It appears that our freedom is about to be severely restricted from tonight but I drove over to a local reserve ten minutes away this morning to look for ducks! Pit 127 near Whelford is where a ring necked duck has been staying recently though I have been unsuccessful at locating it, chiefly because the tufted ducks with which it associates are generally too far distant to be able to pinpoint the beak markings which distinguishes it.
However, I noticed on my last visit that this lake also held a variety of other ducks so with a new year list at hand, I thought I would make a revisit. I parked in the usual Whelford Pools carpark and started to follow the muddy path. A sound in the top of a tree grabbed my attention and I looked up to find a greater spotted woodpecker. With a green woodpecker in my garden regularly feasting on apples, that's both common woodpeckers already ticked off already this year! Coming out into a clearing I met someone coming in the opposite direction with binoculars in hand. A short conversation with him ensued, during which he asked if I had seen the goosanders on the area of water behind me. I hadn't, of course, so picked my way through some broken branches to get a clearer view, and saw around five or six males and females. Having just grabbed a record shot, too poor to be included in this blog, something disturbed them and they all flew off together.
On enquiring about the ring necked duck, I was told it was seen yesterday but from the opposite side of the lake, which would also give me better views of the other ducks. He explained how to get there by turning left further up the road and following the road almost to its end and parking by a gate. I decided to head there straightaway, and although I didn't see the ring necked duck (again!), there were plenty of whistling wigeon, together with tufted ducks, some sleepy teal, mallards and shoveler, also canada and greylag geese. In the hedges near to the car, I saw a party of long tailed tits and a few redwings and fieldfares.
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