Scrape Sorting at Big Waters

Saturday and off up to Big Waters as the new scrape needed a bit of a haircut.  Before we started though I arrived a bit early with John A for a bit of a look round.  On the way in we had a Buzzard and a Goldcrest with a lot of birds flying around although no pictures as everything was tucked away in bags.  We did bump into a stranger who we hadn't seen for a while, John B, who was just leaving.  Into the hide and Malcolm (the Roofer) was already happily ensconced in the favoured photographic seat.  Plenty on the lake with some large numbers as well, the Black-necked Grebe was still there, 19 Pochards, 25 Canadas, about a dozen Greylags, 11 Coots, 40+ Swans, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Cormorants, 9 Little Grebes, lots of Mallards, Wigeon into double figures and a few Teal dotted around.  In the feeding station we managed another 3 Goldcrests, 11 Long Tailed Tits, 3 Sedge Warblers, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, lots of Tree Sparrows including 3 quite young looking ones.

Allan F  arrived then Alan J and Graeme B and we set off to the New Scrape.  We worked solid for 3 hours with the odd break although Graeme B worked more "solider".  The scrape is definitely looking great, plenty of mud and even as we worked 5 Curlews did an about turn as they flew over and checked it out, obviously only declining as they had spotted Alan J in the open.  A few pics from the day.

A Hurricane and a Spitfire came over the pond heading for the airport, probably for the Great North Run tomorrow as one of the Red Arrows planes came in a little bit later on.

We went back to the hide although Alan and Graeme decided to give the avenue in the reeds a bit of a clean out and no sooned had they finished and got back to the hide then a young Water Rail stuck its head out for a little while