Green & Blue-winged Teal .

The boys had spent most of Monday fitting a new fence and front gates for me and just had to hang the gates on Tuesday morning to finish off the job, and I must say they look great. 

Robert had to head off but Jimmy, Brian, and I decide to do some birding and head off to Wilstone reservoir.

A drake Green-winged Teal had been reported so only being about an hour away we head off to tick it.

A climb up the steps and a walk round to the hide where we tick the Teal straight away, it's right in front of the hide but a fair way out.

We only spend a short time here because we are going after another year tick as it is only 20 miles away from here at Marlow where a Blue-winged Teal has been seen.

It takes a bit longer than we expected but we find Pound Lane car park then walk down the road to Lower Pound Lane and walk the 800 yds to view Lower ground pools.

Some people were heading back and put us on the right track to see the bird.

We find the Teal with ease as it is the only bird on the pool on this side of the path.

A strange-looking female bird but only the second  Blue-winged Teal I have seen so well worth the effort to come for it. 2-year ticks to keep the list moving.

The Blue-winged Teal at Marlow

Again

Wilstone Green-winged Teal

why not. my new fence and gates thanks to my boys.

At last the Belted Kingfisher.

 The Kingfisher has been around for a few months now at Samlesbury Lancashire. we have planned to go to see it many times but something has cropped up or the bird has gone missing for a few days and it will take us 4 hours to get there so a bit of planning has to go into it.  

On Thursday evening I got a text from Brian asking if we wanted to give it a go, I  have a  quick word with Jimmy and we arrange to meet at 2 am and go for it.

The drive was not bad despite having to detour off the M6.

It's just past 6am when we arrive, and we manage to park close to the bridleway that we have to take to get us up to the iron gate that gets us on the field to follow the well-worn track round to the spot where the bird has been seen from.

Within 5 minutes the Kingfisher's distinctive call is heard and a shadow flies across the river. then Brian spots the bird on a tree back from the river just behind the tree that hangs into the water.

The bird flies back into the river and comes back with a fish breakfast, it does this a few times and we get to hear the call again. What a beauty another lifer for all 3 of us.

Before we get back in the car we have a look over the Roach bridge and spot pairs off Dipper and Grey Wagtail that's one more year tick.

Off now to see if we can find the Snow Goose at Banks marsh. It's 18 miles away and we are not too sure if we are in the right place, we head down a track to find Old Hallow farm and park in a large yard.

 A short walk up some steps gets us looking over the marshes. A white bird is seen a long way off amongst thousands of Pink-footed Geese, so Jimmy scopes it, and blimey it turns out to be the Goose. we didn't expect to find the Goose so a right bonus and it gives all 3 of us another lifer. It is a long way off but the scope views are good.

There is only one other birder here so we head down to join him and he puts us onto a Todd.s Canada Goose. the birder turns out to be the original finder of the Snow Goose.

He tells us that there are Twite and Tree Sparrow about. So we set about finding them, back to where we came onto the marsh we find Tree Sparrow without too much trouble in the farm garden. Finding the Twite was harder, so Brian walked along the bank and he calls us to view a nice Merlin perched on a post.  Then a flock of birds lands in the field but is hard to see what they are, then the Merlin flies round and puts them all up and we see that they are a large flock of about 40 Twite for another year tick. 

So a long drive but what a fantastic days birding with us getting the 2 birds we came to see to give us lifers plus 4-year ticks. 

Belted Kingfisher

The Snow Goose

some of the Twite

        

  

Quick visit to Wanstead for Little Owl.

Brian called in to see us and I suggested we pop over Wanstead flats for the Little Owl.

We only have an hour or so, we park the car and walk to the little copse that we have seen the Owl in last year.

As we get to the edge of the trees Jimmy spots the Owl high up perched in a fork of the tree.

So well worth the trip as we spend some time watching this fabulous little bird.

Just enough time now to look for the Wheatear that has been seen and that is made easier when we meet Marco and he shows us where he had just seen the bird. A quick search of the ploughed-up area soon gets us another year tick when the male bird is seen by a long log

The Wanstead Little Owl

.

White-tailed Plover Little Stints make it a great day at Frampton RSPB.

Our first trip out for a while. we head up to Lincolnshire to a real favorite reserve of our's RSPB Frampton. 

Left home just after 5 am and after a trouble-free run arrive at 7.30 on one of those mornings when you are not too sure what to wear as it was a bit cold but clear and looked like it was going to be a nice day.

A birder tells us that the White-tailed Plover was showing well from East hide & that is a fair walk but that's where we head. Once in the hide, the bird is indeed showing very well.

Over the next hour, the Plover keeps heading closer to us for some great views of a really nice-looking Plover.

As we scan from outside the hide we find a couple of year ticks when Jimmy picks out at least 3 Little Stints and 2 Little-ringed Plover.

On leaving the hide we head up to the sea wall and walk around while scanning across the reserve that had a  high level of water on it. 

Jimmy soon gets us on a Whimbrel and then he finds a nice Spotted Redshank, then Brian finds a pair of Garganey at a distance but a year tick. So 6 good year ticks to get the list moving again. 

It is really a nice warm day now, so a real pleasure to have made the trip today. It's a pity Robert couldn't make it today as Frampton was a different place today than the first time he visited a few weeks back when the reserve was lacking birds and was really blowing a gale that day. Hope not too long before our next visit.

The White=tailed Plover