Gloves were an optional extra as I set out this morning, so I didn't have very high hopes of finding anything interesting. As I arrived at the basin seven Shelduck were just leaving with another nine feeding on the mud, 16 in total is a good December count; a Mute Swan was also on the basin along with three Canada Geese and 11 Tufted Duck and I made total site counts of c370 Common Teal and c80 Mallard, then I struck gold when I found an extremely wary female Pintail with Mallards on Bow Creek, she flushed at around 30 yards and flew down the Lea and despite extensive searching I could not relocate her, this is my first record since January 22nd 2006 and my first female. Although the tide was out I managed to find at least three Redshank and had distant views of a Common Sandpiper as it flew across Bow Creek, not surprisingly, given the conditions these were the only waders I saw. Good passerines were fairly thin on the ground but included a 1st-winter type Black Redstart, two Redwing and a Chiffchaff in the copse at the basin, a Meadow Pipit west over the ecology park, two Pied Wagtail, one Grey Wagtail and two Chaffinch whilst three Jays feeding in gardens on the west side of the basin is my best count here, all in all a satisfying visit in rather unpromising conditions.
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