2 Jack City

I did a circuit of Lea Farm - nowt but a Little Egret, Sandford - nothing at all, WSL - Wigeon, Gadwall, Pochard and Tufties, BSL, Tufties and 20-30 Pochard, 1-2 Wigeon and finally Lavell's, which was by far the best site - 2 Jack Snipe, at opposite ends of the scrape and looking pretty similar in colouration and plumage. Have we ever had 3 this winter, I am not sure but doubt it.

I spent a while just taking shots of various things in wonderful bright light, with -10 or lower last night the frost was pretty hard and lingering, so offered some chances to play with light effects, not that most, if any came out.

I took just one half decent shot of the nearer Jack Snipe

If it comes out, I took a clip of it bobbing too

This is the third day in a row I've seen a Jack Snipe at Tern scrape

If we could read that ring

The Ferruginous Duck on Middle Marsh has a ring and let's face it the likelihood of another Ferruginous choosing that lake as a nice place to hang out, was statistically impossible so it must be our original bird returning.

But one can't help wondering where it went and if only we could get the ring number, that would reveal a thing or two.

It makes me grumpy hearing people making the assumption that a ring means escaped, it proves nothing.

So today was work party and just minutes before more wildfowl went over, with at least 4 being Pintail. Jack told me during the work party another flock went over earlier.

Cold and foggy start - but amazing afternoon

I went straight to Lea Farm GP and it was fairly thick fog, which just got worse over the 25 minutes I lingered. I moved on due to the cold and at Bittern hide counted the Shoveler once again, still around 120, 45 Pochard dropped in with Tufties.

Checking the scrape I easily picked up a Jack Snipe, with at least 16 Common, but conditions were not conducive for a good shot

A male Pochard sat close allowing a nice shot, plus the juvenile Great Crested Grebe was worth a try too

On Sandford another 37 Pochard and 3 female Goldeneye, then as I was greeting Richard and Gill a flock of about 80+ Wigeon came in from the South, heading for LFGP.

I had family engagements around lunchtime, so when Steve's text came in saying 'Ferruginous Duck Middle Marsh' I was eager to get back and see it.

On my way over around 14:25, I was driving along Mohawk Way and about to turn right into Sandford Lane, when I saw a flock of 'somethings' in a tight cluster, moving away. I decided I would go beyond Sandford Lane and pulled up in front of the new houses, quickly jumping out I could see half the flock vanishing as I reached for my bins.

I was fully expecting to see Golden Plover, but all I could make out was 40+ ducks moving quickly with no obvious wing markings...not surprising at the range they were by now. I thought 'probably Wigeon again'.

I'd pulled up in the lay-by and was half way along the West side of Sandford when Jules and Jack's WhatsApp message came in "100 Pintail over LFGP North". Hmmm I thought!

Onward to Middle Marsh calling Jules on the way, she told me Jack had some pictures and were now heading to Middle Marsh too.

Trevor was still on site and we quickly found the Ferruginous Duck again, here are my latest shots, none are any good at all

Jack and Jules did arrive and I got them on the Ferruginous and then Jack showed me the shots, unquestionably Pintail, 40+ in one shot, 30+ in another, amazing.

Shoveler highs

The claims of an enormous number of Shoveler were partly proven today, I did 2 counts of the flock on Lavell's, reaching 172 and 151, which is quite a disparity. So if we opt for the fact that several swam around the island, we can say it was somewhere in the middle. Either way 151 is a new record by about 20.

The Pochard were split between Lavell's (37) and Sandford (50), no big numbers of anything else, the Teal being hardest to count as they were all tucked in to the flooded lake edges.

8 Fieldfare over NW was about all.

Black Swans

Simon Bartlam first notified me of 2 Black Swans on LFGP this morning, but I was tied up all morning. They had moved to Lavell's, but gone by the time I arrived, Geoff told me there was a huge flock of Shoveler, half of which left before my arrival. I counted 116, then 1 more on Sandford and Heron's Water, but no other flocks.

On Lavell's there were 27 Pochard, on Sandford there were another 38, so 65 is the highest count this autumn, 2 Goldeneye and 130+ Tufted Duck.

At Lea Farm I finally found the Black Swans, where my second Great Black-backed Gull in two days went over too.

We think the last Black Swan was in 2007.

Benefits of flooding

I managed a 30 minute trip around the car park and Bittern hide this afternoon and was happy to see a Great Black-backed Gull heading North towards Sonning pits and a then a flock of about 10 finches, most likely Linnet heading over Tern Meadow, East.

At the hide the Shoveler were very close, a female just yards away, begging for a picture

A little further away were several more asleep

I was scanning thru all the ducks, about 80+ Shoveler in all, Teal, Pochard, Tufted Duck, then a few Snipe tucked in around the reed piles, but then a Shoveler caught my eye due to it's pale appearance and I got one decent shot of it before it vanished into the reeds while feeding.

It got me reading about aging Northern Shoveler, but I have to say in this case I am none the wiser, because the undertail coverts are all white.

The article I read is here https://cmboviewfromthecape.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/when-is-female-northern-shoveler-not.html

The bird in question

P.S. 24th Nov
I wrote an email to Peter Pyle in the U.S. and he very kindly replied quickly to say he agreed it was an adult female, a darker bill than might be expected, but certainly a leucistic individual and despite the unusual white under tail coverts, unlikely to be a hybrid.

The theory seems to be looking correct

At Bittern hide last night I'd just missed the Starlings come in to roost, I said that I'd read Bitterns are rather partial to a Starling or two, so if you have a roost, you may not have Bitterns present.

Armed with those thoughts and it's failure to show at Lavell's, I headed down to WSL tonight, no Starlings, but indeed a Bittern moving around the usual middle area from 16:20. Light fading fast it appeared mid phase in colour, so neither pale, or dark, but no way of telling if it was the Teal scrape individual.

I am glad to see one so early in the winter, I just love Bitterns!

2 Water Rail, 1 Cetti's also heard, plus 1 of each at Sandford, where quite a lot of Shoveler were too.