FROSTY MORNING

Thursday 29 Dec
I had a quick visit to Stanton park this morning, before visitors arrived.  The lake was frozen in the centre, whilst mallards and swans collected at the edges. Usual visitors to the bird tables, and a somewhat fierce looking robin on the frosted branch whilst another sang happily where it had thawed.

BIRDING IN THE FENS

A bright day today for a trip  out on the fens, firstly to WWT Welney followed by Ouse Washes RSPB reserve. 

We arrived at Welney around 11am, having passed a couple of fields which had flocks of whooper swans in them as we neared the centre. My first job was to join the WWT after which we walked over the road bridge to  visit the observatory then the hides. Mute and Whooper swans were in evidence, but no sightings of Bewicks. Also a range of ducks including tufted, mallard, shoveler, shelduck, wigeon, pochard and teal. Waders included blacktailed godwits, redshanks and a snipe and an unidentifiable small wader, possible a little stint. A whinchat also perched on the reeds outside the observatory.  Whilst having our lunch in the restaurant, a kingfisher perched for 10 minutes in a tree by the pond outside. 

We took a route home via RSPB Ouse Washes, where we spotted tree sparrows on the feeders viewable through the window from the visitor centre, but strangely not visiting the feeders near the picnic area which would have provided some better photos!  

Birds seen today:
whooper swan, mute swan, mallard, greylag goose, canada goose, little egret, grey heron, lapwing, black tailed godwit, snipe, redshank, mallard, teal, tufted duck, pochard, wigeon, shoveler, shelduck, kingfisher, whinchat, cormorant, blue tit, great tit, robin, blackbird, wood pigeon, buzzard, kestrel, pheasant, house sparrow, tree sparrow, goldfinch,  magpie, reed bunting.

whooper swans grazing in a field

whooper swan

lapwing

pochard

house sparrow

TIT FAMILY

A visit to  Stanton Park produced  five members of the tit family in a flurry of activity around the feeders. I saw 2 marsh tits and 2 coal tits, together with a flock of long tailed tits and several great tits and blue tits. It was hard to get any decent photos as they perched for only a second or two before flying off.  There were also a couple of robins, 3 male chaffinches, a dunnock, blackbird and 2 nuthatches all trying to get a share of the food I had put out for them.  A tree creeper was also visible on a nearby tree. At home I had a flock of redwings and a goldcrest.

chaffinch

great tit

long tailed tit

marsh tit

nuthatch

coal tit

redwing

OTMOOR BIRDING

A lovely afternoon for a trip out so drove over to Otmoor RSPB straight from work. I walked along the main path to the wetland hide and then on to the first screen.  At the hide I focussed on the finches which gather there next to a path where they are now regularly fed. There were various flocks of reed buntings, gold finches, with some linnets and chaffinches. Then I  made my way to the first screen, which overlooked an area of water, where the sun was shining on the variety of water birds there. Above the moor I saw red kites, a kestrel and a sparrow hawk, the latter dropped its catch of a starling on the path  a little way in  front of me, but sadly I had been looking behind  where the sun was shining on the reeds and it was pointed out by a visitor who was coming towards me and had seen it! 

Birds seen today included:
mute swans, canada geese, snipe, teal, mallard, shoveler, moorhen, gadwall, cormorant, fieldfare, redwing, blackbird, robin, blue tit, chaffinch, dunnock, reed bunting, linnet, goldfinch, kestrel, sparrowhawk, red kite, lapwing. 

goldfinch

linnet

shoveler teal and snipe

reed bunting

JAY AT STANTON PARK

I had time to drop by at Stanton park on my way home from shopping this afternoon, I had bought a fresh supply of seeds and peanuts so decided to see what I could tempt to the bird table. 

Being later than usual there wasn't the usual flurry of activity, but visitors to the bird table included blue tits, great tits, coal tit, nuthatch, robin, dunnock, and blackbird. After half an hour I could make out the jay in the trees round about, but although it came near enough to photograph, it was very wary of my presence I think so didn't come right down. I thought about crouching behind the bench but it was very cold and wet so decided against that this time.

jay

robin

nuthatch

blackbird

dunnock

STONECHATS AND STARLINGS AT SHORNCOTE

I spent a very pleasant afternoon walking at Shorncote, part of the Cotswold water parks, with cousin Jon. It was milder than of late, and the sun eventually broke through the cloud to give some beautiful autumn light over the reedbeds.  Having parked at South Cerney we took a route through the sports field and over the road, then through another field, looking out for snipe on the waterlogged areas, then on towards the hide and lakes. A buzzard was sitting on the roof of the hide  whilst lapwings and fieldfares flew above us. We heard a cettis warbler as we walked towards the lakes, where  we noted several species of ducks. A good number of birds were seen and heard, perhaps most noticably two pairs of stonechats which looked stunning in the evening sun. As we headed back to the cars, we looked out for a barn owl hunting. It didn't appear, but what we saw instead was a sizeable murmuration of starlings against the yellowing sky. 

Birds seen or  heard during the afternoon included:
robin, wren, chaffinch, bullfinch, long tailed tit, cettis warbler,  swan, moorhen, coot, heron, little egret, sparrowhawk, kestrel, buzzard, snipe ,reed warbler lapwing,fieldfare, blackheaded gull, mallard, teal, wigeon, tufted duck, gadwall, shoveler, water rail, starling, blackbird, stonechat.

A few photos from today are shown below.

female stonechat

starling murmuration