A group of eight of us ventured out in October to visit one of our regular haunts: Low Barns Reserve at Witton-le-Wear. The densely overcast sky did not deter us — not because we are particularly hardy, but more because this venue has plenty of hides. Andrew was away on an exotic birding holiday in Patagonia, but we had a lovely morning admiring numerous birds, including ducks and swans nearer to home. Two of the group had 'scopes, which they shared willingly and generously, making it possible for all of us to see lots of fine details about our subjects which normal binoculars simply cannot capture.
Photo by Andrew Lapworth
After the hot, dry summer the water was very low. Unfortunately, and unusually, we didn't see a Heron, a Little Egret, Greylags or Canada Geese, all of which are normally found here. Nonetheless we did see 30 different species of birds, including the locally common Marsh Tits. We also watched a Little Grebe that caught a fish so big it struggled with it for a minute or so before it could even begin to try to swallow it. Most of the ducks were very still, as were the Cormorants and several types of gull, but Lapwings were flying. Shovelers slept soundly with their heads tucked in, except for one which opened its bill as wide as possible like an enormous yawn. It was quite a treat to see that.
As the visit came to an end, we all felt that the morning had been well spent, and we had certainly seen more than we had anticipated.
Report by Linda Elliott