Mixenden Reservoir

 A good start to the morning as c300 Jackdaws were circling overhead in Cullingworth from
their nearby roost.We decided to head for Mixenden Reservoir to hopefully catch up with the
reported scoter. On arrival it was a dull morning with a temperature of 8°C & we soon found
the all black male Common Scoter then nearby we caught sight of what we think was the female,
lighter in colour & different bill.The birds were often at different ends of the reservoir & when we
tried to get closer they moved away so only record snaps but we were delighted to see them for
the first time.
 Other birds present were BH Gulls,Common Gulls & a drake Tufted Duck.

male Common Scoter

female Common Scoter

pair of Common Scoters

Mixenden Reservoir

Martin Mere roundup

There were many birds to see at Martin Mere when we visited last Sunday these included
large numbers of Ruff,Wigeon & Pintail.Here are a few of the snaps we took to finish our
review of our visit.

Ruff

Pintail

male Wigeon

Martin Mere 10/11/2013

Otters

It was good to see the Asian short-clawed Otters again at Martin Mere during our visit on
Sunday.These are the smallest species of Otters in the world, they live in family groups & as
we saw enjoy playing together. We took a few snaps of them which you can see below.
 Our native Otters have been making a come back in recent years so we may see them on the
local canals rivers.

The family of Asian short-clawed Otters

  

The Smew

Another good bird to see at Martin Mere is the Smew the smallest of the sawbill duck
family of birds.They spend their summer in Scandinavia & Northern Asia but in winter
some of them come to north west Europe.This means some can be seen in our region if
your lucky at places like Fairburn Ings & in the past Knotford Nook.Here are some of
our pictures of these wonderful birds.

female Smew

male Smew

Th wonderful Smew at Martin Mere

Goldeneyes At Martin Mere

 It was great to be among the Goldeneyes at Martin Mere getting some great views of
these little dabbling ducks.Hopefully they will be returning to the local area soon always
excited when I see them during the winter.

male Goldeneye

female Goldeneye

Goldeneyes at Martin Mere

Eider Ducks at Martin Mere

The first thing we saw coming out of the visitor centre at Martin Mere were the
wonderful Eider Ducks.These are sea ducks & so we don't get to see them very often
here close up the colourful males were making a ah-whooo call regularly which is very
distinctive for these ducks.With the sun shining we managed to catch them at their best,
here are some of our snaps.

male Eider Duck

female Eider Duck

Pair of Eiders

caught the light just right for this male Eider

Eider Ducks at Martin Mere