Sunday 14 October 2012

Eccleston Mere

Lesser Redpoll 2
Jackdaw 200
Buzzard 1
Siskin 2
Goldfinch 60
Grey Wagtail 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1


The finch flock was a beautiful sight at the SW corner of the mere, they were all feeding low down on a smallish Alder tree and the sunlight hit them perfectly. Jackdaws have roosted on the island for years, but you need to be there at dawn or dusk to fully experience them.


It was a beautiful start to the day at Eccleston Mere. I'm not sure if it's a deliberate policy, but the woodland at the southern end of the mere is more or less perminantly flooded these days, which is rapidly killing off all of the trees (mainly Sycamore and Alder) and the rhododendron. Willow Tits are one species which seem to have benefited in recent years and it looks good for woodpeckers, but what the long term future of the woodland is I'm not sure. At least watching a new habitat develop adds a bit of interest to a site which I have visited many hundreds of times over the past 23 years. Stops me getting bored!

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