After one of the wettest Januarys, February has started with more of the same until today when a much quieter, brighter forecast was on offer.
The west side footpath from the castle northwards was so flooded you'd need wellies to reach the park benches and inside WWT the pumps were working full time.
The silt removal from the front pond seems complete and all the entrance reeds have been cut down so no Reed Warblers here in the summer!
Rather busier than usual with this weeks free entry due to World Wetlands Day.
The two Peregrines were soaring above the restaurant when I sat down disturbing a handful of Lapwing - over 100 were present later. Geese totalled 130+ mostly Greylags but including the regular four Cackling/Barnacle hybrids.
The scrape was birdless due to cutting and burning but the main pool held plenty of Teal and Shoveler, three Pochards and a single Pintail. Snipe were about 25 in the usual place and about 15 Cattle Egrets were flying over the river.
A brief fly past of one Kingfisher into the sun was just a tiny black shape zipping past just inches off the water and it or another heard a couple of more times later.
Nice to meet up with GK and wife for the first time since well before Covid and also Lizzie although very sad to hear that Sam had left for pastures new a while back; it'll take them a long time to replace her expertise and enthusiasm.
Small birds were pretty absent although I think I could hear one or two Firecrests but drowned out by either people noise or the pump.
At least eight Buzzards were overhead intent on playing on the wind on such a nice almost spring-like day.
Snowdrops were just flowering.
A very brief visit two days ago in the rain to QECP prior to bank visit saw the pond, leaking since it was installed a couple of years back, now being redone, hopefully better than last time. It will be interesting to see what might have survived this work come the summer.
