BIRDING AT A DISTANCE

Weather cloudy and cold so I decided to wrap up, and with soup and hot chocolate on board, made my way into my neighbouring county of  Oxfordshire. I wanted to check out Port Meadow as a birding destination, but on the way I stopped off at the little village of Northmoor where yesterday there were reports of hawfinches in the village churchyard.  

There has been an influx of hawfinches this year (like waxwings last year) so I've been keen to see one, as I've never seen one before. As I wondered where the church actually was and where to park, I spotted someone with a give-away long camera lens and stopped to ask. He offered to wait while I parked and we chatted as we made out way to the church. Unsurprisingly there a were a few others already there who  confirmed they'd seen at least nine in the tops of the bare trees and in the yews. 
It wasn't long before we could make out the shape of a hawfinch at the top of a tree. The sun had come out just before I arrived but didn't last long. Long enough for a few record shots though. During my visit we saw at least two different individuals, male and female.

I then headed off to Oxford, where I eventually found Port Meadow Nature reserve, which consists mainly of  a meadow which attracts many wildfowl when floooded in winter.  

Most birds were at a distance though, so I couldn't get any good photos,  though I did add another seven species including goosander to my list for the year so far.