Cliffe Pools- January

The large flocks of wintering wildfowl and waders are the highlights of a January trip to Cliffe Pools. Dabbling ducks can number into the thousands with species like wigeon, teal, pintail, shoveler and mallard favouring the northern 'Black Barn Pools' whilst the big saline lagoons have flocks of hundreds of wintering tufted duck, pochard and coot. Goldeneye, little and great crested grebes can also be found here and it is worth looking out for scaup and divers amongst these flocks.

However it is the huge flocks of dunlin (over 7000 recorded!) that roost on the lagoons islands at high tide that are most impressive. Lapwing also number into the thousands and redshank, ringed plover, grey plover, black-tailed godwit and curlew are also regular in smaller numbers.

Also look out for wintering flocks of thrushes and finches; fieldfare, chaffinch, goldfinch and linnet are most numerous but corn bunting, reed bunting and yellowhammer can also be seen

January Highlights/records.

6/1. 2100 lapwing, 20 skylark.

10/1. 1 kittiwake, c.90 goldfinch.

13/1. 1 male hen harrier, c.40 corn bunting, c.30 linnet.

20/1. c.400 starling, c.45 linnet.

25/1. 63 shelduck, 1 male hen harrier, 1 peregrine, 115 coot, 105 (redshank feeding in Cliffe creek) 900 lapwing.