October 2 bird survey

Despite the park still looking in very good condition, the weather on the day was not so favourable for birds as reflected by the results. On the other hand, a combination of observations over the last month on eBird and those by our photographer and artist, Ursula Dutkiewicz, have added many more species to the list. Water levels have dropped somewhat, which may account for the absence of our ever-present Musk Duck.

The team was surprised by the unusually small number of Welcome Swallows, as at ground level there was an abundance of small insects, more than we have seen for at least a year.

As can be seen in the sightings and photographs below, the number of observations for September is unusually high with an additional 22 species. A high proportion are highlighted in red due to these birds being occasional or very infrequent visitors.