Thursday 18 February 2016

February walk to the Ouse washes

Last weekend had a nice walk with my local RSPB Group to the Ouse Washes. Started off well with lots of birds around the trees in the carpark with a nice flock of Goldfinch and a Treecreepr showed it self briefly. Headed to the vistor centre where lots of birds where around the feeders with good number of Tree and House Sparrows and mixed finches around with a single Redpoll seen.

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One of the many Tree Sparrows
Then walked up to the sluice where we headed left where there where a few hides where we had views of Whooper Swans out on the water along with Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard and a nice Little Grebe. Across the water on the far side we were lucky enough to find a pair of cranes feeding before the flew and circled to the right as well as a nice Shelduck was seen with a group of Mute Swans. Along the path by the River Ouse we had good views across to the where a lot of the Whooper Swans where feeding with a few Starlings and Reed Bunting with them and we also found a pair of Stonechats which unusually where both female and a brief view of a Green Woodpecker.

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Green Woodpecker by the path
We then headed back to the sluice and walked along the right side where we had some closeer views of the Whooper Swans which were feeding in a field with Lapwings, Fieldfares and flock of over 200 Linnets. While watching this suddenly the Cranes reappeared and fly over giving some great views. Furthered along in one of the hides had a pair of Snipe along one of the Washes bank which seemed to appear from noway before vanished back into the grass.
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Feeding Whooper Swans

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Flyover cranes

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Then ended the walk with some nice views of a pair of Great-spotted Woodpecker druming around a telegraph pole in the car park.

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Great-spotted Woodpecker
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Pair of Great-spotted Woodpecker together
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