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Our first rarities were a party of 4 Whooper
Swans which have been resident on the reserve
for several weeks, but will no doubt shortly be
returning to their breeding ground in the Artic
Circle.
Before we reached the Layer Breton Causeway, we
stopped to obtain close views of a flock of over
100 Golden Plover feeding in a pasture.
From the Layer Breton Causeway magnificant views
of Tree-nesting Sawbills - Goosander were had
by all. Over a dozen birds of both sexes were
present. One representative of their much
smaller Icelandic cousins was also present - a
female Smew. Their spouses rarely occur at
Abberton preferring to winter further north.
Perhaps the rarest birds of the day were the
pair of Redcrested Pochard spotted by the reeds.
The male with his striking orange head was
quite easy to see even from a distance, but his
dowdy mate was difficult to find even with a
X 40 telescope. Abberton Reservoir is probably
the only regular wintering ground for this
species in the UK.
Many other more common water birds were seen,
some at very close range. Despite the inclement
weather, most people voted the meeting a
complete success.
IAN MISSELBROOK