A glorious cold but sunny day tempted me out late morning to EWT Brookes Reserve TL808268 c2km N of Stisted near Coggeshall.
Brookes Reserve
After parking on the road I walked 80m straight down the track to the left of the closed car park to the new information sign. Here I walked left down a recently mown main trail. With some side excursions to the N. It proved a superb site. I am very grateful to Richard Brown for putting me on to it. It looks superb for Garden Warblers in the late spring and also for flowers of ancient woodland. My main aim was Marsh Tit. I had a pair only 10 minutes after leaving my car. And as usual I did not have my camera. Another 200m on I had another pair with a mixed flock. Later I experimented with my MP3 player another 0.25km down the same track and had a pair around me in a few seconds. There could have been 6 but certainly 4. Over one 30 minute period different birds were in view a good proportion of the time. Nuthatches are present here but in the 1.5 hours I did not hear or see any. Note that I did not cover the N section of the wood. Opposite the reserve is a large area of set-a-side that looks great later in the winter for passerines.
Also present:
Bullfinch pair; Goldcrests 8 (with tit flock); Great Tit 10, Blue Tit 8; Treecreeper 1; Chiffchaff 1 (with tit flock); Redwing 20 over and 3 in wood; Great Spot 2; Green Woodpecker 1.
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteA glorious cold but sunny day tempted me out late morning to EWT Brookes Reserve TL808268 c2km N of Stisted near Coggeshall.
Brookes Reserve
After parking on the road I walked 80m straight down the track to the left of the closed car park to the new information sign. Here I walked left down a recently mown main trail. With some side excursions to the N. It proved a superb site. I am very grateful to Richard Brown for putting me on to it. It looks superb for Garden Warblers in the late spring and also for flowers of ancient woodland. My main aim was Marsh Tit. I had a pair only 10 minutes after leaving my car. And as usual I did not have my camera. Another 200m on I had another pair with a mixed flock. Later I experimented with my MP3 player another 0.25km down the same track and had a pair around me in a few seconds. There could have been 6 but certainly 4. Over one 30 minute period different birds were in view a good proportion of the time. Nuthatches are present here but in the 1.5 hours I did not hear or see any. Note that I did not cover the N section of the wood. Opposite the reserve is a large area of set-a-side that looks great later in the winter for passerines.
Also present:
Bullfinch pair; Goldcrests 8 (with tit flock); Great Tit 10, Blue Tit 8; Treecreeper 1; Chiffchaff 1 (with tit flock); Redwing 20 over and 3 in wood; Great Spot 2; Green Woodpecker 1.