5
Bird Group Meeting to Hanningfield Reservoir, 23rd August 1998
Three members of the Field Club met at the reserve on a day that began dry and stayed
that way to the end of the meeting in the afternoon. We started by watching a female
Garganey at close quarters opposite the warden's hut. This was certainly our best view yet
of this rather secretive duck. Other ducks seen included two Pintail and two female Red
crested pochard amongst the more usual inhabitants.
Waders were few in number including some Lapwings and a single Common sandpiper.
Migrants were still to be seen, and we recorded Common terns, Swallows and House
martins over the water, with a fleeting glimpse of a Chiff-chaff/Willow warbler in the
woodland which was too brief to see its leg colour. We were surprised at the large number
of herons standing around, collectively known as a sedge of herons.
On returning from the bird hides where we had seen large numbers, if not a great variety
of birds, we met the warden, Claire Cadman, who told us that Stan Hudgell had just
found some interesting plants on a bank of top soil cleared from the temporary car park
and laid along the edge of the field. We went to admire the rare sight of Corn cockle
Agrostemma githago and Purple bugloss Echium plantagineum in full bloom. Presumably
the seeds had lain dormant from days of previous cultivation as it seems unlikely that
someone had scattered the seeds deliberately.
Birds recorded
Great crested grebe
Little grebe
Cormorant
Grey heron
Mute swan
Canada goose
Greylag goose
Mallard
Gadwall
Pintail
Teal
Garganey
Shoveller
Red crested pochard
Tufted duck
Pochard
Moorhen
Coot
Lapwing
Common sandpiper
Lesser black-backed gull
Black-headed gull
Common tern
Wood pigeon
Swallow
House martin
Pied wagtail
Common crow
Willow warbler/Chiffchaff
Blue tit
Great tit
Long tailed tit
Ruddy duck
NB The Paglesham meeting on 24th October 1998 was abandoned due to persistant heavy rain.
Tony and Judith Boniface
----------------------------- Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 28, February 1999----------------------------