Hornsea Mere & Wassand 1

A pair of Goldeneye

Roe Deer
Record shot of Goldcrest

Bean Goose

Herring Gull

Black-headed Gull

Not yet ready to display its new chocolate head!

Another windy day, but not as bad as yesterday. We immediately shared cars to Wassand to try & avoid the strong winds. One of the best birds in the morning was a female Goosander identified by Liz, but other interesting species included the large number of Goldeneye (20+), and 4 Herons in & around one willow tree (3 were there in the afternoon). There was some woodpecker activity with at least 2 chasing each other in the afternoon, but at no time did we see the mythical Lesser-Spotted, or the fairly recently-arrived Green Woodpecker. Another morning highlight was the above Goldcrest, which was very confiding, but typically with this species, is a very difficult subject for a clear picture. In the afternoon we were all pleased to spot a Jay, and Mike S located 2 Roe Deer hinds, one of which is pictured above. There were 2 pairs of Gadwall on the Wassand Pond – a first, this has been the preserve of Mallard & Moorhens up to this point. Back at the Mere there was no sign of the Bean Goose reported yesterday, but I did manage to snatch a photo on a previous visit a couple of weeks ago. The Herring Gulls back at the car park looked immaculate in their new summer dress; whereas some Black-headed Gulls have yet to undergo the complete transformation. However, they do look quite elegant when their flight is frozen and the white triangle on the leading edge to the wing – so helpful in winter identification – shows up well in one of the pictures.