14th December 2019
Made a visit to Walcot Park, late this afternoon, hoping that maybe an egret sp might come into roost on one of the small islands. As soon as we arrived, Jo found this Great White Egret!
This morning we had a drive up to the Long Mynd from Church Stretton where were staying at the Moment. At Pole Cottage, I wasn’t expecting to see over 50 Brambling with 100+Chaffinch feeding just under the few Beech Trees that are there. I also wasn’t expecting to see a Nuthatch up there as well but there it was moving from fence post to fence post. We continued south over the top of the Mynd and drove towards the Bucknell area and did a circle towards Clun. We did a small detour on the way to Stokesay Castle where there was one of the Little Egret still present. Raptors were all over the shop with Red Kite in the skies where ever you looked. We also saw Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Buzzard and a Peregrine put on a good show perched in a quarry.
8 of the 50+Brambling feeding under Beech at Pole Cottage, Long Mynd
We observed this male Peregrine for a good twenty minutes near Bucknell. The falcon wasn’t all that close and perched on a branch coming out from the cliff face.
I remember seeing my first Red Kite in Salop near Oswestry in ’89. Then it was a county rarity with maybe one or two records a year. Today we must of seen well over 30 just driving around the area.
It was now getting late and after a look around the center of Clun, I thought that it might be a good idea to check out Walcot Pool which is a ten minute drive away. As there has been a Great White Egret in the area, but site suppressed for access reasons maybe, I was thinking that it’s probably roosting at the pool and we might be lucking seeing it come in or maybe another egret sp. While I was scanning through the 30 Mute Swan on the water for a wild swan, I have seen Bewick’s Swan and Common Scoter on here in the very few visits I’ve made, Jo says ‘Is that an egret down there?’ She was pointing to the right from where the swans were and on the waters edge, was a bloody Great white Egret! Ideal! We observed it for ten minutes before moving on. There were also 3 Little Grebe and 5 Grey Heron nearby.
We ended the day where we started, on top of the Long Mynd and managed to see 2 Red Grouse fly low across the road in the headlights of the car and over 200 Golden Plover came into roost just south of Pole Cottage.
Maybe it was a good idea getting to Walcot Park to see if a Great White Egret might come into roost but to damn dark for photography. This is only my fourth GWE for Salop with the last only last winter at Wall Farm.
We must of seen 15+Bullfinch on the side of the roads while driving today and this was the only individual that showed well enough to gert a record shot as it was almost dark
Blackbird and Pied Wagtail taken by Jo
Yesterday, a quick look at Prisorlee Lake produced the 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull and at Trench Pool, the same adult Yellow-legged Gull that was at the pre-roost at the same site two nights ago. Note the beady eye.
Also had a pair of Stonechat in fields just south of Shifnal
SCILLYSPIDER 2 