Eakring Bird news
December 2009
Featuring news and sightings from Eakring
 
December 2nd
A site record of four Water Rail were calling at Eakring Flash late afternoon/early evening, with the female Shoveler still with 54 Mallard. A Pied Wagtail roost held at least 40 birds.
     
December 5th
Small numbers of migrants going through first thing, including 12 Siskin south-east and 20 Starling south-west. Still at least three Water Rail calling at Eakring Flash and a Marsh Tit at Eakring Meadows was notable.
     
December 12th
Two female Shoveler, two Tufted Duck (first of the year) 50+ Mallard and eight Teal at Eakring Flash this afternoon. Common Buzzards included singles at Eakring Flash, Leyfields and Eakring Meadows.
     
December 13th
Three Wigeon on Eakring Flash till they flew off south-west, were the best birds of the morning. Colder weather meant that 67 Herring Gull and 30 Great Black-backed Gull flew high south-west.
     
December 19th
Gulls clearly on the move this morning, with numerous flocks and small groups of Black-headed Gulls going west. Among them were much smaller numbers of Common Gull, but the only large gulls were small numbers of Herring Gull. The morning's final total of moving species' was 298 Black-headed Gull west, 29 Common Gull west, 18 Herring Gull south-west, seven Snipe and 37 Lapwing west.
     
December 20th
Much increased cold weather movement this morning with the main species involved being Lapwing and Golden Plover and both Herring and Great Black-backed Gull. Golden Plover were moving from soon after light and numerous small flocks continued to move through most of the morning. Lapwing were slower to get moving, but eventually an almost continuous stream of flocks were going through.

Full totals included 106 Herring Gull and a record 99 Great Black-backed Gull south-west, 80 Black-headed Gull south-west, six Meadow Pipit west, 68 Sky Lark south-west and south, seven Redwing south, 269 Golden Plover south-west, 656 Lapwing west and 17 Snipe west.

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Other birds in the Eakring Flash area included a Green Sandpiper along The Beck and a Water Rail calling at the southern-end of the well frozen Eakring Flash.
     
December 26th
Further cold weather movement was again detectable this morning, with counts of 27 Sky Lark south-west and south-east, five Meadow Pipit west, 41 Redwing south and west, 12 Fieldfare south, small numbers of both Yellowhammer and Lesser Redpoll. Moving gulls (probably associated with the conditions included 80 Herring Gull south and south-west, a new record count of 105 Great Black-backed Gull south and south-west, nine Common Gull south-west and 105 Black-headed Gull south-west.

At Eakring Flash the small area of ice-free water held two Mute Swan, 18 Teal and 18 Mallard. Virtually all of the ducks were flushed at one point, but then 32 Teal flew back in later.

     
December 31st
An extremely quiet morning to end 2009. There was no large gull movement at all today and only a handful of Common Gull in the area and four Black-headed Gull west. Three Common Buzzards were in the Eakring Meadows area, with one at Eakring Flash early morning.
 
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