Monday 17th August - Hanningfield Reservoir
Today I visited Hanningfield Reservoir hoping to see the wood sandpiper which was seen there yesterday. Unfortunately there was no sign of it today but the other unusual bird reported yesterday, which was a bar-headed goose, was present. Although probably an escaped bird it is nevertheless a very pretty goose and it was a bird I have never seen before.
People had also reported arctic terns recently but although I saw a tern with a red bill with no visible black tip, it appeared to be orange red rather than blood red and looked to be the same bill length as a common tern which was next to it. The legs were not noticeably shorter than the common tern either so I tend to think it was just a common tern where, as the Collins bird guide says, the black tip of the bill can become very small especially by mid summer.
An unexpected bonus was the discovery of a lesser spotted woodpecker which was on the main trunk of a tree at a height of about 6 feet and so provided a perfect view especially for this time of year when the trees have foliage. I pointed the bird out to a small group of people who were approaching and they managed to see it and helped me keep track of it for a while as it moved from tree to tree but I was unable to photograph it as I could not get the camera out and focused in time before it moved and then eventually it disappeared.
As I was making my way out of the reserve I got caught in a heavy rain shower about 400 metres from the car park but thankfully I did not get too wet.
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