3rd March 2026: Venus Pools

We started with a walk around the arable fields, where bird life was disappointingly limited, with just a few Long-tailed Tits moving through the hedgerows and a Great Spotted Woodpecker that flew briefly into the top of a tall dead tree. We took a track down towards the pools, which quickly became rather muddy and squelchy! On the second pool, which we hadn’t ever viewed on previous visits, we found Great-crested Grebe and some Tufted Ducks. Reaching the woodland at the end of the track, we turned left to reach the hide at the back of the main pool. Again, this was very wet underfoot, and we had to pick our way through the vegetation. Here we found five dainty Siskins,  together with Goldfinch and Chaffinch. 

Siskin

On reaching the hide, we could just see through to the pool, where a few Pochard were gathered, and in the trees a mobile but silhouetted bird, eventually revealed itself to be a Reed Bunting. A Cetti’s Warbler was heard calling from the reeds. As we retraced our steps, a pair of Mistle Thrush flew into the trees, and a Buzzard wandered across the meadow.

Moving on to the main hide, the usual suspects were on show, with a couple of Snipe showing well and decent numbers of Lapwings and three Oystercatchers. The highlight however, was a pair of Sand Martins which flew overhead, then circled back over the pool before disappearing from view. Our first sighting of the year, and the earliest date I’ve ever personally recorded one.

We finished with a brief look in the woodland hide, noting mainly Greenfinches and Chaffinches, before it was time to collect the children from school.

Greenfinch