Pitsford Reservoir

I had no regrets heading up to Pitsford Reservoir when news broke that the Cory's Shearwater had been sighted mid-morning.  The traffic was kind to me, always a bit of a risk when attempting to make use of three of our busy motorways.

The Cory's was not seen again after the initial sighting, which then made for a relaxing few hours at this top inland site.

It was teeming with wildfowl, best of which were four Greater Scaup of which one was a drake, but all of which were enjoying a late morning snooze.  Four Red-Crested Pochard were also present (three drakes), amongst the large groups of duck that included Wigeon, Shoveler, and Teal.  Decent numbers of Lapwing were present on the islands and shoreline.  A single Little Grebe was present off-shore.

It was great to see my first Goldeneye of the season, at least a dozen here that included at least three drakes.

A couple of Common Buzzard soared over being typically mobbed by the resident corvids, as did a Red Kite which looked altogether more serene.

Another surprise were the presence of three Great Egret spread out across the length of the north arm of the reservoir.