March 2010 - Fairburn Ings RSPB

Sunday 21st: It's been 10 years since I last visited Fairburn Ings. Yes it was 2000. I and Neil (now in Dawlish) went up there. Well Neil, today I traced the exact same route we took around the lake as we did 10 years ago. Unfortunately no Sand Martins or Swallows, too early in the season but I expect to get another visit or two in this year. The layout of the Reserve is basically the same but with modernised facilities, such as the car park! Late March and just seen my first Daffodils of the year anywhere, so I had to photograph them for posterity!

The highlight for me was seeing a male Goldeneye accompanied by two female Goldeneyes. He looks resplendent in all white with black highlights. This photo doesn't do him justice, it is a severely cropped long-range image. In my scope the detail was just fantastic and so elegant to see.

Other highlights were the male and female Bullfinches, my first of the year! The male always looks good in his red suit and black head. Unfortunately the photographer again didn't do him justice.

A fair few Tree Sparrows were about and I got some great views at the feeding station where I counted 11 but I suspect there was many more! Also there were Blue Tits, a male Great Tit along with Dunnocks and a Pheasant pair. Elsewhere there were Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Cormorants, plenty of Mallards and Mute Swans with Teal and Tufted Ducks with one lone Black Swan.

Later I wandered over to the Lin Dyke hide which was more a drive in the car about a mile up the road. Here were loads of Lapwing, Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Shelduck, Shoverlers and 3 Redshanks. But peering through my scope, I'm sure I saw two little Egrets. And the biggest surprise was counting fifty-odd Cormorants (or were they Crows, heck I'm not sure now) all perched in leafless trees alongside the lake!