Sunday 8th March 2015

Sightings today from Dave Makinson and myself, highlights were the first Linnet and Corn Bunting returning to breeding areas and an extremely rare sighting of a Water Rail.

Stoneybeck Lake - 14 Shelduck, 6 Wigeon, 5 Pochard, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Redshank and singing Skylark.

Castle Lake - 7 Shelduck, 3 Pochard, 2 Little Grebe,  Great Crested Grebe pair displaying,  2 Cormorant, 1 Kestrel, 15+ Oystercatcher, 1 Dunlin, 6 Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 5+ Skylark, 10+ Linnet, 4 Corn Bunting with one singing.

Alan's Pool - 10 Tufted Duck, 1 Little Grebe and 1 Water Rail seen briefly on three separate occasions. (At last I've seen my bogey bird, after nearly eight years and four hundred visits this was my first sighting of a Water Rail in the Bishop Middleham area).

A1 Flashes - 6 Shoveler, 2 Grey Heron and 2 3w Lesser Black-backed Gull's.

Some photo's from today;

The Greylag x Swan Goose hybrid at Castle Lake.

Two of the four Corn Bunting.

First Dunlin of the year.