Wet, Wet, Wet [Lands]

Green Woodpecker (c) 2010 Tony Robinson

Well actually, some of the lakes of North Cave Wetlands were still completely covered with ice, but it has started to de-frost a little after the big freeze. In South Hide we saw one Snipe, several Redshank and the usual wildfowl species. There were quite a few Lapwing, estimates began at 30+, but Phil counted them, and assures me there were 96! Carp Lake and the one next to it were ice-bound, but we did see Redpoll & Bullfinches in the alders at the back, plus plenty of Goldfinches & Chaffinches. Near Reedbed Lake a Stoat was seen in the morning, whilst in the afternoon good views of a Green Woodpecker were seen here. On the lake itself was a female Goldeneye, which is slightly-out-of-the ordinary for this site. One Yellowhammer flew out of the Maize Field with a charm of Goldfinches, and at least 3 Reed Buntings were in this area. Another Snipe was seen from Turret Hide, and there were a few of the usual suspects, but quantities of all species were still lower than normal. It was noted that there didn’t appear to be any Grebes on the site at all! A Grey Wagtail was on the new workings adjacent to Angela’s Café at lunch time. This was the last session this week, as Friday was a complete washout in these parts!