randombirder

A glorious day for my first great northern diver in Herts drifting lazily across Abbotts Lake at Stanstead Innings. The sunshine also produced a Cetti's warbler, at least two chiffchaff and an encouraging count of 45 common pochard.  

The autumn that keeps on giving. There is no way I would have predicted that canvasback would be the next new bird I see in the UK. It didn't start particularly well though. Arriving at the Billet Farm watchpoint at around 10am and a large congregation of twitchy twitchers had already assembled in a kind of queuing system that would have satisfied many. I was a bit miffed as from my vantage point, I could only see a narrow band of water. No chance of seeing anything really. So I left, and headed for the causeway. It was grey, and rain had started to fall. All a bit bleak but Abberton is actually very nice and having parked at the Layer de la Haye causeway, got chatting to a couple of birders and well, it was all very convivial.  Not really knowing what to do, coffee and cake at the visitor centre beckoned. This was all very enjoyable, not much birding really, just nice views across the reservoir. The common pochard flock was out of view behind the spit distantly from the visitor c...

Cheekily messaged the boss to say that I needed to take the morning off, and headed up to Linford Lakes to see the little crake that appeared briefly after a 45 minute wait, disappeared, then reappeared providing slightly better views then disappeared again. Unfortunately I had to head back but was great to catch up with it and a really excellent record for Bucks.

Fully appreciating that at times, the solitary sandpiper had been difficult to catch up with, it was with some relief that after entering the Reedbed hide at Stodmarsh, this rare American wader flew onto the marshy fringes of the pool around five minutes after I had arrived. It was a real treat to watch it plodding around the shallow margins beautifully illuminated in the morning sun.