Shustoke Reservoir.

Another trip to Shustoke Reservoir, where it was another one of those days that felt like it was Spring. Birds spotted were, Mealy Redpoll, Treecreper, Nuthatch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Wren, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin, Starling, Song Thrush, Redwing, Pied Wagtail, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Pheasant (cock), Lapwing, Wigeon, Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Canada Goose and Cormorant. It was great to see a small flock of Mealy Redpoll feeding on some Alder seeds, with it being overcast, you could see them and their colours perfectly. On the far end of the reservoir there were plenty Great Crested Grebe, upwards of fifty, it's just a pity they don't breed very well there, unfortunately there is nowhere suitable for them and most of the eggs are lost or the chicks drown, what with it being windy, the boats and no suitable places for securing a nest, if you get a handful of chicks a year, they're lucky, which is a real shame, it would be great to see the reservoir awash with Great Crested Grebe chicks. There were plenty of Song Thrush about again, singing or foraging in the undergrowth and grass looking for a tasty worm or two. There was also twenty of more Redpoll in the horses field, also foraging for worms and the like, it might be the last time I see them for a while or maybe they'll stick around for a while longer being as it's pretty mild. The only other wildlife seen was a horse in the field, which enjoyed my gift of an apple, and there was also plenty of rabbits about, I saw one them looking rather confused where a fence has been newly erected, cutting them off from one of the fields, I needn't have worried because it promptly disappeared down a hole and reappeared the other side to join up with the other rabbits.