Yesterday = Smews, Today = Snooze

 December's dreary sequence of grey and misty days continues and this lead to something of a late start as I struggled to summon up enough enthusiasm to venture out. When I did finally muster up some get up and go I headed off to Brookfield with a view to carrying on towards the Welland Valley.

Where did all the sunshine go?

Foggy conditions meant that the Peregrines would not be visible so I passed by their favourite spot with out stopping. Brookfield was very quiet for the most part and the light conditions were dreadful. Small numbers of Siskins were present but little else was on view. A walk alongside the flooded quarry on the way to Gretton added a small flock of four Redpolls and another larger flock of about forty Siskins. I hadn't ventured much further than this when the forecast rain began. Any thirst that I had for further travels evaporated at this point and I headed back home. My return walk through the plantation provided the one small highlight of the day when I appropriately enough flushed a Woodcock while paying a call of nature. Not the most interesting way to bring what has been an excellent year to an end but we have to suffer the lows to really appreciate those highs.

Redpolls.

Eyebrook Again

 A first effort to shift some of those Christmas calories today with a walk around Eyebrook Reservoir. Conditions have stayed fairly similar for the past few days so it was no surprise to be greeted by grey skies with the occasional light drizzle and an increasing amount of mist. Thankfully although the weather was dull the birding turned out to be OK and I enjoyed a good session.

Smews

My lift dropped me off in Stoke Dry car park from where a large selection of ducks were on view. Water levels remain low here which has seen an increase in the numbers of dabbling ducks. Both Shovellers and Pintails were present in good quantities with at least forty of the latter showing around the reservoir. Normally these graceful birds would win any ducky beauty contest but the presence of seven drake Smew outshone them a little. Eyebrook continues to be an excellent site for this species and the striking drakes were joined by at least four redheads. Searching through the abundant wildfowl did not result in any sightings of Scaup but I did find a drake Red Crested Pochard, the female showed a little later on.

Pintails and Goosander

My journey continued towards the sharp end where the large expanse of mud had drawn in a good  number of Lapwings. Feeding in amongst them were twenty six Dunlins, it will be interesting to see if the flock grows in the next couple of months. I continued my walk along the Leicestershire side of the res scoping the opposite bank as I went along. An adult Whooper Swan was associating with a group of Mutes and may be the bird that has  been showing off and on for a month or so. Next to show was a Redshank at the island while looking back up the res from this point produced a sighting of a drake Goosander. By now the fog was getting thicker and visibility began to suffer accordingly and so I made my way towards the spot from where I was being picked up. My final sighting of note was of a small group of Tree Sparrows on the feeders provided by the local wildlife group.

Colder But Clearer

 No fog this morning which meant that Alan Shorrock and I could make the short trip over the county border to Eyebrook Reservoir. Although it stayed dry it was also cloudy and so light conditions were not as good as they might have been. We failed to find the Ring-necked Duck on this occasion though it was apparently seen by others.

Whooper Swans

Water levels at the res are fairly low at the moment which has left a lot of mud exposed, this seems to suit dabbling ducks well and there were good numbers present. Also here in good numbers were Tufted Ducks and we searched through the diving multitudes looking for that Ring-necked. Shozzer struck first with a brief sighting of a redhead Smew that I couldn't get on to before it disappeared. I made up for this a little later on by finding two drake and one female Red Crested Pochards feeding close to the plantation shore. A first winter drake and two female Scaup were also noted though they were hard to pick up at times as they fed actively.

Pintail and Shovellers

While searching through the ducks loud bugling calls announced the arrival of seven Whooper Swans which landed close to the Stoke Dry carpark. Three others soon joined them and all ten stayed close together as they swam up towards the sharp end. After about an hour the birds became more restless and left soon afterwards heading north. Not too much else here to report apart from several drake Pintails which looked as elegantly attractive as ever.

Bramblings

We made a short visit to Harrington Airfield after this in search of some of the Bramblings which have been seen here recently. Our efforts were rewarded with the sighting of half a dozen feeding on Ash keys. A further group were noted in another Ash but these were overshadowed by a distant flock of something approaching a hundred near the nature conservation area. Poor light hampered my photographic efforts but I did get a few record shots of  some of the closer ones. The only other birds of interest seen during our short stay was a flock of twenty nine Golden Plovers that flew over soon after our arrival.

Fog Forces Change Of Plan

 A proposed visit to Eyebrook this morning in the company of Alan Shorrock had to be postponed due to the arrival of some thick fog. I carried on sans Shozzer with a local walk in the Corby and Weldon area though my efforts did not produce much to quicken the heart!

Foggy Conditions Made For Difficult Viewing.

Beginning near the STW I could hear the piping calls of a Bullfinch as I arrived while the subdued whistles of Teal came from the ponds. Visibility was very restricted here and I did not hang around for too long before moving on. Next stop was at the A43 pond where things remained pretty much the same as on my last visit. A good sized flock of Siskins and Goldfinches were feeding on fallen seeds along the path but were flushed up into surrounding trees by some unseen threat. Watching several Goldcrests feeding was as entertaining as ever though photographing these active little birds in duff light was as challenging as ever!

Siskin and Goldcrest.

By the time I'd got to Willowbrook Industrial Estate the fog had got thicker than ever making bird watching even more difficult. A few Meadow Pipits were heard though finding the Stonechats which are wintering proved to be beyond my abilities. Three Snipe gave indignant sounding squawks as they were flushed into taking a zig-zagging flight into the murk and several Skylarks were similarly disturbed. Very little else of interest was on view and I took the decision to head home, by this time the effects of the Covid booster that I'd had yesterday were beginning to make themselves felt and an early departure seemed to be the best option.

Blue Tit and Pied Wagtail.

Plenty To Report

 After a morning of chores I took an afternoon visit to Oundle where I bought the 2020 Northants Bird Report from the town's book shop. While the report was every bit as good as it always is I didn't want to spend my time reading and so took a detour to Barnwell CP. With weather conditions quite a bit drabber than yesterday the park was surprisingly quiet with few visitors but sadly that quietness extended to the birdlife too!

Treecreeper, Marsh Tit and Cormorant

No sign of either Kingfishers or Otters today and little of anything else either. I contented myself with good views of the commoner species which included Treecreeper, Marsh Tit and Siskins amongst their number. A Grey Wagtail paid a brief visit but that was as good as it got and I retreated to the town where a couple of pints helped make my wait for the bus a little more bearable.

Reed Bunting and Dunnock

I've Had Better

 Something of a snorefest today with very little of interest to report, my walk took me from Upper Benefield to Weldon via both Deene and Deenethorpe and there were no highlights that I can recall. Some days could turn even the most ardent anti - twitcher into a tick hungry maniac and this was indeed one of those.

Buzzard and Egyptian Geese

Today's weather was mild with decent amounts of sunshine and just the occasional brief drizzly interlude. The walk from Benefield to Deene produced a selection of the commoner farmland species including Yellowhammer and Linnet while both species of winter thrush appeared in small numbers. The main lake at Deene held more ducks than of late and included a growing flock of Tufted Duck. Other species present included Wigeon, Shoveller and Shelduck while there was also a single Pochard. A look at the inflow failed to add anything much else to the list apart from a large number of Teal.

Deenethorpe diversions.

It was a case of ZZZZ from then onwards with no wildlife to report from the rest of my walk, I spent my time at Deenethorpe Airfield enjoying the comings and goings of aircraft in lieu of birds. Little else to mention though a brief visit to the A43 pond at Weldon  at least gave me the chance to take a few pics. I ended my day at the George in Weldon where a couple of pre bus pints provided the highlights of my day. Ah well, better luck next time I hope! 

Weldon selection.

Dodging The Rain

 The threat of rain meant that I stuck fairly close to home this morning and opted to take a walk to Brookfield Plantation. With the country bracing itself for the arrival of the next storm I got off fairly lightly with just the mildest of soakings before I got home.

Little Egret and Siskin

My stroll took me through the park in the village where a Little Egret was showing well. Always a fan of a leggy bird I paused for a bit to let my inner dude enjoy the view. My next stop was at the Peregrine site where both birds were showing though the poor light quality affected the viewing pleasure somewhat. After a relatively short walk I arrived at Brookfield where I began my look around while sticking to the public footpaths.

Peregrines

Two Woodcocks give typically brief flight views as they shot upwards after being flushed, this is quite a good site for wintering birds. Flocks of Siskins were feeding in the alders often in the company of Goldfinches, it seems to be a fairly decent winter for these small finches. Teal are regular here in winter so it was not much of a surprise when I flushed a flock of about half a dozen from one of the ponds. Nothing much else to report, several large mixed flocks contained Marsh Tits and there were also a couple of Nuthatches. By now the weather guessers threatened rain was just beginning to fall so I abandoned ship and headed home.

Brookfield Plantation

Ring-necked Duck

 Yet more shameless abandoning of the county today as Alan Shorrock and I took the short trip to Eyebrook Reservoir in search of interesting wildfowl. My main hope was to catch up with the Ring-necked Duck that my brother and I had dipped on a previous visit but there were other goodies present too that ensured it was far from being a one trick pony. Weather conditions were a little on the dreary side with outbreaks of drizzle featuring far more than the occasional brief sunny spell.

Shozzer struck first when he picked out the immature female Ring-necked feeding near the opposite shore in company with other ducks below the plantation. Clear though distant views were obtained both then and a bit later on when I refound it. We moved on a little after this to a point looking across towards the car park at Stoke Dry. First bird was a very fine looking drake Smew that Alan found, I returned the favour soon afterwards with the discovery of two redheads. Four immature Scaup were a welcome discovery and certainly the most that I've seen here. Three were to show fairly closely from the car park and provided my only photographic opportunities of the day. Not long afterwards I picked out a female Red Crested Pochard while Shozzer found a drake close by. A presumed Red Crested and Common Pochard hybrid was a nice looking bird and also one of our last decent sightings of the visit.

At this point a flat battery in Alan's car promised to spoil our day somewhat but a timely intervention by another birder with jump leads saved the day. With the trusty steed restored to something approaching good health we decided to head off while the going was good with one brief stop at the car park before we departed.

Scaups

Tartan Travels

 My brother and I clearly lack the gift of timing in that the weekend we had booked to visit Scotland was the very same one in which Storm Arwen struck. That we managed to avoid the worst conditions was more down to luck than judgement but was it was a very welcome accident indeed. On our drive up on the 27th we encountered heavy snow near and around Birmingham but little else in the way of inclement weather. After a brief stop at St Helens to drop my wife off at some relatives we forged on to Caerlaverock where we hoped to get in our first birding of the trip.

Barnacle Geese

Caerlaverock is rightly famed for its wintering flocks of Barnacle Geese and today it delivered in full. Thousands of these attractive geese looked splendid in the afternoon sunshine and the sound was incredible. Adding to the interest were a number of Whooper Swans as well as a Great White Egret while two Ravens rather surprisingly turned out to be our only ones of the trip. As the sun began to sink we headed off to our accommodation at nearby Annan Water.

Whooper Swan and Great White Egret.

The next morning was devoted to more wild goose chasing with somewhat mixed results. Having negotiated some more snow we headed along to the area around Slanannan on the trail of Taiga Bean Geese. Our search at Fannyside Loch and in the countryside around the village failed to produce the desired results and so we gave up on the Beans and set off for Loch Lomond. Greenland White-fronted Geese were the object of our search here and it's fair to say that our initial efforts were far from promising. A visit to the RSPB reserve yielded a few sightings of Redpolls and Siskins but no honkers and so we cast our net a little wider. Quite a large flock of Pink-footed Geese near Gartocharn raised our hopes a little but a search through them failed to produce any white-fronts. We were beginning to think that we would fail to get a gander at the Greenlands but Lady Luck played a hand at the last moment. While loading our gear into the car a flock of about 40 geese flew past and a look through the bins revealed that they were Greenland White-fronts - phew! Relieved to avoid the dreaded double dip we began our long journey towards Grantown on Spey for a two night stay. A Barn Owl crossed the road just as we entered the town and provided a nice end to the day.

Greenland White-fronted Geese

The 29th dawned grey and with a little snow but that did not stop us making a short trip to Anagach Wood which has a population of both Crested Tits and Capercaillies. Sadly neither proved to be obliging though it was great to see Red Squirrels again even if they were not in a photographer friendly mood. The next stop was at Nethybridge where a Dipper showed very well at the River Nethy. Next up was a trip to the Dell Woods where a strategically placed feeder has a reputation for attracting Crested Tits. An initial search drew a blank but patience did pay off and I finally managed to see my first UK Crested Tit. One bird showed well but distantly as it made several trips down on to the feeder. Not much else to report from today other than further sightings of equally camera shy Red Squirrels.

Crested Tit and Dipper

Low cloud and drizzle greeted us on the next morning which scuppered our plans to look for Ptarmigan. Plan B was to head south for some sea watching in Fife at the village of Pettycur. This turned out to be a great idea as we were treated to a an interesting and varied selection of birds. Both Red and Black-throated Divers showed well and there were well over a hundred Shags feeding in the turbulent water. Auks were represented by seven Little Auks, a single Puffin and rather more Guillemots while a single juvenile Gannet was noted. Eiders were the commonest of the ducks though Long-tailed Ducks were not too far behind them. A small number of Common Scoters and a single Velvet were added to the list along with a quartet of Red-breasted Mergansers. Not satisfied with this impressive haul we crossed the Forth to Portobello where a first year drake King Eider was eventually found feeding amongst a large flock of its commoner cousins.

Fieldfare and Eiders

After a night in rain soaked Leith we made the short journey to Fisherrow in Musselburgh for some more ducky delights. On the wind whipped and very lively sea we managed to find at least one and possibly both of the drake Surf Scoters that have been favouring this area. We didn't attempt to look for the White-winged Scoter that has also been seen here but were happy to see good quantities of Velvet and a few Common Scoters. Three species of scoter in the same day for the first time was as good a way as any to bring our Scottish sojourn to an end. The familiar combination of weather and distance played havoc with my photography so I'm afraid most of the pics are either recordy or just plain dross!

Redshank and Oystercatcher

Dipping And Tripping

 I paid a brief visit to Eyebrook this morning just after sunrise with the intention of finding the Ring-necked Duck and Scaup that have been present. Sadly the ducks were up close against the opposite shore and were actively feeding so finding any of our targets proved beyond the skills of either my brother or myself. Cold but sunny conditions made for great viewing conditions however and although we failed to find the star turns we did enjoy sightings of about two dozen Goldeneyes.

Red Kite and Wigeon.

Having returned home I took my now familiar stroll along to Willowbrook Industrial Estate before going on to Weldon. While walking I quite literally fell foul of Corby's uneven paths and ended up taking a brief flight before coming crashing back to earth. Luckily both I and my equipment survived the experience and I continued on my way once I'd dusted myself off. Not much to report from Willowbrook where the pair of Stonechats and a Grey Wagtail were the only sightings of interest. The A43 pond at Weldon provided a site rarity in the shape of a female Wigeon, although they're one of the commonest winter ducks they remain scarce here.

A selection from the A43 pond.

After last night's frost I wasn't overly optimistic of seeing much in the way of ode activity at Weldon. Two male Common Darters had defied the cold however and were basking on sunny spots next to the pond. Flights were brief and they often returned to the same favoured spots, I wonder how much longer they can go on for? As I'm off to Scotland for next weekend I suspect that these will be my last dragons of 2021. Not a great deal else to mention other than a few Siskins that were feeding in trees around the pond.

Siskin and Common Darter.