American Buff Bellied Pipits in Berkshire

Popped round the M25 early this morning and took a quick look at Staines Reservoir where we found just Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Cormorant and GC Grebes. Quickly we moved on to Queen Mother Reservoir where we made our donation and entered the car park. We walked the reservoir for over four hours connecting with the Long Tailed Duck, the Slavonian Grebe and a pair of Peregrine sitting on the tower in the middle of the reservoir. We enjoyed a coffee and breakfast on site before going back out for another circuit of the place in search of the American visitors. The bird was seen at 9.25am from the opposite end of the reservoir to us but by just a couple of birders and it took flight before the message got out. It (they) seem much more flighty than when I saw it before Xmas.

Just as I had decided to leave two pipits flew overhead from the gravel pits and landed on the reservoir banks where they fed for a moment before flying off to the south where they were later found.

Windsor Castle across the Queen Mother reservoir

We picked up a few Red Kites over by Windsor Castle and three more on our way back round the M25 near the M1 junction. We had a nice morning with plenty of banter between birders and saw a few familiar faces despite it being freezing cold but it was dry so we were thankful for that and the year list moved on to 134