Great Grey Shrike at Therfield

With Brian not sure about getting out today, Jimmy gets itchy feet & asks if we should go & look for the Shrike at Therfield Heath.
A couple of texts to Brian just to make sure he's not going to make it, we get no answer, so as it's not to far to drive, only 30 odd miles I make my mind up to go.
We came a couple of weeks ago & missed it on a really windy day, so we try a different place to approach this time, we are at the bottom end of the valley this time & it's not a long walk before we are in the right area to start looking.
As we walk we meet a walker with his dog, he want's to know what we are after, we tell him the name,size, colour, of the bird, as we walk the fellow thinks he has just seen it in front of us, Jimmy & myself don't see anything, but we spend some time looking in that area, but nothing doing, so we think he was probably wrong, & we walk on a bit down the track.
A fellow birder who has come from Ipswich to look for it, ask's if we have seen anything of the bird yet, we tell him no,& we spend some time with him & scan  over the fields, no luck so far.
So we split up from each other to give us more chance of spotting the target.
Not to long after that the other birder calls to us that he has it in the scope, we get onto it right away.
The bird is a fair way off so we walk along behind the bushes to try for a better view of it.
This works well as we get really good views of it through the scope.

Along way off but a record shot of it.

As we head back we talk to a nice couple, they tell us they had just seen a Shrike in the bushes where the dog walker had told us he had seen it, so that must be a low for me,I get used to Brian & Jimmy spotting the birds for me, but now a non birder spots it before me.
A quick trip that gets us the Great Grey Shrike, that's another year tick so well good, shame that Brian was not with us today, but he will get to see it soon.Off home for a nice roast now.

Ferruginous Duck B N Grebe Bedfordshire

Jimmy's birthday today & he has to go to work,but mid morning the phone goes it's Jimmy & he has just worked himself half a day off, he Say's do I fancy going to Bedford for the Fudge Duck.
The answer is yes, so at noon we set off for the 61miles to Priory country park in Bedfordshire.
We turn into Barkers lane & park up, the lake is right in front of us, we scope the lake & find the target over the over side of the water in with a lot of Pochard.
As we walk round to get a better view the Black-necked Grebe comes into view, another 2 year ticks that's 136) up to now.
A nice walk round the lake to the hide where we scan for the Duck, but we think it has gone over to where we had come from,as a birder had his camera out & Jimmy thinks he's seen it again, so we walk back to the other side, & there it is showing very close in.
Photo's taken in very bad light, but really great view's for us.

Ferruginous Duck

A good trip with the target bird seen, so off home hopefully we will miss the traffic on the M25 car park as it's getting near to rush time.We do miss most of the heavy traffic & get home just after 5 o'clock, so well worth the trip, happy birthday Jim.                              
No Brian today as work gets in the way, but he managed to see them yesterday, so that's nice.

Out of focus but a record  anyway

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A bit of fun

waxwing in Chingford.plus trip to Therfield

My Sunday starts with a nice Goldcrest sitting on my patio,also 4 Redpoll on the feeder.
It gets to 10 o'clock when Jimmy calls out that Waxwings are in Chingford only a couple of miles from my house.
So off we go & find them straight away, 5 birds spotted in the treetop & dropping down to feed on some Berries in a garden, we take photos, then head home job done another year tick.
It is now 11 o'clock when Brian phones to say do we want to go to Therfield for the Great Grey Shrike.
Not knowing  where this is I ask how long to get there, I am told it's only about an hour away.
So dinner has to wait & off we go up the A10 it is only an hour to get there, but it takes a good hour to locate the right place to see the bird.It is called Icknield way.
We walk a very long way down a muddy trail & scan all the bushes, with the wind blowing a gale the bird is not going to come out today.
As we walk back we see over 50 Yellow Hammers.
Off home with no sighting of the target bird, nobody said it was easy, on the way down the A10 Jimmy spots 3 Grey Partridge in a field, Brian spins the car round to go back to make sure, they are indeed what Jimmy thought he saw, that's another year tick so great.Also seen 2 Red Kites, & 3 Buzzards spotted on the drive home.

This mornings birds

Waxwings

Littlestone, Snowbunting. Hooded Crow Harty Ferry

Off early to Dungeness on Saturday, when we arrive we are the only people about.
So up onto the beach & take shelter from the wind at the side of the locked hide,the sea is rough with waves getting a long way up the beach.
The first thing we spot is over a hundred Cormorant flying past, then Razorbills show, needed them for a year tick so nice.
Plenty of G C Grebe all over the water, A Red-breasted Merganser also shows, Brian spots a Little Gull for us, another tick for me. Plenty of Gannets diving. A dead Seal had been washed up onto the beach, not nice to see.

A bit sleepy

Off to find the Glaucous Gull that we dipped on a couple of weeks ago, we scan about by the boats, but it's not here so we walk over the stones to go further up the beach, then it's spotted in with a flock of Gulls,another tick for the year.

In flight

Off now to Littlestone just round the coast from here, the target bird is Snow Bunting.
We find the lifeboat station & park up, we are right on the beach, so with any luck not to much walking to do.
Down on the edge of the water a few Knot, also Oystercatcher, loads of Sandlings, Turnstone, a Grey  Plover also, Redshanks all very close to us which was nice to see.
We get talking to the plodding birder, it's he's local patch, & it's him who finds the Snowbunting a few yards away from us, they are hard to spot even when you know where they are.
There are 2 birds here & they are very happy to sit where they are, so cameras out.

Snow bunting

Redshank

 Now we head to Harty Ferry for the Hooded Crow,  the first fellow we talk to happens to be the person who had found the Crow, he tells us where to go.
So we head down to a church, & park. there is a big gap in front of us that looks right over the area where the bird has been spotted, we was told we would have to walk a long way down the valley to the hide to see it, but we scan the field anyway, & Brian picks the bird up with his scope, great another tick,I think this is the first Hooded crow I have seen in England.

Not the one we saw today, this is one I saw in Scotland

Back up to the Raptor watch point, from here there are 7 Cranes walking about showing well, Hen Harrier, Buzzard, a Merlin is seen sitting in the field.
On the way down to the Point we had seen over 50 Corn Buntings on a bush.
The watch point was packed with birders & they all wanted to know where we had seen the Crow, we were very happy to point them in the right direction. Off home now after a very good day birding, meeting some more nice people, & seeing the target birds,& another new place seen.

My Garden today

Blackcap

Fieldfare

One of the family

Pied Wagtail

Waiting for the birds to come in to my garden

Just sitting with a cuppa looking out the garden, it took a little time for the birds to come in this morning as it's misty with a really white sky.
The first thing I see is a Song Thrush walking across the snow, then a Wren is sitting on the tree, also a Dunnock by the feeders, plenty of Blue tits,& Great Tits, 3 Long-tailed Tits fly on & off the feeders at regular intervals.
Next in is 2 Fieldfare, then a Male Blackcap pays a very quick visit, it's replaced by a female one which has been around for a few days now,. they have been feeding on the apples I stuck on the branches this week.
Only a couple of Goldfinch today. Redpoll are in daily at the moment & in beautiful colour to.
I seem to have a family of Robins that wait for me to put out food & water daily.
Blackbirds & Starlings are all over the garden, also collared dove come & go,the bushes are also full of house Sparrows,
Sitting in the big tree over the side of my garden are 2 Ring-neck Parakeet, they are there most days or just across the fields from my house.
Yesterday a Coal tit came onto the bird bath, but not today so far.
Also a few Pied Wagtails are seen daily now.
It's so easy to just sit watching the birds all morning, a perk for being retired with all the time in the world.

Bittern in the snow Lea Valley

The snow is falling quite heavy,it is going to snow all day, so rather than stay in doors a visit to Fishers green to look for the Bittern,. this is Jimmy's  local patch near us, so easy to get home if it gets to bad.
I follow Jimmy over there, he is in the hide when I arrive, inside 5 minutes the Bittern walks right out in front of the hide, it is a really good view of it, another year tick.

Bittern with catch

It is eating a big fish, we also see 2 Water rail, 1 walks in front of us, then has a little flight across the water, a really nice thing to see so close.
Also we see 2 Deer come really close to the hide.
A Song Thrush shows itself by the feeders another first for the year 125 so far.
Jimmy & I then decide to walk to Friday Lake to look for the Smew, it's a long old walk in the snow.
It turns out to be in vain as the Smew is not seen.
We do see Male Goldeneye + Goosander.
Also a nice Black Swan swims across in front of us.

Water rail

Looking for food

Black Swan

A winter's day

 Now for the long walk back to the cars, we walk by the river in the hope of seeing a Kingfisher flying by, but not to be today.
A nice few unexpected hours walking about in the snow, & seeing the target bird, off for a cuppa now.

Goosanders at Lee Valley

A trip over to Fishers Green to try for the Bittern & to get some year ticks as well.
The first bird to be seen just by the car park is a single Goldcrest. 

Goldcrest

It stays about for a good time so a good start to my visit.
Into the Bittern hide now, there has been no sign of it so far today, but I do see 2 Water Rail walking across the reeds in front of the hide.
About an hour later still no sign, so off on a walk to see whats about.
I have to walk all the way down to the Grebe hide before anything shows.
As I get near to the hide I bump into Harry, he tells me that he had just seen 5 Goosanders from the hide, as we stand talking we see about 50 Siskin mixed in with some Redpoll filling the tree.I say goodbye to Harry, & go in the hide, I see the Goosanders straight away, but only 3 females are showing, they are a long way out so no photo. 
A single Pintail also seen. I am told a male Smew is on Friday Lake, but I give it a miss today.
Back to the Bittern hide for one more look, but before I go in I see a couple of Treecreepers in the picnic area. 
A time spent in the hide is to no avail so I shoot down to the farm for the Egyptian geese, I see 10 in the field, so a few ticks today.
A really nice morning walking round, it's cold but still pleasant. I have had a good talk to some new people I met in in the hide, so off home for some lunch.