For our April meeting we decided to pay a visit to an RSPB Reserve that we hadn't visited before, in this case Rye Meads, near Hoddesdon.
The weather was fine and dry and we had a very enjoyable walk around the reserve, visiting a number of hides and pausing regularly to try to identify the many species from their birdsong.
From a timing point of view, our visit was probably between the peaks of winter visitors and summer visitors, but we still managed to see, hear and identify an impressive list of species (see below).
Perhaps one of the highlights of the visit was seeing a pair of Red-crested Pochards which seem to be much less common than the usual Pochard species.
We completed our visit with a picnic lunch in the sunshine.
After positive feedback from our group members I'm sure we will be visiting Rye Meads again, next time perhaps to view winter visiting species later in the year.
Species List:
Grey Heron
Dunnock
Mallard (male & female)
Wren
Little Egret
Lapwing
Coot
Canada Goose
Pied Wagtail
Gadwall
Shoveller (male & female)
Wood Pigeon
Black-headed Gull
Moorhen
Magpie
Cormorant
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Mute Swan
Red-crested Pochard (male & female)
Buzzard
Little Grebe
Teal
Great Tit
Red Kite
Robin
Greylag goose
Chiffchaff
Cetti's Warbler - heard
Blackcap - heard
Blackbird
Many thanks to Liz for her record keeping on this occasion.
A small gallery of images from our visit is shown below, although on this occasion many of the birds were photographed from quite a distance. (Photos provided by Fred and Ian.)
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Please note that the Copyright for each of the photographs displayed on this page and any/all sub-pages remains with the original photographer who is/was a member of the Witham & District (Essex) u3a Birdwatching Group at the time of posting.
All rights reserved.
If you are interested in joining the group or would like further information, please Click on the 'Coordinator' link on the Birdwatching Group Home Page.
