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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Cheers Steve - will have a look next weekend; didn't venture north of Hill Hook Road on Saturday.
  2. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Whereabouts Steve? In recent weeks I have seen Comma, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Peacock, Painted Lady, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Holly Blue, Large Skipper, Small Skipper and various Whites.
  3. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    This afternoon I had my first proper views of a Ring-necked Parakeet which spent about ten minutes vocally moving around the poolside trees pursued by Magpies and Jackdaws before flying towards Clarence Road. A Little Egret roosted on the island of the Mill Pool late afternoon. Other fare...
  4. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Not quite on patch but a Little Egret flew over my house yesterday morning.
  5. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    A long awaited new patch tick yesterday - after several possible sightings / hearings - in the form of Ring-necked Parakeet.
  6. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Three visits over the festive period produced very little of note. The Mill Pool held no Goosander on any of the visits. Tufted Duck numbers were constant at around 15 birds whilst there were no more than a dozen Coot and 6 Moorhen. Two Little Grebe look like they are resident; I am not sure...
  7. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Back to normal fare on this morning's visit with 4 Goosander on the Mill Pool (3 males and a female) plus 3 Mute Swan (2 adults and a juvenile), 2 adult LBB Gull and 2+ Little Grebe. A Grey Wagtail was again at the outflow with another on the stream at the southern end of the reserve. The woods...
  8. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Typically an early morning visit armed with my camera produced no sign of the Gadwall. Present on the Mill Pond ere 3 Mute Swan, 1 Cormorant, 2 LBB Gull, 20 Tufted Duck, 10 Moorhen and 4 Little Grebe (I believe both the latter counts are personal site records). Several Siskin and Redpoll were in...
  9. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Hot on the heels of last week's patch tick of Green Woodpecker, two visits this weekend produced not one but two further ticks! A cronking party of four Raven passed over the reserve late morning today with a further bird flew over early afternoon whilst a second look at the Mill Pond...
  10. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    A visit on Saturday morning noted 12 Tufted Duck on the Mill Pool together with the first Goosander of the winter (a male and female). There were also about a dozen Coot and at least five Moorhen though the swans and geese were absent. The usual Grey Wagtail fed around the outflow. A minimum of...
  11. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Little news to post over the last few months. A pair of Little Grebe were present throughout the spring and summer but no signs of breeding noted. As usual the Mallards had a productive breeding season whilst there were probably three successful pairs of both Coot and Moorhen. Decent numbers of...
  12. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Late morning the Mill Pool held 2 Mute Swan, 2 Canada Geese, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant, 1+ Little Grebe, 13 Tufted Duck (7m,6f) and 2 LBB Gull. A lot more activity in the woods with a drumming G'S Woodpecker, 6+ singing Goldcrest, 100+ Goldfinch and more Siskin and Redpoll than of late.
  13. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    A visit late afternoon yesterday again encountered no Goosander. Present were a pair of Mute Swan, a lone Canada Goose, 2 Little Grebe, approx a dozen Coot (including several pairs already displaying), 12 Tufted Duck and at least 11 Moorhen (the most I have seen at this site). The woods were...
  14. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Felt more like late March than early January - plenty of birds singing with very few winter thrushes, no Siskin or Redpoll and the Mill Pond devoid of Goosander. It was therefore surprising that the pool did have one of the highest Tufted Duck counts I have noted there with 27 present. Also...
  15. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    The Mill Pool on Monday held 3 Goosander (all drakes), 15+ Tufted Duck, 6 Moorhen and 1 LBBG. Also noted were Grey Wagtail, a party of a dozen Pied Wagtail on their way to roost and c100 Jackdaws flying NE
  16. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Patch Gold Well actually Patch Orange - a Brambling wheezed high up in the trees just north of the Mill Pool. Will try to have an early morning wander over the weekend to see if one is lurking in the leaf litter. Also present today were increasing numbers of Goldcrest, Redpoll and Siskin in...
  17. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    A quick jaunt with the family yesterday produced 3+ Little Grebe, Meadow Pipit and Grey Wagtail over, a few lingering Chiffchaff and bountiful Siskin in the tree tops
  18. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    An early evening visit today produced Kingfisher, a few young Coot still yet to fledge, a couple of fledged Tufted Duck with c10 adults, 4 Mute Swan cygnets continuing to grow well and most pleasingly, a pair of Little Grebe with two young. These young, although well developed, looked too small...
  19. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    When I last visited around a fortnight ago there were still four cygnets so it must have been a fifth cygnet that I saw dead. Need to check how the Tufted Duck-lings are progressing.
  20. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    Very little change today; the only alterations were the discovery of a Moorhen brood with at least one half-grown chick but the reduction of the cygnets to three overnight with one floating dead in the water.
  21. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    This afternoon uncovered aTufted Duck brood with 3+ young, the pair of Mute Swan with now 4 cygnets, many Mallard families, 3 broods of Coot (1 fledged bird, a family of 3 half grown chicks and a brood of 1+ small chicks) plus Grey Wagtail and Kingfisher.
  22. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    A visit yesterday afternoon revealed that the swans have six cygnets but the only other young birds on the Mill Pool were a well developed brood of three Coot. Ten Tufted Duck (6m,4f) were also present whilst several Swallows feed low over the water. The woodland was quiet with very few...
  23. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    This morning the Mill Pool held the pair of Mute Swan (female still on the nest), singles of Canada Goose and Grey Heron, 2 LBB Gull, at least 4 Moorhen, a very respectable 18 Tufted Duck (9 pairs) and a brood of 3 Coot (probably around two weeks old). There were plenty of 'hooet's and 'tack's...
  24. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    New for the patch was Tawny Owl calling from the northern section of the reserve on the way back from pub just.
  25. Phil Andrews

    Hill Hook Nature Reserve

    No sign of any migrant Blackcap of Willow Warbler today The Mill Pool held two Mute Swan (pen on a nest), eight Tufted Duck (5m,3f), a dozen Coot and a lone Canada Goose. Two Chiffchaffs were singing south of the Mill Pool whilst one was singing north of Hill Hook Road. There were at least...
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