November 27th 2008

Draycote Water was dull and overcast with a strong south west wind especially early afternoon with the odd light shower. Finally caught up with the recently elusive Red-necked Grebe off toft bank with the female Common Scoter nearby and on the opposite north bank a female Mandarin Duck sitting under trees on the north shore 200 yards east of lin croft point with a few Teal and a 100+ Tufted Duck. I still think they are plastic even though they are on the British list so this Mandarin was my 13th record involving 14 birds but I have not seen a male here since 1996. The female Smew was difficult to see in the choppy waters off lin croft point and was reported later in rainbow corner and toft bay so very mobile. The two farborough bank Great-northern Divers were fishing together just off the platforms and the other two were off draycote bank between inlet and valve tower. Also off farborough bank were 3 Curlew near the farm house and the female Merlin was perched though distant on the farms entrance road fence before it flew towards sewage farm and toft bay. Toft shallows early afternoon was extremely busy with a roving tit flock involving 45 Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit, Goldcrest 3, Treecreeper 2 and also in the same area were Great-spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail 14 Siskin, female Brambling, 8 Bullfinch and Kingfisher. Other birds seen were the first winter Shag, female Ruddy Duck, 23 Goosander, 25 Pochard and Green Woodpecker 4.
Bike ride home was productive with Raven over Dunchurch, Lesser Redpoll 4 in Waring Way, Dunchurch and Nuthatch in Cock Robin plantation. The garden feeders have been pretty quiet recently and late afternoon only Coal Tit was the most notable bird present.

Richard