Lesser spot & Otters plus Coues's + Meally Redpoll .

Setting off at 6am with the boys we head to Santon Downham arriving around 8 am.With the car parked we pick up a year tick for Jimmy & I when we see a few Woodlark both on the ground & in flight,nice to watch that funny parachute flight & the song. Last week we searched here & never saw  or heard any so really good to get them now.
Walking on under the tunnel we head along the river & spot Mother & baby Otter having some good fun jumping over each other as they swim with us all the way down to the fallen tree where we stopped to look for the Lesser spot.
A bit of a wait before we hear & then get good views of a pair of Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers,the female lands not to far away from us to give us really good views of it. jimmy & I didn't need it for a tick but always so nice to get the chance to watch this now rare bird.
Sculthorpe Moor next for a chance to see the Redpolls. The visitor centre tells us that there had been no report of them so far, so the boys wanted to head off to Titchwell & try here later but I thought we should give it a try for ourselves, so to save the old man moaning they agree to give it a try.
On arrival at the cabins where the feeders are set up it takes no more than a couple of minutes to pick up a tick when the Mealy Redpoll lands on the feeder along with the not needed Lesser.
It takes a good while before the Coues's drops down into a small pool to make everybody happy.
The reserve was very busy for a week day & we all get another look of the Coues's Arctic Redpoll when it came to the feeders for the first time on the day.
Bullfinch,Brambling also seen while here.
Titchwell now where we see Water Rail as we walk up to the beach.
On the beach we pick out a tick with Great-northern Diver also seen Black throated Diver, Goldeneye, plus Red-throated Diver.
A great days birding with the boys adding another 7 year ticks to take my early year total to 170.

Coues's Redpoll

Mealy Redpoll

The Lesser Spot

Again

Together

Lovely the Otters

A sunny day with the Goshawk's

We are off to Lackford Lakes leaving around 6 o'clock. On arrival we find we have got our timing wrong as all the Gulls had left the roost & the lake was not very busy at all,so the hope of seeing the Kumlien's Gull fails.
So after a look around the feeders where we see Common Redpoll,Siskin,Greenfinch,Long-tailed Tit plus a nice pair of Bullfinch on the back trees we decide to head off to look for Jack Snipe at Nunnery Lakes.
After parking in the BTO car park we head off to the lake.A scan from the bridge over looking the second lake produces no sign of the bird,so walking on we climb a small bank
& with the different angle 2 Jack Snipe are picked out, always nice to watch these funny little birds.
With the sun smiling down on us it's a perfect day to look for Goshawk.
Parking off road at Cockley Cley it's not to long await before one Goshawk appears then it's joined by another & it's great to watch them put on a great display for us.
Many Buzzard are up & we see a group of 9 enjoying the lovely weather. On now in search of Willow Tit, we enter the track & walk the whole track without any luck & then I make a bad choice when Brian offers me the chance to wait at the bottom of the track while he goes back for the car & will drive round to pick me up, that sounded like a good idea as I have not been to well for a week or so. Jimmy walks back with him & you know the outcome they both get a year tick when they hear Willow tit only a few yards from the car ( sod's law ) save the legs miss the ticks, we drive back to see if I could get to hear it but not this time.
Off to Santon Dowham where we see another Goshawk but once again no sign of Woodlark.
As we head home we pop back into Lackford Lakes & this time the lake is full of hundreds of Gulls,
on scanning the lake we get to pick out a second year Yellow-legged Gull plus 2 Caspian Gulls
& then a real bonus when the Kumlien's Gull is found.

Brian scanning for the Gulls along with the the nice group that we had a good time with.

Off home now after a great day that gets me 4 year ticks & meeting a nice group while at Lackford.

The Common Redpoll 

Jimmy just about to leave Lackford Lakes

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Ferruginous Duck at Lee Valley CP.

While we were out getting the Long-eared Owls & the Long-billed Dowitcher yesterday in Lincolnshire Harry & Stuart posted that a Fudge Duck was on Jimmy's home patch on Holyfield Lake Lee Valley CP.
So not being able to visit yesterday we head over there today in the hope that it has hung about.
After parking up it's a long walk down to Holyfield Lake, as we walk we are joined by Paul W who we meet at the Dowitcher yesterday & as locals we show him where to head.
Once we arrive we meet up with Brian who already had the Fudge Duck for us so an easy tick but it took a long time of waiting for it to show well for photos. A pair of Goosander along with a nice Red-crested Pochard shows.
Nice to see Keith after such a long time of not seeing him & a good trickle of birders had gathered to see a cracking looking bird.
On Saturday all 3 of us headed to Santon Warren for the Great-grey Shrike.
Parking in the car park just by the rail crossing gates we head down to the under pass but find we have to walk a bit further down the track before we find the Shrike sitting up but distant.
We get great scope views of a nice bird before we set off to look for a Woodlark or two. No luck with that, but a few Brambling seen.
It was a grey old day & the snow was never far away.

The Shrike

Jimmy & Brian walking back from seeing the Shrike

The Fudge Duck

Again

Red-crested Pochard

Misty day looking at the Long-eared Owls at Deeping

With Brian free of work & Grandad duties he gets back behind the wheel & drives us to Deeping Lakes yesterday.
When we arrive we find the Owl island hardly visible with a mist covering the whole of the reserve.
So with no chance of seeing the Owls we have a walk around as I had not been here befor.,8 Male Goldeneye plus Goosander were seen along with a single female Bullfinch that we all needed for a year tick.
I found the reserve to be really nice place to walk around spoilt only by the low lying mist.
The mist lifted a little so back to look for the Owls.
It's not long before we spot 3 Long-eared Owls all looking back at us so a very nice year tick thank you.
On to Frampton Marsh for the Long-billed Dowitcher now. the bird has been here for 179 days so we are told by people in the visitor centre but had not been seen today & they wished us good luck in finding it & pointed us in the right direction.
As luck would have it after arriving where we were told the bird is often seen 4 birders one being Mr Evans inform us that the bird had just that minute dropped in & was only a few yards in front of us so once again a nice easy year tick.
On looking from 360 hide 0ver 50 or more Pintail are seen it's the most that I have seen in a group.
As we drive home on the A1 just outside of Peterborough over 70 Red Kite give a great display.
Once again the most that I have seen outside of seeing them at a feeding station, even then don't think I've seen that many.

The Owl island when we arrived

One of the Owls

Long-eared Owls

The Dowitcher

Ruff one of many seen