Linford Lakes at lunch time

A blustery WNW greeted me in the car park this lunch time. Thus no birds were seen along the paths to the hide. I did walk round to the boardwalks and I saw 50+ Siskin flying around in a flock and landing in the tops of Alders briefly before taking off again.
From Near Hide, the water levels are starting to rise, but small patches of earth still remain. These held a few Lapwing and wildfowl. A Little Egret sheltered out of the wind next to a Grey Heron and a male Goldeneye made up the best of the rest. Very quiet. On the walk back a Treecreeper showed really well working it's way up a trunk, but other than a Chaffinch that was it.

Rutland Water - Saturday afternoon

As mentioned in an earlier post, 2011 is about seeing and adding new birds/wildlife to my 'life' lists. So with the drake American Wigeon reported all week (up to Thursday) at Rutland Water it had been 'flashing' on my radar. I took the gamble of going for this bird with the full knowledge that "this was going to be your only weekend pass until February!" per the wife. So Rob and I set off at One and headed the hour and 15 minute jaunt up the A1. We arrived in Whitwell Car park and meet the only other birders we saw all afternoon, who'd given the 300 plus Wigeon flock (feeding on the grass in the creek) a grilling but could not locate the American bird. So we then set about working are way through them. We'd managed about 3 scans each when a Crow spooked the whole flock and were then helped by a Black-headed Gull, all the birds flew out the creek and onto the main water. Rats. So we started to head towards the ferry terminal to try for another look. As we walked through part of the boat yard. Rob shouts "do you still need Siskin for the year?" I replied, not stopping "yes but I'll wait and tick if off back in MK" and carried on. Rob stopped to grill the Siskins (quite rightly). So I finally stopped and raised my bins to have a quick look. He said "about 15 to 20 but no Redpolls". But from my position further up the path ahead of him I picked out a larger paler/whiter bird.....heart beat now raising....the bird finally showed the classic 'Redpoll' on it's forehead. I said "I've found a Redpoll but it ain't ginger!" Rob caught up and we grilled the larger/paler/whiter Redpoll. We were hoping to see a 'ginger' Redpoll (Lesser) alongside for comparison but none were seen but another 2!!! 'whiter/paler/larger Redpolls. We worked our way through the differences, took some photo's and I even digiscoped some footage via my mobile phone. Everything was spot on for classic Common 'Mealy' Redpoll (a lifer for me :) (later that night we sent all the evidence to Si to get verified and he was more than happy with the i.d. ((even if my mobile video footage was pants!)) - result!) By now we'd spent 30 minutes looking at the Mealies, the Wigeon flock had moved back onto the grass to feed but a long way off on the other side of the creek. With time and light running out and happy with the lifer I was happy to let the yank Wigeon go. We headed off up the road to Barnsdale and after about 10 minutes scanning the water Rob picked out the 3 reported Slavonian Grebes in deep water and diving a lot. I then picked out a drake Red-crested Pochard. We didn't see the long staying Long-tailed Duck which was later reported on Bird Guides at the same time we were there?!? With sunset gone we headed off, chuffed with finally bagging Common Redpoll - just need to get one in Bucks now ;-). The yank Wigeon can wait and now goes on my 'dip' list.

Caldecotte Lake at lunch time

Quick blast down the A5 at lunch time and I soon arrived at the middle car park of Caldecotte Lake. Quick scope of the South lake where 80+ large gulls were standing on the ice. Surely with a closer view it must have held a Yellow-legged or two. Then onto the wooden bridge (where Keith's ((see his blog http://caldecottelake.blogspot.com/)) been putting seed down) and 3 Reed Buntings were the best spot amongst a lot of finch's. On my way back the number of Chaffinch's had increased to 8 so not long now before a Brambling's going to pop up here. Also liked the look of the Ash trees full of 'keys' that the Greenfinch were feeding on - could get a Hawfinch here also!). Onto the North Lake I picked out a drake Goldeneye amongst good numbers of ducks. Walked back under the bridge I spotted a female Goosander near the reeds on the South Lake. Lots of birds on offer and lots of good habitat but lunch time was like pedestrian rush hour! With joggers/push bikes/office walkers all over the place. I can see why I like having Linford to myself at lunch times!

Linford Lakes at lunch time

I nearly decided against going to check if the previous weeks Bittern was still on site, as the sleet and rain pounded the car on the journey over. Luckily is paused enough for me to get my boots on and to Near Hide. All that was noted on the walk/dash down was a flock of 10 Long Tailed Tit. From Near Hide, no joy on the Bittern and little else of note. Mainly still all frozen except the patch in front of Far Hide and difficult to view from Near Hide. The bund did have sections unfrozen and these held most of the commoner duck species (all year ticks) but no more than 50 in number, with Teal the most numerous. On the dash back just the Long Tailed Tits still on the foot path.

Waxwings - Grange Farm

27 sat in the Oak of my daughters school this morning. They then flew off towards Budgens around 08:26. Well chuffed with an estate/school run tick - so close to my own estate.

Rob what was the name of the Rowans/berries on the two trees as you drive out of Medbourne. The top third of both of these has been eaten. Could be the Waxwings or could be Redwings? Fingers crossed they return.

Walton Balancing Lakes

The good thing about being back at work is having a lunch hour to myself to do some wildlife watching.
The car temperature gauge said 2 oC, it felt more like minus 2! I took a trip to Walton Balancing Lakes to see if the Bearded Tits were still hanging on. Through my 30 minutes on the platform I could hear the soft contact calls (almost like Long Tailed Tit) coming from within the reeds but never any classic 'ping ping' calls or views either. I did notch up a few year ticks with Fieldfare over, 2 Water Rails squealling then another bird flushed which flew up and out of the reeds and dropped into another section (bet it was a Bittern which flushed it), 2 Greater Black Backed Gulls were flying with 2 Lesser Black Backed and a Herring Gull. Finally a distant Buzzard was thermalling a long way away.

Slow start 2011....

Every year I keep a list of the birds I record in MKUA, Bucks and the UK (which is normally always England) and obviously a life list. I also keep a list of mammals and butterflies. So having spent most of the new year holidays in Hampshire I'm off to a slow start with the Oldbrook Waxwings on New Years Day probably the best tick so far (these were ticked on route to travelling to Hants).
This years natural history goals are to see all the bits I've never seen before like Marsh Fritillary, Smooth Snake, Otter etc and any new birds to my life list. So posts might be many or thin on the ground.

Happy new year and finally some Waxwings

Finally (made the effort/connected with) saw around 100 Waxwings on Century Avenue, Oldbrook at 15:15 today. They were actually landing on the pavement to eat the fallen berries, they would make easy photo's but not sure they'll be any food left by the morning.

May I wish everyone a very happy new year and a good year of wildlife watching in Bucks for 2011.

I'm still compiling my 2010 Mammal summary and will post soon.

Medbourne - Pink-footed Goose

Had a nice 'estate' tick this morning whilst driving the wife to work. Saw 4 geese at tree top height flying east into MK. Thought Greylags, job done, then realised the last one was well over a 3rd smaller, looked again and noted short neck and dark head, Pink-footed goose! Must be 'Pinky' doing the rounds.
(Car temperature gauge was -10oC)

Walton Balancing Lakes - Mr Beardie !

A lunch time visit to see if I could connect with one of the male Bearded Tits for the first time. Nothing for 10 minutes, so I strolled to the 2nd hide but this lake was frozen with nothing around at all. I went back to the platform and 5 minutes later directly ahead of me I picked out 1 male and 2 female Bearded Tits. I then tracked the pair at least coming towards me, they showed to about 10 feet and finally the pair flew behind me (over the board walk) and into the next section of reed. From here it was difficult to view as this screen does not have any slats cut in. But from peering around the end of it I could still make out the birds feeding and moving . They showed so well I even managed to see the male has a long metal ring on his right leg, but alas not letters/numbers showed. One squealing Water Rail, a Robin walking along the ice under the Bearded Tits and a fly over Herring Gull made up the rest.

Short-eared Owl at Linford

A very pleasant year tick today at a local patch. Who said December birding was tough!
I looked at my computer at 13:00 and thought I'd not made any plans for my lunch hour, I had no jobs/chores/xmas/family to think of, so thought I'd give Linford a bash. Met old timer Ray Stroud walking back into the the car park from the reserve, after a quick chat of 'nothing about' and 'someone had defecated on the bench in the bird hide at Willen' (which was nice!) I plodded on regardless. First stop a scan of Swans Way from the Willow tree...within seconds I was watching a Short-eared Owl quartering along the road and ranging towards the canal. Cracking sight - forgotten how long the wings were. Did the ring round and through Nik (on his works xmas lunch) had a conference call with Ray to get him back on the reserve as he'd walked off to get the bus.
So I carried on into the reserve and soon met the noisy Siskin flock flying over head, estimated about 60 now (from what I could see). Then detoured back to Near Hide - {oh for a Bittern standing on the frozen ice} but no joy, the unfrozen patch was a bit bigger and Wigeon had replaced Teal as the most numerous wildfowl. A single female Goldeneye the pick. On leaving the hide a pair of Bullfinch showed really well with the male looking stunning in the December gloom.
Met Rob eager for his SEO tick in the car park as I was leaving. An hour later he'd text it was still there at 15:00. Job done.

Saturday - Thursley Common, Surrey

The weekend just gone was set aside for a family visit to my parents-in-law. Still on the hunt for a year tick I'd had my eye on the current overwintering Great Grey Shrike at Thursley Common. With my Bird Guides texts set to anything decent around the Hants/Surrey border I received a report that the Shrike was on 'Shrike Hill' mid morning. So after an early lunch I made the 10 mile journey to 'The Moat' car park and set off along the board walks and started the task of scanning anything that could hold a shrike above it. It wasn't going to be a easy. I eventually got across the bog, lots of it frozen, and to 'Shrike Hill' but had no joy in locating the bird. Best spots, or actually the only spots were 3 Green and 3 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, 6 Fieldfare over and a flock of 13 Lesser Redpolls. A few Jays and a Mute Swan over made up the rest. I hung on into dusk in case any owls were about but none were. Annoyingly I got another text (later in the evening) of a Great Grey Shrike near my regular patch near Fleet - knowing my luck the same bird. Birding in Decembers tough!

Linford Lakes at lunch time

A balmy 4 oC greeted me at Linford today, actually felt warmer than that.
I headed for Woodland Hide and could hear a large flock of finches from some distance away. I saw the birds flying around in a large flock a few times. I finally picked out that these were mainly Siskins and around 80 in total, but very hard to see as they would have shown better from Swans Way near the sheep pens. A quick look from Near Hide produced a near frozen lake, but a hole behind the bund held 55 Teal, the main duck and a small number of Wigeon, Tufted and Gadwall were with the Mute Swans and a few Black-headed Gulls. The odd 'whistling' Bullfinch were also heard.
Other news around the city, the Scaup remains at Caldecotte. Waxwings again in Blakelands and Rob had a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker whilst doing his tetrad in Lathbury.

Garden Sparrowhawk

Nice surprise this morning to see a male Sparrowhawk perched on the garden fence above one of my peanut feeders. I had another male for over a week back in March and I alone observed him eat 5 Blue Tits. I wonder if this one will return over the weekend.

Lunch time

As I said at the beginning of the working week, I was going to use my lunch hours to maximum effect this week. So taking my life in my hands by trying to get out of the car park in CMK I set off to Broughton Grounds as I'd not been for ages and was hoping for some owl action. I then found out that they'd shut the road from the H5. So I detoured to Willen South (knowing Rob had already checked it out earlier) but after 60 seconds of that easterly wind in my work trousers and tears streaming down my face, I retreated to the car. I then headed back into CMK and gave another couple of laps of Lloyds Court and the Library but only Starlings were noted.