BEWICKS ARE BACK!

With a cold easterly wind, I was not surprised to hear that the Bewick Swans have begun to arrive at WWT Slimbridge.  With some winter sunshine forecast I paid them a first visit of the season. About 50+ are now present, although all but a couple were grazing in the fields. However as it neared  4pm small groups began to assemble in the Rushy Pen awaiting their tea time feed. 

I spent the afternoon  along the Holden Walkway, where a number of birds of interest were to be found, apart from the Bewick swans. A water rail was clearly visible from the Willow Hide,  making the most of the seed fallen from the feeders above it. A snipe and a Jack snipe were also present on one of the islands seen from  another of the hides. As well as the more common greylags and Canada geese, a few barnacle geese could be seen from the Holden tower,  together with a number of cranes, and I also spotted one of the  white fronted geese from another of the hides along the walkway. Plenty of wigeon were grazing and there were also a good number of pintails and teals. Also a redshank seen. 

                                                                     Bewick swans

Canada geese

greylag

house sparrow

jack snipe

pintails

shelduck

shoveler

snipe

snipe

teal

water rail

whited fronted goose with Canada goose

wigeon

wren

GREAT NORTHERN DIVER

After having missed a Hoopoe near Lyneham yesterday, I was  more successful in locating a great northern diver at Coln country park just outside Lechlade  this afternoon.  I parked up, and walked part way round the lake, every so often checking through my binoculars as gaps in the reeds allowed a decent view. 
 After a while the bird in question popped into my view. It was drifting with the wind back toward the way I had come, and I realised if it continued to do so, it would become slightly nearer as the lake narrowed. This did, in fact happen, although as it became slightly nearer it started to dive which it had not done so far. One dive  brought up a crayfish which I managed to capture. 
According to reports, this bird is an adult  moulting in winter plumage, and although not exactly a twitch, ((no one else was looking for it!) it was another tick for my year list!

A CHARM OF GOLDFINCHES

I spent a couple of hours at Shornecote reed bed in the Cotswold water parks this afternoon Glorious sunshine and not too cold or breezy so an enjoyable autumn walk. Not a large number of species seen, but the sun shed some good light on a group of goldfinches feeding on teasels and a stonechat sat up high on a bush.

Species noted: buzzard, heron, coot,  moorhen, gadwall, teal, mallard, long tailed tit, blue tit, great tit, dunnock, robin, wren, blackbird, pheasant, magpie, wood pigeon, stonechat, goldfinch,  cettis warbler (heard).

stonechat

buzzard