SLIMBRIDGE WWT

I  drove over to Slimbridge WWT Centre this morning, as I hadn't been for a while, I knew the Kingfishers were active and had heard reports of   Mediterranean gulls, both of which I hadn't managed to see so far this year.

The car park was quiet  and so was the Centre itself. There was admittedly nothing particularly of note reported as the White rumped sandpiper had gone, and so had all the Bewick swans. It was cloudy to start with but it brightened up to give blue skies, although the wind was still brisk.

I decided to go up to the Estuary Tower where high tide was due, though it wasn't predicted to be as high as earlier in the week. Nevertheless, there were many birds to be seen, including large numbers of black headed gulls, amongst which I was shown a couple of Mediterranean gulls, which I initially looked at through someone's 'scope as I would never have found them myself, particularly as one was was asleep! 

From the tower I could see white fronted geese, and barnacle geese with a snow/Ross goose amongst them.  A snipe was  in the reeds below the hide and I also saw a few pintails, wigeon and avocet. 

As I walked through the grounds, I heard many chiffchaffs and spotted a Brimstone butterfly, signs that Spring is nearly sprung!  

I approached the Discovery Hide, and noticed that a few people were looking intently along a stretch of water to the left - a pair of kingfishers were thought to be making a nest  in the bank ( out of view) and were perched in the trees and bushes nearby.  Although they were always partly obscured by twigs and branches, they gave closer views than the ones nesting in the banks viewed from the Kingfisher hide. 

I visited the remaining hides and  revisted some of the earlier ones, but there was nothing particularly of note today. Waders included lapwing, redshank, black tailed godwit, avocet and dunlin but I didn't see any herons or egrets. However any trip to Slimbridge is enjoyable and today was no exception, with two more birds added to my year list. 

robin

mallard

greylag

kingfisher (M)

avocet

shovelers

chiffchaff

wigeon

snipe

redshank

barnacle goose

sleeping wigeon

sleeping pintail

WHELFORD

 The past few weeks' cold and windy weather has not motivated me to go out birdwatching although I have enjoyed watching what birds have been visiting my garden feeders. There have been more greenfinches and chaffinches than usual plus I have had up to 3 blackcaps (2 f, 1 m) which have been visiting daily since the end of January.  Initially a female showed up on the day of the Big Garden birdwatch, then a few days later I spotted a male.  In the last week, a second female arrived, Interestingly the second female appears to have a slightly paler chestnut cap. I rarely have blackcaps in my garden so it has been a treat to watch them though I suppose they will move on quickly when the weather gets warmer. 

Today I went out to Whelford Pools to sit in the hide there and hopefully practise  using my camera  using some tips which I'd learnt from a camera workshop which I attended earlier in the week. There was very little there to start with - all the feeders were empty, so  I scattered some seed on a couple of logs in front of the hide  watched the tits and robins arrive to take advantage of the food. On the lake, birds seen included shovelers, great crested grebes, gulls and a few goosanders. Then I noticed some small birds flying fast above the water in a flock and after studying them through binoculars I came to the conclusion they must be newly arrived sand martins. 

LESS IS MORE AT FARMOOR

 A few days ago a Lesser Scaup, a  rarer diving duck than its cousin the Greater Scaup,  was found at Farmoor Reservoir near Oxford and as this would be 'lifer' for me I decided to drive over to see it. Although cold, the north wind was relatively light and walking the causeway was not the battle it sometimes can be!!

I have seen several Greater Scaups, usually at Farmoor Reservoir, and currently there are two at Slimbridge WWT. Smaller than the Greater Scaup, the Lesser Scaup is about the size of tufted duck and resembles the male of that species but with a greyer back and more marked, whitish sides and no tuft on its head.  This shows in the video below where both can be seen together. 

 Earlier in the morning the duck had been reported in front of the cafe, in other words just a short stroll from the car park. But by the time I arrived it had moved and was with some tufted ducks further out in the reservoir but  seemed to be heading in the direction of the causeway so I started walking in that direction. It was hard to pick it out amongst the ducks and coots but by following the group of birders who were all making their way along the causeway I caught up with it  where it was swimming not too far off from the shore. It stayed with a group of three tufted ducks, which made a useful comparison,  and like them, it dived frequently. 

I spotted a friend's  son amongst the birders so started chatting and then we both continued along the causeway so I could  show him where the hides and nature reserve were as he was unfamiliar with the site apart from the reservoir itself.

From the Shrike Meadow we heard and saw  a flock of siskins in the alders by the hide and then spent some time watching and photographing birds around the feeders including good numbers of reed buntings. As I returned across the causeway the Lesser Scaup was no longer in sight, but judging by the presence of photographers, it had probably relocated on the far side of the reservoir! I was, however, shown a rock pipit which I added to my year list. 

So a enjoyable morning, for which I am grateful to whoever found the duck in the first place and to all those other more observant birders who point me in  the right direction  and find those sought after rarities!