Birdy at last

Lordy lordy someone’s listening.
I have been ranting off blog that the pond is crap and predictable poor, well it certainly wasn’t when Bob and I visited today.
Our visit started off so badly that we turned back at farborough spit after only recording a Jay and 30+ Meadow Pipit. Luckily as we approached the visitor centre a mixed flock of finches feeding between the farborough bank perimeter road and the pay and display car park contained 30+ Lesser Redpolls and could have included a couple of juvenile flammea. Views were limited due to the constant disturbance from cyclist and walkers and not helped when the road around the visitor centre was closed for cable laying.
Now buoyed up a little we decided to look for the Brambling flock Bob had on Friday and as we passed the sailing club a Short-eared Owl flew over the reservoir heading towards us then veered right and observed heading towards the sewage farm before returning via biggen bay. While watching the owl a Curlew flew past it heading east. Despite harassment from corvids and gulls it finally flew over the picnic area near hensborough bank and lost out of sight. Bob checked the country park and rewarded with a male Brambling while I stayed by the windsurfing car park and had 6 Siskin. By the time we reached rainbow corner the wind had freshened and the finch flock was tucked up against the hedgerow and did not show well. On our way back we gave the country park another search just in case and had 80 Golden Plover over.

Our final count for the day was:-

Lesser Redpoll 30+

Siskin 6
Bullfinch 6

Meadow Pipit 40+

Yellowhammer 10

Tree Sparrow

Jay 6

Great-spotted Woodpecker 3

Sparrowhawk

Short-eared Owl

Curlew

Golden Plover 80+

Goldeneye 16

Pochard 5

Wigeon 13

Fieldfare 300

Redwing 600

but we could not locate the Black-necked Grebe.

Freezing

We were freezing our bits off down the valley at Calcutt long before sunrise enjoying views of Jupiter and its four moons, the polar cap of Venus, a meteorite, Orion and Sirus with the company of a Fox, 2 Tawny Owls and hundreds of winter thrushes leaving their roost. The space shed passed over on time giving very prolonged views.

The conditions had pushed the Snipe out on to the remaining exposed mud at Napton Reservoir as the water levels rise again with a record count of 56. Other sightings included a white Rabbit, 2 Water Rail, mega numbers of thrushes, 4 Wigeon, 10 Mute Swan, 3 Raven and 3000+ Starling leaving there nearby roost on a broad front.

With time to kill before breakfast we took a look at the Baseley Tree Sparrows with 8 on the feeders and 50+ around the brick barn along with 70 Yellowhammer and many finches.

After breakfast Wormleighton Reservoir had 10 Tree Sparrow and single Marsh Tit but a noticeable lack of finches and Yellowhammer. The hedgerows along the railway line were full of winter thrushes but the reservoir was void of birds.

Shed, Steam and Waxwings

The International Space Station is currently on view but predictably poor weather has stopped me reporting her but with a clear sky’s for tonight and a chilly frosty Sunday morning then it could be worth getting up for, its predicted to show really well as she passes over southern England heading east. Both Venus and Jupiter will also be on show.

Date, time	Az	Time	Az	El	Time	Az	Mag
11/18 07:00	W 260°	07:05	S 179°	60°	07:10	E 93°	-2.1

The day started grotty but had brightened a little by the time Dave dropped me off at The Great Central Railway in Loughborough who were holding a Steam Enthusiast Event over the weekend with at least 3 steam engines in operation.
While I played train spotter he went off to umpire a couple of games of hockey. In between bouts of steam bliss I managed 15 Long-tailed Tits and Mute Swan over. 

47406 quenching its thirst

78019 reversing towards the water tower

777 Sir Lamiel enjoying the public's appreciation

48624 resting in siding

Met up with Dave 4 hours later and he was cock a hoop that he had seen 10 Waxwing in the car park of the Soar Valley Leisure Center in Mountsorrell as he was leaving so celebrated with a coffee. As the “mount” was on our way home we called in at 4pm but there was no sign so Dave suggested a walk to the adjacent housing estate which had a few rowan trees. No sooner had the footpath from the car park reached Otter Lane there were 9 Waxwing perched above the footpath opposite. Managed a record shot in fading light.

record shot of Waxwings at Mountsorrell

Brandon Marsh

The Brandon Marsh female Smew was a little more co-operative though distant from east marsh hide where there were 26 Snipe showing and the only other bird of note was a flock of 30 Lesser Redpoll that flew over. Corn Bunting seen on the way home at Cawston.

Fog stops play

A dull foggy day so Bob and I knocked our visit to the pond on the head and stayed in. Siskin and Coal Tit was the best of my garden feeders.

Eldernell

An afternoon’s walk along the Hereward Way at Eldernell, Cambridgeshire over looking the Nene Wash was very atmospheric as the sun went down with plenty of activity as many species came in to roost. Although 3 Common Crane, 4 Marsh Harrier, Barn Owl, Sparrowhawk, 200 Whooper Swan, 2 Bewick’s Swan, 3000 Golden Plover and endless numbers of Starling, Lapwing and Wood Pigeon are worth mentioning the star of the show was the setting sun. As it turned red and lost its brightness scope views revealed the sunspot activity. Dave and I were chuffed that we could see at least six with some looking very large but on checking the internet (spaceweather.com) they were reporting over a 100 though many of theses are only detectable via some very sophisticated telescopes. Missed a Greater Horseshoe Bat that other birders had over the car park

Another morning has broken

We had an early morning look at Napton Reservoir to see what yesterdays workmen had been up to and appears they are scraping out the overflow channel at the narrow end of reservoir. Luckily they don’t seem to be affecting the majority of the reservoir at the moment as there were 21 Snipe, 3 Water Rail, 2 Shoveler, 7 Wigeon and 10 Teal present. As dawn broke 1500 Starling, 400 Fieldfare and 300 Redwing flew south west and single Raven and 2 Buzzard also noted.

The pond had the Black-necked Grebe between K and M buoys eventually drifting towards hensborough bank and showing reasonably well. Plenty of passerines around with 9 Lesser Redpoll and 3 Goldcrest in the wind surfing area, 1500 Redwing and 800 Fieldfare moving south over Draycote village, 12 Siskin west over rainbow corner, 2 Tree Sparrow on the new feeder below saddle bank with 3 Jay and 30 Yellowhammer in the same area.. There were 2 large finch flocks a couple of fields away which could have contained more Tree Sparrows and the odd Brambling plus 200 Lapwing were over the leam valley which also held more Redwing and Fieldfare.

Finally ended up at Brandon Marsh but dipped on the Smew and Waxwing, just 2 Snipe, Nuthatch and Chiffchaff for our efforts.