Redwing.

The most abundant thrush seen on my local patch and during my recent farmland survey is the Redwing (Turdus iliacus), a regular winter migrant from Northern Europe.

Easy to identify but definitely not the easiest species to get very close to as at the slightest hint of any disturbance they all fly off to the nearest trees. Fortunately I was able to make use of the dense hedgerow and utilize a small gap to hide my presence for these record cropped shots.

Linking to:
Wild Bird Wednesday

Birding through a clear eye.

Today I made my first outdoor sortie for a wander around Horton Country Park following the cataract surgery to my left eye on Tuesday. The Surgeon has dramatically improved my distance vision so it was quite an experience to be birding without wearing any spectacles. 

Pied Wagtail

A Pied Wagtail in one of the paddocks who couldn't decide whether to sit in the sun or the shade from the fence!

Still good numbers of overwintering Redwing moving between their woodland roosts and feeding spots in the horse paddocks.

Great Tit

I watched any number of Goldcrest flitting through the vegetation in Pond Wood without any chance of a photo but at least this Great Tit was far more obliging.

Every now and then the bird song died away as this Kestrel made a few forays along the woodland edge.

I'm linking to GOOD FENCES with this final image of a Blue Tit perched on one of the dilapidated woven hazel fences.

Fuzzy Focus.

Blue Tit hanging around.

Above is a prime example of not being ready with the right camera settings when the action happens AND this is also the fuzzy, out of focus, image that I have been seeing through my left eye for some time ... actually it is much worse than this!

I am booked in for cataract surgery early on Monday Tuesday morning so if all goes well without any unforeseen complications I am hopeful that my clarity of view with both eyes will soon be nearly as good as my camera's auto-focus.

March has arrived with a few more sunny but cold days interspersed  between the continuing blustery showers but this week I have not ventured very far from home. So here are just some of the birds that have come within range of the lens.

My first sighting of a Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) this year during a wander in Bushy Park on Thursday. Another species whose conservation status in the UK has been upgraded from Amber to RED! 

Close by its slightly smaller cousin the Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) was joyfully singing.

As usual any opportunity to spend time with a Grey Heron (below) will always grab my attention and I have a few other images to share in a future post.

During a late morning walk on Friday around Horton Country Park I finally added another species to my local patch and current year lists, the Siskin (Carduelis spinus), one of our smallest finches. This was definitely a case of identifying them initially by the colour and pattern of their under bellies before spotting the single adult male with his black cap. They certainly tested my patience and focusing skills while acrobatically moving around the top of an Alder some 50 or so feet above my head seeking out the ripe seed heads. 

I logged a much smaller number of the overwintering Redwing (Turdus iliacus) feeding in the horse paddocks and only one individual (below) came close enough for a quick snapshot. Surprisingly this winter I have seen very few Fieldfare and only located one individual amongst the Redwing flocks on Friday.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters
I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'
Nature Notes 

Winter Ducks.

On Monday I drove over the county boundary to Wraysbury Gravel Pits in the hope of seeking out a few of the migrant species that often frequent the various large lakes formed after the extraction of gravel to build the M25 motorway.

As I climbed over the style to access the footpath that would take me alongside the New Hythe Pit I was initially greeted with a flurry of activity as various species including Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch,  Blackbird and Redwing dived for cover while overhead I could hear the distinctive chattering 'shack-shack-shack' calls from a number of Fieldfare. Both the Redwing and Fieldfare are winter visiting Thrushes and typically vary wary of any intruders so I had to wait patiently for them to settle high above me in order to snap a cropped record shot of both in the frame together.

Moving on I scanned the open water only to find that most of the ducks were typically too far away for the lens on the farthest side of he pit but I was delighted to spot that my quarry including 3 drake Smew and 8 Goosanders plus a number of Goldeneye were in fact on site together with the usual Mallard, Coot, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Grey Heron, Cormorants, Mute Swans, and Great Crested Grebes.  

I eventually managed to capture a male Goosander (Mergus merganser) which had been drifting close to the bank but out of my sight and promptly decided to swim away to join its distant companions. The next two species, Goldeneye and Pochard were fortunately a little more obliging.

Male Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

Male Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)

A few other species kept me company during my stroll including a small flock of Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits (constantly uttering their scolding call as I walked by) and the very noisy Rose-ringed Parakeets whose piercing screams nearly drowned out the constant background sounds from the nearby motorway!

My final quarry was the extremely shy and one of the smallest sawbills, the Smew. The males are often referred to as the 'White Nun' due to their distinctive white and black streaked plumage.

Male Smew (Mergellus albellus).

Every winter this dainty species migrates southwards from its northern boreal breeding grounds in Finland, Sweden and Russia. Small numbers can usually be found at regular overwintering sites from December until March throughout the southern counties of the UK. Unfortunately I couldn't get any decent views so had to dig out an image taken during a visit to this site from just a year ago.  FAB.

Click here to link to WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY for more images from around the globe.

Local Patch Walk.

A three hour leisurely stroll today very close to home saw me heading southwards following tree lined paths close to farmland with the constant scolding calls from Great and Blue Tits for company plus the occasional 'seep, seep' calls of Long-tailed Tits feeding overhead.  

Above is the view south with clouds building up as I turned east to cross the open fields containing many horses and quite a few Carrion Crows and Magpies. 

A number of friendly faces slowly meandered over to say hello to the interloper.

On the edge of the field I heard the constant calls from Fieldfare and Redwing and eventually got a shot of one Redwing before the timid flock moved away into another high resting point.

My journey took me into Horton Country Park with little avian activity except the drumming of Great Spotted Woodpeckers and the 'yaffle' of Green Woodpeckers until I got close to the golf course when a Grey Heron flew over. At the ponds I added Canada Geese, Coot, Moorhen and a pair of Tufted Ducks.

Turning westwards the path followed the still very damp woodlands which produced Jays, Chaffinch, Robin, Goldfinch, Nuthatch (heard), Dunnock, and a pair of courting Wrens.

Close to Castle Hill Woods there were even more Redwing and Fieldfares chatting high in the trees and constantly on the move. Just at the end of my walk a small group of Ring-necked Parakeets were feeding on the emerging pussy willow buds.

The legs got a decent work out and the total tally for todays stroll was just 26 species.  FAB.

Mid Week Watery Stroll.

A mid week stroll took me to Papercourt Pits, where I commenced a clockwise circuit of the main sailing pit which was still two thirds frozen. Initial sightings were Robin, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Blue and Great Tits. Occupants on the water included Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Pochard and Coot. 

Around the far side I passed a small group of Mallard who didn't fly away!

This Coot was also quite inquisitive.

Half way round the sky darkened and the rain started so I quickly donned waterproofs and packed the camera away. Carefully skirting the small pond I spied a pair of Mute Swans. A group of 6 Shovellers were lurking close to the bank but despite treading slowly and carefully they decided to fly away and find cover elsewhere. The trees were alive with twittering Long-tailed Tits and masses of Goldfinches but no Redpolls so I headed off towards the Wey Navigation. The track crosses between open (desolate) fields and a newish reserve that is not freely accessible. Very little life seen except Blackbird, Redwing and Wren.

Masses of seed heads along the pathside.

Crossing a small stream I spotted willow buds beginning to open amoungst the rows and rows of salix being grown commercially here on this damp meadowland. Following the course of the little stream I passed a small pond again with no active life around it.

As I headed onward along the increasingly muddy path a flash of brilliant blue dashed past me and appeared to stop somewhere ahead. Trading carefully I eventually caught up with the Kingfisher but only one distant shot (just visible in the bottom right picture) before it headed onward along the streambed. I followed and sighted it once more before it also continued its daily journey.

Crossing the Wey Navigation I headed out onto Papercourt Marsh with the occasional sighting of Cormorant and Black-headed Gull passing overhead plus a pair of Mute Swans over the distant trees.

.

Carrion Crows gathering with a few lookouts posted.

I ventured a little way beyond this bridge that would eventually be my homeward route and met a Mute Swan drifting silently upstream.

After crossing the Wey Navigation I spotted a pair of Tufted Ducks and 20 Lapwings who promptly took flight together with a  group of Redwing that had been feeding nearby. One perched high above and this was

 

the best I could do (cropped)! With little else appparently about apart from Fieldare calling as they passed

overhead I took a few shots of the river transport before heading back across the farmland track.

 Definitely far better suited to these muddy conditions than me!

Nearly back at the car my final encounter was with a Great Spotted Woodpecker high above me in an oak but despite the lack of foliage this male was not going to make it easy for me to get quality shots.

With the late afternoon light and very cold fingers I took this series using manual focus. Still not what I'm really after but it will have to do for now.       Have a good weekend.   FAB.

Searching for a Sawbill.

A few days ago a friend kindly alerted me to the presence of visiting 'sawbills' on the River Mole around Leatherhead but once again the waited DHL delivery didn't arrive until well after midday. Despite the worsening light and in view of more snow forecasted for today (and it duly arrived overnight) I decided yesterday afternoon to get the car out and go on a hunting trip.

From a very icy car park on the outskirts of the town I made my way very gingerly down onto the riverside path just in time to catch a glimpse of my quarry disappearing fairly rapidly downstream!

 A male Goosander (Mergus merganser)

Knowing that I could not keep up with my fleeing quarry I slowly strolled downstream passing a pair of Mute Swans, Black-headed Gulls, Moorhens and a few Mallards. It was fairly quiet apart from a scolding Wren and the occassional 'squawking' Parakeets high overhead, twittering Goldfinches hunting amoungst the Alders and then in one of the nearby gardens I spied a few Redwings and Blackbirds busily leaf turning for a late afternoon snack. Robin and Blue Tits were also seeking out an existence through the pathside shrubs.

Redwing

Under one of the bridges I watched four Little Grebes constantly diving and disappearing from view.

Moving on downstream I disturbed a Water Rail who promtly dashed across the water and, you guessed, disappeared from view. Looking ahead, the horses were quietly going about their own business and I questioned whether I should continue or retrace my steps. The temperature was falling, light fading so I turned around and 15 minutes later I caught up with two female Goosanders actively diving near one of the town bridges. Here is the best of a few poor shots....I'll go back as soon as the roads are clear and safe.

Female Goosander.

On the return journey a Grey Heron patiently waiting and watching.

A Song Thrush gave me a severe stare.

Vacant room to let....anyone interested?

Nutkin scampers away with tonights snack.

Cormarant standing sentry duty.

The misty view from The Vinery (disused).

Time to ring Anita to get the kettle on...I'm coming home. FAB