HIGHLIGHTS:
Barn Owl - 1
Whooper Swan - circa 250
Bewick's Swan - 10
Mute Swan - 30
Pinkfeet - 10
Pochard - about 40
Northern Lapwing - 2000
Grey Heron - 2
Merlin - 1
Kestrel - 2
Sparrowhawk - 1
Marsh Harrier - 1
Impressive scenes during the bird feeding at 15:30!!! Mallards scrapping with Pochards over the food, likewise with the Mutes, Bewick's and Whoopers and Coots hoovering up what remained!
MOMENT OF FRUSTRATION: Texted Paul French in a great deal of feverish excitement as I saw a well-photographed Bar-headed Goose was on the reserve. Thinking I'd got a right humdinger of a lifer, sent the text only to receive a reply a minute later saying 'you can't count that'. I asked why not, and he said it was an escape.
Cue one wounded birder banging her head against a table in semi-comic frustration because Lifer 184 had gone kaput! Then, about an hour later, I was discussing the merits of adding Bar-headed Goose to the Life List with a reasonably elderly birdwatcher close to their Reedbed Hide. He said that nearly all Barhead escapes have ID rings on their legs but this one didn't. He showed me his photo of it and sure enough, it was ring-less. He said that was good enough evidence for him to add it to his life list.
Can I have a Semi-lifer?
