At Least I Got Some Exercise!

 A beautiful and crisp morning with the frost spangled grass glistening in the sunshine as |I left the house this morning. My travels began at the bus stop before carrying on to Weldon from where I walked to Deene Lake and back. Not too much in the way of interest to report but it was great to get out and have a look around.

Brown Hare and aeronauts.

Strolling along the A43 produced some good views of a Brown Hare grazing in one of the nearby fields, needless to say it shot off pretty sharpish when it caught sight of me! Deenethorpe airfield was a bit lacking in decent birds other than the usual Skylarks and Meadow Pipits and I spent much of my time watching the local microlight aircraft doing circuits and bumps. Deene Lake inflow was quieter than on my last visit though Snipe numbers had risen to five while there were still a few Siskins and a Treecreeper there. Similarly the main lake was a bit dull with just four Shelducks on view today. At the weir a Grey Wagtail showed well if briefly before flying off down the brook. The farm ponds were playing host to the White-cheeked Pintail in company with some Mallards, it may be a fence hopper but it's an attractive bird all the same.

Deene scenes

Kirby Lane was on the dull side though I did see a herd of about twelve Fallow Deer near the Horizon Centre. My efforts at Willowbrook Industrial estate were thwarted by some motorcycles racing around and no doubt putting any self respecting bird to flight. Needless to say I made a swift exit and headed along to the A43 pond at Weldon where things remained much as they did on Thursday though Gadwall numbers are building and there was also several Siskins in waterside trees.

White-cheeked Pintail, sunset and Siskin.

Scaup And Smews Make The News

 Alan Shorrock and I braved the blustery conditions to pop into Wakerley Wood on a search for Crossbills. Sadly for us our efforts were not to be rewarded and we had to settle for a small selection of common species of which the best were Siskins. Despite the Crossbill no show there was no lasting dipression and we decided to cross over the border and have a peek at Eyebrook reservoir.

Wakerley Robin and Eyebrook Blue Tit

Water levels at the res have risen quite a bit since my last visit which appears to have reduced the numbers of both dabbling ducks and waders. Some Pintails are still about however with at least half a dozen present at the sharp end. An unpleasant soundtrack of gunfire provided some background noise as a murderous assemblage were blasting away on neighbouring fields. The fusillade did not appear to bother the now seemingly resident Avocets and Shozzer and I spent a few minutes watching two feeding in the shallows. Alan caught sight of half a dozen Dunlin in flight which I managed to miss and in fact I didn't see any at all today.

Avocets and Smews

Moving on to the bottom of Hollyoaks Lane gave us the chance to get closer to some of the Smew which we had first seen from the bottom of Stoke Dry hill. At least eight were noted today with a minimum of four drakes and four redheads though there could have been as many as six drakes, it was difficult to judge as the birds were moving about a bit. We spent quite a long time watching and trying to photograph them before moving on to north of the island. First one and then a second drake Scaup were found which though quite distant still provided good views. Some record quality shots were grabbed before we decided to pack up the gear and head off.

Scaup

Drizzly But Not Dull

 Another pre work session which involved taking a bus to Willowbrook Industrial Estate before heading home via Weldon. Sadly I didn't check the weather forecast before I left so was a little surprised when a rather heavy drizzle began to fall. Damp weather aside it turned out to be OK as I caught up with a few regulars as well getting a bit of exercise.

Dozing ducks 1 - Gadwalls

My day began with a Grey Wagtail flying over as I waited for my bus in the Old Village. Arriving at Willowbrook about two minutes before the rain began meant that my camera stayed in my bag for most of my visit. Despite the damp a few Skylarks were bravely venturing skywards to pour out their songs while in contrast the small number of Meadow Pipits were much less exuberant. Joining the regular Reed Buntings today were a number of Yellowhammers which are scarce visitors to the site, over ten were noted. Two Snipe were flushed as I walked around the area and I also found a male Stonechat. A flock of twenty or so Lapwings had dropped in to bathe in one of the larger puddles while a group of loafing gulls were mostly Black-headed.

Dozing ducks 2 - Tufties

Just the usual selection of ducks were noted on the A43 pond at Weldon and there were a few Siskins present in the general area. While walking from the bus stop in the village towards my house a pair of Ravens flew past towards South Wood. One swooped and called several times, Ravens are very early breeders and display often takes place at this time of the year.

Short And Sunny Stroll

 Nice to see the sun again this morning after what have been a dismal few days. With my shift pattern having changed I had a bit of time available before work and went for a walk around the area near the STW. Nothing too exciting to report but it's always nice to get out.

Blue and Great Tits.

Several Teal were present on the ponds while a few Siskins were also noted. Other than that it was down to the commoner species to provide the entertainment. Very vocal Great Tits dominated the soundtrack though Blue Tits were fairly noisy too. The characteristic yaffling calls of a Green Woodpecker rang out periodically and both Greenfinches and Bullfinches were also seen. Not much else to mention apart from a barking Muntjac which was lurking somewhere in the undergrowth.

Bullfinch.

Otters Revisited

 Just a brief foray today in the company of my brother as we set off once again for an out of county experience at Ferry Meadows. Our target were those otters that eluded us last time and the idea was to arrive before dawn. In the gloomy conditions it seemed to take for ever for dawn to break and indeed it was to remain dull for the rest of the morning.

We joined a growing band of would be otter spotters and judging by the state of the lakeside it seems as if this has been a very popular activity of late. Areas have now been fenced off to keep people away from some stretches of the bank but most of the area was still accessible. We were only there for a short time before the sight of small fishes leaping out of the water alerted us to the arrival of the star turns. First one and then two otters swam under the bridge and we were treated to some good views of them. Sadly for us both appeared to catch their breakfasts pretty quickly and they disappeared into bankside cover to eat. We could hear them crunching on the unfortunate fishes and caught the occasional glimpse of one or another. Eventually both swam away perhaps for an after meal snooze and we decided to leave though not before we had seen Kingfisher several times and heard a Raven.

The dull conditions did not inspire me to stay out after what has been a couple of good days but I did get good views of a Raven making a low pass over my garden. Due to the poor light conditions and the speed of the otters I only managed a couple of ropey record shots, I may have to try and get back again.

Pintail Pair

 The county had my undivided attention today as I walked from Upper Benefield to Weldon via Deene. I was rewarded for my loyalty with sunny if cold conditions and a decent selection of winter birds to enjoy.

Sunrise at Benefield and Brown Hares.

From the lane between Benefield and Burnt Coppice I had good views of four Brown Hares though on seeing me they had the good sense to speed off. There were plenty of the commoner bird species on view with Yellowhammers in particular putting in a good shift. Two Golden Plovers called as they took off from one of the fields, a third was heard a little later on. Also heard was a Raven near Burnt Coppice which turned out to be the first of two as a second was seen near Deene a short while later.

Yellowhammer and Red Kite.

Arriving at Deene I was a little surprised to find a White-cheeked Pintail on the stream, I managed a few pics before it swam off in the company of some Mallards. Although this unringed bird was undoubtedly an escape it was still worth having a look at, it could be a while before I see them in their native haunts. Of more interest was a drake Pintail on the main lake which was my first at this site. Keeping it company were twelve Shelducks and a good selection of other wildfowl including about ten Pochards. From the inflow I saw a Green sandpiper and three Snipe as well as good numbers of Teal.

White-cheeked Pintail, Green Sandpiper and Snipe.

Walking along Kirby Lane is often a little dull but today it turned out to be OK. A scan of one of the fields revealed thirty five more Golden Plovers and about fifty Lapwings feeding. Near the Horizon Centre a male Stonechat showed briefly, it may well be one of the birds from nearby Willowbrook Industrial Estate. My final stop was at the partially frozen A43 pond at Weldon where only a few Gadwalls, Coots and Mallards were present.

Golden Plovers with lapwings and Stonechat.

Swanning About

 Alan Shorrock and I spent most of the day out birding beginning at Blatherwycke before moving on to the cold magnet that is Eldernell. The skies were for the most part grey apart from in the late afternoon when the sun finally put in an appearance, it didn't make it any warmer though!

Hawfinch

We had barely got out of the car at Blatherwycke before a Hawfinch put in an appearance as it flew across the road in the village before disappearing into trees next to the stream. Walking towards the church produced another sighting as a scope check on some distant specks revealed another perched at the top of a tree. From the churchyard we had further sightings which though normally distant did provide decent views through the telescope. After a while we left the birds to their business as a growing band of would be admirers began to assemble, hopefully they got some views of their own. While driving past the stream we had good views of a Black Swan next to the bridge.

Bewick's Swan (second left) with Whoopers and Cranes

It took quite a bit longer to get to Eldernell than usual as the traffic seemed much heavier than normal but we did get there eventually. Right from the start we hit on to some good birds as six Bewick's and four Whoopers were noted feeding in one of the fields. The Bewick's numbers were swelled by two with the arrival of more birds. Even more Whoopers were also noted as distant birds travelled between feeding spots. Two other birders were good enough to put us on to a couple of distant Cranes which we watched until they flew off west. Some time later on at least twenty more were seen as they arrived to feed in a distant field. A Peregrine was found resting on the ground before a close pass by a Red Kite saw it winging away. Other raptors to be had were a Kestrel, several Buzzards and a few Marsh Harriers.

Short-eared Owl.

It looked as if we were going to miss out on seeing any owls until I happened to eavesdrop on someone's conversation (how rude!) which mentioned both Barn and Short-eared. After a brief interrogation we set off armed with some decent gen. The Barn was hunting around some farm buildings before it disappeared into one of the barns while the Shortie was roosting in long grass near a log pile. I managed a few record pics of the latter but they really were not that good. It's fair to say that all of today's pics fall into the dodgy record shot category but they do at least help to show what a good day it was.

Great News From Rutland

 More county treachery to report I'm afraid as Alan Shorrock and I travelled along to Rutland Water for a walk along the dam. With the prospect of seeing some good birds and the weather promising to behave itself things look set for a decent day.  Happily for us Rutland did deliver after a slow start and it almost made up for the eight quid parking charge - at least Dick Turpin wore a mask when he robbed people!

Goosander and Goldeneyes

First bird of note was a female Goosander that was feeding actively and spending more time under the water than above it. Small numbers of Goldeneye were also showing though duck numbers in general seemed low. Returning birders brought the welcome news that the long staying Slavonian Grebe was showing and we made slow progress towards it, Alan's having to hobble along on crutches at the mo due to major hip problems. Our efforts and Alan's pain turned out to be worthwhile in the end as we were treated to decent if distant views of the grebe though like the earlier Goosander it seemed to spend much of its time beneath the water. While it was great to get the grebe in the bag it was beginning to look as if the reported Great Northern Divers might let us  down due to plenty of boat traffic which looked as if it was keeping them away. We walked back towards the carpark stopping to check regularly but still drawing a blank until we got to the last stretch of the dam.

Slavonian Grebe and Great Northern Divers

One final check through the bins revealed a Great Northern Diver surprisingly close to the shore which I duly pointed out to Shozzer. Some confusion then ensued until we realised that we were watching two different individuals. Both birds proceeded to show very well indeed and we were able to get some decent pics. Eventually the birds began to swim away and happy with our haul we made our excuses and left popping into Eyebrook for a brief visit on the way. From Stoke Dry car park I saw at least eleven Smew, seven drakes and four redheads which was not bad until you learn that twenty one were recorded here by some lucky observer today. We didn't hang around for too long though did manage to see the three Avocets, a Redshank. plenty of Dunlin , a Golden Plover and lots of Pintail. All in all it was another very good day in what is proving to be a great year so far.

Avocet and Golden Plover

Mist Opportunity

 My brother David and I left county this morning to look for Otters at Ferry Meadows country park near Peterborough. Apparently they have been performing rather well of late though they sadly didn't show for us today. One had been seen before we arrived but it had, rather rudely in my opinion, done a bunk by the time we pitched up. Much as it did yesterday fog was an issue though unlike then it did not show much sign of lifting.

Misty morning

Although those pesky Otters let us down the walk was not totally without interest and we heard and saw Siskins at several points along our route. While walking along to one of the otter 'ot spots a pair of Ring-necked Parakeets flew over and were my first for several years. During our fruitless wait for the stars to perform we were treated to excellent views of a very confiding Grey Heron. It allowed a very close approach as it stalked its prey and we watched it swallow a large fish. While it had been very tolerant of watchers, walkers and dogs a park vehicle finally made it take wing. Also very welcome and particularly so on such a dull day was the appearance of a Kingfisher which made two flypasts during our stay. We left after a while resolving to return when viewing conditions are a little clearer and the park a little less busy.

Robin and Grey Heron

Yankee Doodle or Yankee Do-Do?

 A welcome day off work saw me donning the mask and getting on the X4 for a jaunt down to Wellingborough. Weather forecasts suggested that mist might be an issue but I kept my fingers crossed and went anyway. Feeling in something of an optimistic mood I was hoping that I might catch up with a Glossy Ibis or Cattle Egret - sad to say I did not!

Stonechat and Reed Bunting

The dreaded mist was indeed a bit of a problem to begin with as I began my walk along the river. A Grey Wagtail did an overhead pass as I made my way past the large flock of Mute Swans. Slightly further along and a Redpoll got into the flypast game before I stumbled across a male Stonechat. Trying to see anything on Chester House lake proved to be difficult though I did pick out a male Goldeneye while the whistles of both Wigeon and Teal could be heard. Beyond the viaduct and Ditchford was just as foggy though I sensed that things were beginning to clear a little. Just discernible through the mist a drake Goosander was a welcome find, closer inspection revealed that he had a duck for company. A Great White Egret was also just about visible before it flew off, rapidly clearing conditions allowed me to find a second bird on the viaduct pit. Also present were a good selection of the commoner wildfowl.

Goosanders

Returning along the river with visibility much improved allowed me to check the area more thoroughly. Small numbers of duck included several Shovellers amongst them but little else of note. Back in the town I found the female Wood Duck that has returned to the area. While it's not impossible that these common ducks of eastern North America could cross the Atlantic the vast bulk of records are presumed to involve escaped or feral birds. This individual is considered to be in the latter camp so there was no chance of adding this to my county list. Oh well it is an attractive duck even if it's not a wild one so I enjoyed watching it for a few minutes before heading into town for some breakfast.

GWE's, Dabchick and Moorhen and Wood Duck