We gathered at the north end of Lodmoor on a rather wet overcast morning, but the group
were in high spirits as we set the ‘hen’ of the group a birdwatching challenge to make this
bespoke Hen Party even more fun!
The leader Nick presented Hannah with a checklist and a species challenge, which the group had to help complete! Hannah was very keen and was soon ticking off the more common species but soon added Cetti’s Warbler and Chiffchaff to the tally.
One beautiful aspect of this reserve is that you can study a lot of species at close quarters, and we were soon having point-blank views of Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwing, whilst a Little Egret was fishing nearby.
We soon added some gull species with Mediterranean Gull giving good scope views as did some Snipe to which the group were amazed with the camouflage that this species offers.
There were some nice Reed Buntings feeding along the footpath along with some Goldfinches. Several duck species were observed with Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler, while a flock of Golden Plover performed nicely at the southern end of the reserve.
The highlight of the morning was to be had as we walked through the reedbed on our return walk, when a female Bearded Tit posed nicely on a stem, calling before heading off
and away, a lifer for our hen Hannah! A perfect end to our walk...
We totted up the species count for the morning and Hannah smashed her challenge so was duly presented with a collectable feather for her achievement!
