative little birds are seldom seen, although in poor light i took opportunity for a photo.
Little Owl.

Possibly due to failure of the first nest this Little Grebe is building again and using the green bouys and netting as support .
Little Grebe.

Little Grebe.

Little Grebe.

The juvenile B N Grebe was forced down into the bottom corner this morning by the sailing boats and gave a rare chance for some photos , the bird was not seen at all yesterday and was thaught to have gone. It has now been present for ten days.
Black-necked Grebe (juv).