After work today I headed around the north circular and up the A41 with the Scaup at Startop End my target bird. As I travelled up the A41 a Red Kite flew over to give me a year tick before arriving at the reservoir to bag the target bird which I did with ease. A Grey Wagtail entertained and the water was full of Tufted and Pochard along with a few Cormorant and Black-headed Gull. A single Lesser Black-backed was present and good numbers of Great Crested Grebe.
I moved on to Wilstone and found a couple of Goldeneye keeping the Shoveler company here but little else of note save another Red Kite.
At College Lake a Red-crested Pochard added another year tick before I left to take up vigil in the Bittern Hide at Fishers Green where a Cetti's Warbler, Water Rail and a couple of Muntjac kept me amused whilst I waited for the Bittern to show which it duly did. Back at the car and a Blackcap made an appearance giving me tick 142 of 2016.
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Bittern at Lea Valley |
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Cettis Warbler |
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Goldeneye at Wilstone |
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Scaup |
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Moorhen |
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Muntjac |
Hello Brian, glad to see you had a successful trip to Tring reservoirs and College Lake. I hadn't realised you got such good views of Bittern at Fishers Green (and a photograph of a bird in the open is a real bonus! Great stuff).
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy, yep views can be good if often brief like yesterdays. Mornings being better for light.
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