randombirder

A second visit of the weekend, and this time I managed to located the Dartford Warbler in it's usual area of scrub near the no access conservation area - typically flighty but seen well in a bush also occupied by a Stonechat and Reed Bunting . The Barn Owl was roosting in it's favoured next box. It was a much brighter day, blue skies and sunshine and a real joy to be walking round the reserve. Other notable sightings were Black-tailed Godwit , a flock of around 30 Dunlin , 16 Golden Plover , and a total of four Marsh Harrier .

Rainham Marshes really is becoming a personal favourite of mine.  Watching clouds of Lapwing wheeling around the marsh, the wildfowl and waders that occupy the pools, and the diversity of habitat expertly managed by the excellent staff there. It was a typically mild day, but the weather was changeable and efforts to connect with the Dartford Warbler proved fruitless in the moderate breeze. Water Pipit was probably the highlight with one seen from the Shooting Butts hide.   Stonechat too were relatively numerous. The weather closed in and curtailed any attempt to add more quality to the day.

A dull start to the year weatherwise, and I guess birdwise too but in the delightful company of @suzehu, we ambled round the reserve in search of new year delights. Three Egyptian Goose were plodding round the reserve entrance and didn't care much of our presence as we walked by. Two Goldcrest were busily moving through the treeline and a Chiffchaff wasn't too far away. Colour was added to the gloom with a Kingfisher that perched up on the cut reeds of Bed 17 and there was the usual selection of wildfowl on Bed 18.

Seeing the year out at Rainham Marshes on a cool winters day with the sun shining and the breeze blowing was a perfect way of ending a year that has been a bit of a struggle.  Was thrilled to have bumped into @dhpainter and Steff where we took to prizing out as much as we could on the eve of a new year. Keen to catch up with the Dartford Warbler , and after a short vigil, the male bird appeared in the bramble closest to the gate by the conservation area and showed reasonably well for around 20 minutes in the company of a pair of Stonechat of which there were plenty dotted around the reserve. A Barn Owl was seen distantly sitting in the box, but against the sun, views weren't ideal. A short heavy shower passed through while we sat in the shooting butts hide where two Water Pipit alighted from the scrape before circling, where one returned allowing decent views from where we were sat. Moving on post-rainstorm, the skies cleared, but the wind had picked up. ...

Spent an enjoyable day at Tring Reservoirs in the company of the irrepressible @ianbennell75 whom I hadn't seen since since birding was just an embarrassing pastime.  Now of course it's the coolest thing ever (geek=cool). So while shooting the breeze on a lovely sunny day tempered only by a cool shooting breeze, we meandered round picking off what was available which wasn't a great deal, while filling in the gaps of twenty odd years past. The water levels at Wilstone were the lowest I had ever seen it during my six and a half years living in Tring, a little surprising considering the amount of rainfall that other parts of the country are continuing to experience.  A crazy situation. Best was a 1st winter Scaup on Startops that appears to be developing nicely into adulthood.  A female Red-Crested Pochard roosted on the bank of the island at Wilstone where a pair of Goldeneye were present along with eight Golden Plover in with the Lapwing , a flyover Buzz...

A really fantastic day in Norfolk again - much cooler than of late, high cloud and that light that I keep going on about.  The sun - hanging low in the sky and peeking through the clouds like a nosey neighbour through the venetian blinds. Plenty of highlights today: Golden Pheasant - a new bird - seen at Wolverton Triangle and snapped through the back window of the car as it crept along the verge before disappearing into the thickets. Pallid Harrier - cracking views through the hide at Abbey Farm.  A stunning bird that has been present now for a while, posing in front of the hide with frequent sorties around the pastures.  At one point it sat out on the field observing a rabbit kill by a resident Stoat.  A wonderful moment of nature to witness.  This was my 2nd for the UK and 3rd for the WP. Rough-legged Buzzard - found this bird at Holkham Freshmarsh.  Having arrived five minutes too late for the Red-Rumped Sw...

So that's Christmas over for another year.  Presents opened, crackers pulled, the turkey demolished, and before we know it, we're tucking into the surplus of the previous day.  It all felt rather subdued this year.  I'm not sure why, but family time is valuable time, and I am grateful for this. However, a day spent indoors and I was itching to get out in the morning.  Surprisingly I felt rather energised despite the sloth of the previous day so decided to head down the road to Brent Reservoir to try my luck for the unseasonal Yellow-browed Warbler that had been present for a few days. Having lived near Watford for twenty-nine years, it was a little curious that I had never made a visit there.  The habitat looks great and there was plenty of wildfowl on the Marsh. I headed over to the its favoured location behind Heron Hide and waited.  A few of the local birders were present for a while but decided to move on.  I was now on full sensory alert. ...