In With The New

 So it's bye bye to dreary old 2020 and time to welcome in 2021 with the hope that things may eventually return to some sort of normality. I'm currently behaving pretty much as if we're in lockdown so my birding trips are all more or less within walking distance of my home. Today I took the well travelled path to Deene Lake by way of Weldon and Deenethorpe. While the weather was for the most part fairly drab I did at least manage to avoid the heavier spells of rain.

Common Snipe and synchronized Shelduck upending

My first bird of the year turned out to be Starling and it was soon followed by others as I walked towards Weldon. In the village the doggy paddling pool was more of a skating rink as the pond in the Woodland Park had frozen. Best birds were Siskin and Grey Wagtail, one of each being noted. Plenty of winter thrushes are still  about and both species are now beginning to enter towns and villages as they widen their search for food. The walk along the A427 towards Deenethorpe Airfield produced a single Redpoll though I found a flock of about ten a little later on at the airfield itself. Open country species such as Skylark and Yellowhammer were noted and a decent sized flock of Meadow Pipits were also found.

Egyptian Geese and first winter drake Shoveller

Deene Lake's water level has risen again though there was still some exposed mud showing at the inflow. Just as well too perhaps as my first two Snipe of the winter showed well if distantly. Wildfowl numbers were up again on the main lake where Shelduck numbers had risen to nine. Teals once again numbered a hundred plus and I scanned through them again in my continuing though still unsuccessful search for a Green-winged. A pair of Egyptian Geese were also present on the banks of the lake and may well have been the ones from the farm ponds that I saw on my previous visit.

Grey Squirrel

Little else was found between here and Corby as Kirby Lane was very quiet indeed. Still records will show that this as well as being my first day's birding of the year will also be my best, I'm unlikely to see this many year ticks on any other day until 2022!