Martin Mere WWT - 26th October 2006

GREY HERRON ABOVE SHOT WITH THE LUMIX BELOW THE PENTAX

Our first visit of the season to Martin Mere to see the Pinkfooted come in and hopefully catch something new amongst them. There was report of a Lesser Canada whilst we were there but as usual we were somewhere else (feeding our faces) and by the time we got back to the Swan Link Hide it had moved on.
We did see the reported Little Owl though whoever spotted it must have had a good eye as it was just a dot in my scope on full zoom! Raptors around included 4 Buzzard, 2 Peregrine, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk, none near enough to get a decent shot of.

ABOVE LAPWING BELOW RUFF BOTH TAKEN WITH THE LUMIX

BELOW RUFF TAKEN WITH THE PENTAX

Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Shoveller, Pochard, Shellduck, Whooper Swan and Greylag were scattered accross the reserve in various numbers and Reece managed a Stonechat from the Ron Barker Hide. The only waders we saw were the usual Lapwing and a few Ruff.

ABOVE PART OF THE LARGE FLOCK OF PINKFOOT BELOW WHOOPER SWAN AND ECLIPSE WIGEON

BELOW PINKFOOTED GOOSE TAKEN WITH THE PENTAX

Walking between the hides we spotted the usual Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, the usual Tit flocks, Wren, Blackbird, Robin and Dunnock.

BELOW A WREN TAKEN WITH THE LUMIX

A late lifer for Reece as we left along Curlew Lane was 10 Grey Partridge moving across one of the fields.