Brandon Marsh 4/11/19🍁

☁️10C ~ Wind ⇐ E@7mph  Monday 4th November 2019 ~ Arrived at Brandon Marsh just after 10am and took a clockwise route passed the windpump, through New Hare Covert and on to Wright Hide.

It was a bright but cloudy start with a light easterly breeze and for the first hour some good visible migration. Plenty of Redwings on the move, along with (18) Fieldfare, (11) Skylarks, (3) Siskin and (1) Lesser Redpoll. A definite increase in Robins, Blackbirds and Goldcrests with (5) noted of the latter before I reached the hide.

Record shot of drake Red-crested Pochard

From the Wright Hide a pair of Red-crested Pochards, my first for the site this year, Pochard pair and single Pintail and♀Goldeneye. Also of note circa 75 Wigeon.

Green Sandpipers at Carlton Hide

From the Wright Hide, I made my way around to the John Walton, Carlton and Ted Jury Hides, which, with the paths once again flooded out, was a real effort with the water almost above welly height! A surprise at the Carlton with a couple of Green Sandpipers feeding on top of the Crassula helmsii (New Zealand pygmy weed), which once again has almost devoured the pool.

Increase in Blackbird numbers today

Also of note today: (2) Migrant Hawker (3) Common Darter, (4) Little Grebe, (1) Snipe, (2) Kingfisher, (3) Common Gull and what looks like Friday's Caspian Gull back on East Marsh Pool. Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler both heard, plus two noisy Ravens overhead the car park heading SW on my departure.