Pintail worth the bitter weather

Geoff texted to say a male Pintail had just dropped in at LFGP, I was still heading back with the family from Surrey after picking up an ebay purchase. Within 20 minutes I was there admiring this less than annual visitor, in all his splendour, what a fine duck they are, perhaps I went a bit overboard with the record shots.....but I am not sure I've seen one here out of the water.

Cold, cold North wind

Despite the biting cold North wind I joined the monthly guided walk for an hour, having a baby son with chicken pox and being Mothers Day, didn't seem right to be out much longer.

For starters a lone pipit, presumably Meadow went over the car park, on BSL 3 male & 3 female Goldeneye, some Pochard and Tufted Duck, 1 Oystercatcher on the South end of the main island, 1-2 Common Gull, 2-3 Herring, but few Black-Headed.

In the bushes Long-tailed Tits, Goldcrest, a possible Blackcap, but too brief for one observer to be sure, a Little Egret with Grey Heron on Sandford, Treecreeper calling along the backwater.

At LFGP, all the usual, 3 more pipit sp over NW, but then a real surprise, especially on this bitter cold morning, an amazingly early lone House Martin, flying back and forth from the NE corner to midway along the East bank, no doubt frantically trying to find food. This is the earliest ever arrival by 12 days, the previous record set 22nd March 1992.

I marched quickly back via Bittern hide, nothing much to speak of.

Saturday catch up

Am sure I did get out since my last post, but nothing exciting must have happened, or I'd have mentioned it. So late afternoon today, I walked around the whole North end, Sandford, Heron's Water, WSL, BSL, car park field, Lavell's and LFGP. The full on rain yesterday pushed water levels up over 12" and the paths are very slippery and boggy yet again.
The highlights were, 4m+4f Goldeneye on Sandford, an Oystercatcher, 2 more flying off BSL, quite a few Fieldfare on the golf course, c150 Fieldfare over the landfill, 1 Mistle Thrush in car park field and again, or another on Lavell's, Nuthatch calling East of car park field and Adult Little Grebe + 2 Snipe Lavell's. In the log 5 Oystercatcher were seen today.
2 possible Great Black-backed Gulls North, 3 Goldeneye LFGP, c175+ Wigeon.

Redpoll in my garden was Lesser

And there's a surprise, but it returned and showed it's back, although the tertials do look rather white fringed, ah well let someone else tell me I'm wrong and I get a nice garden tick.

An early start

I was awake by 06:30 and thought I'd get out for an early walk, at Lavell's it was pretty quiet bar the Teal feeding avidly in the scrape. No sign of any Barn Owl though.
Onwards a loop round Sandford, Treecreeper singing nicely, then I inspected the good work by DP blocking off all access for people and dogs, to the old path on Sandford running parallel with BSL near the sailing club, just after I passed the MAC a Grey Wagtail went over heading that way and was only my second this year, showing how tricky this species is early in the year.
On my walk to LFGP a further 3 Treecreeper singing, so great to know they are doing well here, I then paused at the gate scanning downstream, only to get a brief glimpse of a Barn Owl quartering the meadow in between the Loddon river courses.
I scanned the LFGP lake edges for pipits in hope of Rock, but no joy and same story for an early LRP.... the earliest arrival ever was on this day in 1989!
Back at home a superbly bright Lesser Redpoll on my Nyger had me thinking could this be Mealy, am still not sure, it never showed it's back to help matters.

Warmest day so far in 2013

Such a beautiful morning, all the Pochard and Tufted Ducks looking so fine on Lavell's I snapped away trying to capture an essence of spring, the Lapwing were stunning, the Shoveler too, the Teal noisy, then all the ducks on LFGP came over and suddenly an Oystercatcher dropped in, then a second joined it.

Lots of raptors up today in the 15-16 degree sweltering heat, 5+ Buzzard, 10+ Red Kite, 1 Sparrowhawk, who knows what else passed over?
Later a short walk at the picnic area provided Mistle Thrush very near to the first bridge across the Emm Brook

Still full of cold

Sunday I was hoping to clear my head a little and headed out mid am, it was quickly obvious it had been a hard frost, much of LFGP was frozen and a good number of BH Gulls stood waiting to be checked, but no Med or anything exciting appeared obvious.

I heard that someone had seen Oystercatcher at Tern Scrape earlier, but it had flown off.

This morning I was no better, but wanted a stab at Oystercatcher, feeling LFGP was a better option, I arrived 08:25 and at 08:34 one flew in from the North calling constantly, circling 4 times, even looking like it fancied one of the Tern rafts for a moment or two, but then decided otherwise and headed off over Lavell's, but I did find it there later....perhaps it was on the gold course on BSL main island?

On my walk back the bright sunshine was warming things up and woodpeckers called all over the place, then a Coal Tit gave it's quiet chattering call and I picked it up in the Blackthorn by the hazel fencing, but it flew over the Loddon immediately and went off into the gardens. My  second sighting this year.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker posed for a moment on the obvious dead Alder there.

At Lavell's the Pochard have been lingering since the tree felling began at Sandford, now 65 have gathered, which is a pretty good count for the time of year.