14th February
Female Scaup still present on South Lake and showing very well. Best of the rest: drake Goldeneye and ad Mediterranean Gull – both on South Lake (George Green).

9th February
The Scaup and Goldeneye are still around, together with 2 Mediterranean Gulls. Of particular interest was a Green Sandpiper beside Longham Reservoir South, the first winter record for 4 years (Lorne Bissell).

Scaup, Longham Lakes 9/2/2015 (Lorne Bissell).

And here’s another picture from January:

Scaup, Longham Lakes 22/1/2015 (Ron Poulter)

8th February
Goldeneye and Scaup still around (Robin Trundle).

7th February
The first Goldeneye of the year, a drake, turned up on Longham Reservoir South this morning, and the female Scaup remains (George Green)

4th February
The Scaup is still present (Lorne Bissell).

Presumed first-winter female Scaup, Longham Lakes, 4/2/15 (Lorne Bissell)

3rd February
Nice walk around lakes in pristine snow but only birds of note were the female Scaup on the South Lake and a Water Rail in the open (George Green). In the afternoon there was a reasonable range of birds, including 59 Herring Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 4 Common Gulls (no rarities), 1 Stonechat and 1 Raven. There were unusually high numbers of Blackbirds about (at least 15) and 5 Song Thrushes. The highlights, though, were on the South Fields where I flushed 8 Snipe and a Woodcock from the wet, open grassland and ditch, the latter perhaps moved into the open by the snowfall (Dominic Couzens).

Meanwhile, a fisherman angling the Stour has caught several Roach and 1 Bream this year, and has seen Chub, making the year’s fish total 3.

31st January
Female Scaup still on South Lake this morning favouring SE corner between path and flooded twigs. Also nice pair of Goosander on River Stour viewed from path on west side of North Lake (George Green).

25th January
There was 1 lone Shoveler, a few Pochard a couple of Teal. Also seen were two Long-tailed tit flocks, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest and Jackdaws squabbling over a nest cavity in a tree. it was interesting to watch as one bird tried to get in the hole another one pulled it out they were making quite a din. Up by the island I came across a gull a c.2.30pm that I thought was possibly the adult Caspian Gull. It looked similar to a Herring Gull but the bill seem longer and not as thick looked washed out yellow very pale red spot on bottom of bill, head was very white no grey streaking, mantle was pale grey, chest looked heavy and was very white, could not see the legs as it was standing in the water (Martin Wood).