An interesting few days at the flash

9th November is the anniversary of the penduline tit at the flash and although this week has not produced anything close to such a rarity, it's still been an interesting period and not least today. 

I was about halfway down Sandy Lane on my way to Green Lane when two cattle egrets flew low over the road. They didn't appear to have come from or be going to the flash and judging by their flight it appeared to be a local movement rather than a flight of passage, almost as if they were just jumping the road. I walked the fields between Sorrowcow farm and Liptrot farm but could find no further sign of them during the duration of my visit.

At Mossley Hall farm I was watching the family party of four Egyptian geese when I noticed a couple of dunlin flying over in the direction of the boat club. Sadly there was disturbance there from dogs and people so presumably they just carried on since there is currently no other shoreline anywhere at the flash.

I was surprised to hear a chiffchaff singing in the woods behind East Bay reedbed today. Quite a strong song, not just a feeble effort as is sometimes the case at this time of year. Of course chiffchaffs are not uncommon in winter these days, though I personally have no records of birds overwintering at the flash, and this is the latest record I have of a singing bird from anywhere in the UK.

The Egyptian geese have been at the flash for just over three weeks and are still very wary. I once saw them on the car park very early one morning but they soon left when people started to arrive, and on Wednesday this week they were briefly at the boat club before returning to Mossley Hall farm. I'm certain that these birds do not originate from some local ornamental pond, it wouldn't surprise me if they are genuine wanderers from the feral population in south east England.

There's been a nice flock of lesser redpolls on the canal bank near Ramsdales all week, I've counted at least 15 birds. It's a few years since I saw this many at the flash.

Teal have been displaying in front of Tom Edmondson's hide all week.