Hawkridge Reservoir, Shapwick Heath & Catcott Lows - Sun 3 Feb

A morning to myself today and I headed up to Bridgwater and Hawkridge Reservoir to see the long-staying Ring-Necked Duck that by all accounts was a simple tick...only it wasn't. Despite scouring every inch of this small reservoir I could only find fourteen Tufted Ducks. In fact there was not much else about at all, though five Bullfinches flew over. So I decided to pop in to Durleigh Reservoir in case the bird had relocated. As it turned out later in the day, it had relocated but not to Durleigh, instead just up the road to Ashford Reservoir...which I hadn't checked!
So with the day starting with a major failure I drove back down to Shapwick Heath NR and made the somewhat treacherous walk out to the Decoy Hide (the path was so muddy!). Getting to the hide a had a good scan over the water and was beginning to think this really wasn't my day until the pair of Smew flew in and landed on the water in front of me. Unfortunately they didn't hang around but simply swam quickly out of sight never to be seen again, or at least not by me!

A Cetti's Warbler put on a nice show just outside the hide window but again there was not much else about.
I walked back to the car and then followed the drove westwards until I reached the eastern end of Catcott Lows. From here I picked out a Great White Egret and Whooper Swan, both showing well, if a little distant.

A Kingfisher did a couple of fly-bys and several Fieldfare passed over heading north. Other birds of note included a Raven, a single Snipe and a female Stonechat...and that concluded the morning out as I returned home for lunch.