Tuesday 11 January 2011

New Year, New Start

Goosanders
Redwing
Siskin

The New Year started with a visit to one of the old reliables in the depths of winter - a city park with a well-stocked fishing-lake. The star birds were Goosanders, which gave very close views. They were forced nearer than usual by the pressure of dogs & the amount of ice, which restricted their freedom! We also saw a single Wigeon, plus Pochard and Tufted Ducks. Meanwhile, among passerines we had a sizeable flock of Siskins - the first I've ever seen at this location, plus a Redpoll, Goldfinches, Chaffinch, Redwings. The morning group saw about 30 species, but the afternoon session added Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest and a decent view of a Redwing. There was a single Barnacle Goose, which was useful for ID purposes, but probably couldn't be classed as a genuine wild bird. We were accompanied by a bitingly cold wind, which we hope we won't have when we travel to more exposed locations later in the term. Unfortunately, it was too dark for photography, so the images used are from the archive.

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