A late afternoon visit today and a walk from the hide, or at least where the hide used to be as it was missing when I turned up! No great loss as it was in a bad state or repair and you couldn't actually see anything from it anyway. I followed the water's edge up as far as the car park and then back again. here was very little on the water but at the car park a Kingfisher whizzed by. Pick of the day was a very obliging Water Rail that was seen just south of the car park for a few minutes before finally vanishing in to the vegetation. This was the first Water Rail I'd seen at SBR for years and was by far the best views I'd had here. A single Chiffchaff was feeding in the willows under which the rail was skulking.
Back toward the southern end a flock of eleven Teal flew by looking nervous and upon scanning the pylons I realised why as a Peregrine was perched atop one of them plucking its dinner! Overhead a single Meadow Pipit and small numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings passed by. An adult and juvenile Mute Swan were also present.
A follow-up trip on Sunday morning was much less productive, though the Peregrine was again noted. I concentrated on the southern end where a couple of Teal and five Wigeon were seen. A large flock of Woodpigeons suddenly took to the air and must have numbered at least three hundred birds, quite a site!
Among the trees a feeding flock of birds contains a couple of Treecreepers and a Coal Tit as well as several Goldcrests and a few Redwing. I failed to find anything unusual amongst the commoner birds today though.
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