Holywell Pond this Saturday was very quiet. On arrival the weather turned very wintery, with heavy rain showers, accompanied by a strong wind. There were 17 Greylag Geese in the fields at the back of the pond (with a max of 42 recorded in the hide log so far this year). This is very different to the hundreds we usually see at Holywell. This site is always worth a visit this time of year, as Bean and White fronted Geese can be seen at times amongst the Greylags and Pink foots.
A Cormorant was feeding on the pond with over 20 Gadwall, 15-18 Wigeon, a single Tufted and over 80 Mallard. It was nice to also see three Pochards. In the hide log there was a record of a Scaup up to the 16th Jan and a Dipper for Holywell Dene. There were no records of any Whooper Swans this year.
The resident Mute Swans were very sociable, coming very close to the hide. The bird feeders at the feeding station and close to the hide were all full, but there were no birds at all using them today. This was a shame as they are usually so popular.
Paul Buskin