Tick 'n' go Birding: A sunny day with the Goshawk's

Friday, 15 February 2019

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.