randombirder

This was my first visit to Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire.  I'd heard positive things about it so I knew it was going to be good.  It was great!  A sweeping manageable reserve with defined paths that lead up to the saltmarsh, open fields, and a massive sky, all made for an environment that was teaming with birds. The undoubted highlight was the majestic male  Hen Harrier  that moved low along the marsh as viewed from the ridge that spreads out onto The Wash.  It exuded pure class as it made slow but purposeful progress to the south. The fields were a chorus of yapping  Dark-bellied Brent Goose ,  Wigeon , and  Teal .  The pools held a few smart drake  Pintail . A  Merlin  was zipping around causing havoc amongst the birds congregated on the flood. Merlin The skies were alive with birds.  Clouds of Golden Plover and Lapwing , a good selection of waders that included four wintering  Spotted Redshank , and small groups of  Ruff  and  Black-tailed Godwit . A gre

This is the Brecks and it's a great place for a birding day, well half-a-day as it happened. This Common Buzzard was spending a lazy Sunday morning around the woodland at Santon Warren. It took a while to pin down the Parrot Crossbill but around a dozen were showing high up in the conifers north-west of the railway crossing.  They looked conspicuously bull-necked, and that bill could cause some serious damage.  There were a few Common Crossbill here too. The woodland also held Siskin , and Redwing while a Kingfisher dashed along the river. Moving onto Lynford Arboretum, the place was alive with birds.  Best were three Hawfinch seen high up in the canopy in the gardens of Lynford Hall.  The trees along the river were particularly fruitful, titmice and finches were gorging on the alders with Siskin plentiful, and a few Lesser Redpoll .  A Kingfisher was seen here too. It was great standing by the feeders, watching five species of Titmice voraciously s