Baikal Teal at Wilstone reservoir.

A female Baikal Teal was reported on Wilstone reservoir. We get the call from Brian, Are we going, and within 15 minutes, we are on the way to the M25 for a 45-minute trip to see the duck.  

On arrival, we find the small car park full. Brian decides to sit and wait for a space. Jimmy and I set off to find the duck, and we climbed the steps and saw a small group up by the top corner, so we headed up to them, and they had the Baikal Teal.

It's a scope job as the target is over the far side of the reservoir.

Brian soon joins us, and we all have another year tick.

While here we also tick House Martin and Swift. 

                                                    

The Baikal Teal, just a record shot.

                                     

                                                   

                                                   

  

 

Lakenheath, Cavenham, KGV res, Fisher's Green.

We fancy a trip to Lakenheath to get the year list moving, only 70 miles from home, we are parked up and walking the track before 7am. 

Heading down to Joist fen overlooking Washland pool, we spot Godwit, Little Egret, Great Egret, Garganey, Heron, and Bittern booming along the track, also Lapwing, Redshank, and a few Snipe. A single Swallow gives me another tick.

We walk down the track behind the hide to search the fields for Cranes, but no sign of them.

After a sit down on the bench to recover from the walk, it's back up the bottom track where we find Reed Warbler, which turns out to be the first of the year here.

A little bit disappointing not to see the Cranes, and we had hoped to see or hear our first Cuckoo of the year.

Only a short trip now to Cavenham, where, after an hour looking, Jimmy found a single 

Stone-Curlew, and we all got on that for a year, tick.

While scanning, we get our first Wheatear and again only one. Not needed for a tick, but great view of a couple of Woodlark. Never went anywhere else, just headed home, but a really nice morning with the boys.

Jimmy and Brian had been over the KGV reservoir and got 5 ticks, so I don't want to miss out and head over the next day. 

The first tick is Sandmartin, with many flying around. After a bit of a search, Arctic Tern and Common Tern are found. No sign of the Common Sandpiper or Yellow Wagtail that the boys had seen the day before, but 3 ticks is better than none, and my own fault for not going with them. 

Brian paid a visit to Fishers Green and got a couple of ticks in Garden Warbler and got a few singing Nightingales, which prompted Jimmy and me to head over the next day.

We arrived early and found the gate down to the farm car park open, which was a bonus.

For the first hour, we hear nothing, so we take a walk and soon find a Garden Warbler, which is a year tick for both of us. 

A walk back along the path towards the Bittern hide, and we get to hear our first Nightingale of the year, and as we walk, we get a few bursts of song, but never see any; it's a shame, but will be back, and I'm sure they will show. 

So, a nice few days getting out in nice weather and adding a few ticks.

 

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Little Owl at the flats.

I had a few hours spare on Wednesday before a visit from my youngest son. So I called Brian to see if he fancied a quick trip over Wanstead Flats to see if we could find one of the Little Owls that are over there for a year tick.

Brian is free so we meet up and it's only 15 minutes before we are walking the flats after getting the car parked, it's off to search.

We spent a little time in the first copse without any luck, as we walked to the next one we met Marko, he had just seen a pair and steered us in the right direction.

Knowing we have the right tree helps and after 10 minutes Jimmy spots one of the Owls and we are all getting a great view of it.

With only a limited time we never got to see the pair, which was a shame.

But a tick is a tick and nice to get out if only for a short time.

                                                               

The Little Owl

Nice trip to Breckland with the sun shinning, 5 year ticks.

We wanted to head off to Breckland on Wednesday. The weather forecast tells us that it is going to rain all day, so that put paid to that.

The next available day was Friday, and the weather was much better. We had a time restriction as I had to be home by 2pm to pick my grandchildren up for a weekend stay.

I left to meet Brian at 6am and arrived at Lynford Arboretum in Suffolk around 7.30.

We spend a fair amount of time at the gate, and the birds are coming in and out to feed on the floor and drink at the little puddle in the middle of the strip. Also, nuthatches and coal tit came to the feeder.

While watching, we see a massive flock of Chaffinch coming and going, and then, a single 

Brambling showed to give us all a year tick.

A nice walk down to the bridge was very pleasant, with the sun warming up.

It took a while before Jimmy and I got a second year tick when Marsh tit came to feed on the bridge pillar where we had put some food there for it. On the path down to the bridge, we spot a large flock of Siskin.

Brian walked over to the paddock to see if he could find any Crossbills. We stayed on the bridge and got another year tick as a Treecreeper climbed up the tree in front of us. I always love watching these funny little birds.

We think we hear Crossbill, but couldn't get onto them to confirm, so no tick there.

Off now to look for Goshawk, that is not too far away from Lynford. On arrival, we found the lay-by packed but did get parked up.

Jimmy and Brian get to see a Goshawk within minutes; I missed seeing it as I wanted to sit and have a snack in the car, a bad mistake as it took nearly 3 hours before my turn came. It's worth the wait when we see a single Goshawk give a great display to give me tick number 4.

The birders here got us onto a Woodlark, a short walk back up the road for tick number 5 for the day. This turned out to be a great day, just what we needed.

Marsh Tit

                                                      

                                                                 

Siskin

 

                                                                    

                                                                 

Treecreeper

  

                                                             

                                                                           

                                                                        

                                                           

                                                       

 

two local ticks.

A quick visit to Fisher's Green our local patch in the hope of ticking a Green-winged Teal for a year tick before they lump them together later this year.

Brian needs to get out after his father-in-law's funeral and has had it rough of late.

So we pick him up from home and 20 minutes later we are looking over the Goose field, a few people there put us straight on the Teal so not a hard tick.

We never hung about so that was the only tick for the day.

This morning we saw that a Red-necked Grebe had been seen at Walthamstow Wetlands, another local place that is only a short trip for us and is where we pay for our permits to the KGV res.

Parked up we walk the short distance to Lockwood Reservoir where we meet up with a fellow who walks the res nearly every day and he points the Grebe out to us, as we watch over the next hour it comes close for good views of the bird and its yellow beak.

Once again it is only a quick visit so only one tick but the year total is slowly creeping up to 140.

                                                                      

                                                    

First visit of the year to Dungeness, 7 year ticks

Brian needed a break and it was really good to pay our first visit of the year to Dungeness. 

On the way to the beach, we stop along Dungeness Road and scan over New Diggings.

We are looking for a Long-tailed duck. 

It's not long before Brian picks it out along with a single Red-throated diver for a couple of year ticks for us all. 

Up on the beach as expected the sea is calm and apart from a flock of 20 Red-throated divers, a few Gannets, and hundreds of Cormants, it is very disappointing tick-wise.

A fellow birder from East Sussex that we got talking to tells us that he had seen a large flock of Tree Sparrows at Scotney G P.

So off we head to find them and 2 Peregrine Falcons are seen on the pylons as we head back to the car.

Parking just off the road, we head down the path toward some men working with diggers.

Thinking it will be a long walk we get a nice surprise when the Tree Sparrow is seen within a few minutes in a few bushes along the path, about 50 seen.

Jimmy picks out a Ringtail Hen Harrier as it puts up hundreds of Golden Plover and Lapwing.

 A  ride round to Walland Marsh where we see 48 Bewick's Swans. not needed for a tick but nice to see. And as we drive around a single Yellowhammer is ticked.

At Cockles Bridge 4 Cattle Egrets are seen in a Sheep field so a quick stop to get a photo or two.   

2 off the Cattle Egretrs

2                                                 

Tundra Bean Goose Wanstead ( local tick )

We hear a Bean Goose had been found over Wanstead flats among a flock of Greylags and a few Egyptian Geese. 

 Brian pops by home and we talk about going to tick the bird but he has too much to do, so we put it on hold until Monday morning, we get a call and Brian is free to go, so we meet up and head to the flats, only 20 minutes away but not at that time of morning and it is slow going.

Parking the car at Alexandra Lake we see no sign of the Geese. So we round the side of the lake and head off over the flats where we soon spot a large flock of Geese.

Picking out the Tundra Bean Goose is easy once its head is up and the bill colour shows and is a bit smaller, so a nice easy year tick and back home in 20 minutes.

Brian not having the best of times at the moment with both his Mother and Father-in-law both 

passed away over the last few weeks. 

So he has a lot of stuff going on and it was nice to see him get a break from it all even if it was only a couple of hours.

The Tundra Bean Goose