Pleased to have received phone messages from a couple of local birders on 6th March. A few minutes later, met-up with them and was watching 2 Tundra Bean Geese in fields at Swarkestone, Derbyshire. It’s been a few years since we have had these rare geese in the Trent Valley. A really excellent discovery, whilst looking for the 2 Russian White-fronted Geese that were also on view in nearby fields. A goose extravaganza as they say. Well done and big thanks to Chris & Colin.
A walk around the local fields on 3rd February produced a flock of 4 and another flock of 9 Yellowhammer. Good to see they are still close by, although none at Staunton Harold Res so far this winter. 2 Brambling at Staunton Harold on 5th Feb, 9 Red-legged Partridge, c200 Fieldfare and c50 Redwing and a Little Egret on 12th Feb. The Feb WEBS count produced following highlights on 23rd Feb – 105 Great Crested Grebe, 103 Tufted Duck, 3 Goosander, a Great White Egret, but not a single Teal anywhere. A drake Goldeneye and the juvenile Peregrine still around […]
I decided to spend a few days in Scotland photographing Crested Tit with my good friend and Pro Photographer Pete Walkden. (https://www.petewalkden.co.uk). Highly recommended.. I had a marvellous time as always, and the weather couldn’t have been better. Heavy snow in the forest, some sunshine and blue skies, making conditions ideal. I also spent sometime birding the coast around my base at Nairn, and managed to find the overwintering drake King Eider, small numbers of Long-tailed Duck, an adult Iceland Gull, 46 Scaup, Hooded Crow and a scattering of common waders. At the Crested Tit site I managed […]
A rare Red-breasted Goose had arrived in Norfolk with a flock of Dark-bellied Brent Geese. It was regularly frequenting the area around Cley, Blakeney and Salthouse, so we decided to head over and spend a couple of nights in early February 2022, giving me more than ample opportunity to get some photos of this stunning goose. A visitor from eastern Europe, the Red-breasted Goose breeds in small colonies on the arctic tundra. It mainly winters in Romania and Bulgaria, where flocks of several thousand can gather. I managed to see this spectacle in January 2018 when I made a short […]