I visited Woolston Eyes this morning with Owen Parsons and Dan Brown, hoping to see a male Ferruginous duck that had been present all week.
The general consensus was that this was the same bird that had returned from last year. We arrived at 8:30 AM, but there was no sign, despite our efforts and those of over thirty other birdwatchers on the reserve searching for it.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed a good walk around the reserve and saw a variety of species. Spring had definitely arrived, chiffchaffs and Willow tits were singing and a Toad was seen on the footpath.
One of my favourite species had also returned to the reserve, the black necked grebe, they return here yearly to breed, and eleven birds were seen.
Other birds of note were:
Jay
Lapwing
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Brambling
A great mornings birding even though we didn't see the Ferruginous duck.