Local Patch & Beyond 2024.

Made a rare visit to MSQ in search of the RND and it proved eventful to say the least. I watched weather forecast last night and they said a light shower with sunny periods, wrong! It was heavy showers and sunny periods. Light was poor for pics etc but I tried my best, took distant pics and a video then battery died!  I took my "fishing" trolley/seat and put all gear in, even so the path to Grebe Lake was uneven with both myself and the trolley making heavy weather of it, thank goodness when the end was in sight! Then the rains started and I hadn't even unpacked. So I sat on a piece of polysterene placed on bench and waited. Rain stopped and got gear out, scanned with bins and as Alan said the scope would be needed, so got it out and it wouldn't fit on the tripod tried unscrewing the gadget but it was too tight, then remembered I had a pair of snipe-nosed pliers in camera bag, always knew they would come in handy one day, unscrewed the gadget and then attached scope to tripod, but another problem the tripod wasn't high enough to allow me to sit down cos the reeds obscured my views, I was losing it big time, so  had to stand up with the middle of tripod pulled right out but still height wasn't right. At last got sorted and  scanned for the duck, after 30 minutes spotted it flying in to the reeds for cover it was heavy rain again, all this happened just before midday. At 12:30 the rain stopped and all the Tufties, Pochards, Coots and the duck all joined together thankfully so I took a video.

MSQ: Heavy showers and sunny periods

Ring-necked Duck (Life Tick) Thanks Alan for precise info.
Pochards
Tufted Duck
Greylags
Cormorant
Robin (I  shared a shortbread biscuit with it, came within a foot)
Great Tit

Black Bank FS: PM

Reed Bunting - 5 (3m 2f)
Robin - 2
Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tit - 2,  LT Tit- 3
GSW - 1f
Chaffinch - 6
Buzzard - 1 

Yaddlethorpe (TH) : AM

Skylark - 2
Gulls - 50
Goldfinch - c50
Yellowhammer - 1

At MSQ got back to car had a chat with SM and was about to set off and couldn't find driving specs, both myself, SM and another kind chap (P) looked for an hour trying to find specs, I'd given up and was about to go home when I felt something in the secret pocket of my camo coat, damn me it was me specs laughter all round.

 

Woke early and decided it was time to get out once more and forget about my health probs, didn't realise there had been a frost but went out anyway to help clear the cobwebs!

Burringham: 07:45 - 09:15 cold and sunny quite a few flooded fields

Greylags - 14
Shoveler - 1m with the above
Black-head Gull - 6
Mallard - 10
Common Gull - 22
Linnet  - 2
Jackdaw - 4
Pheasant - 5
Kestrel - 3
Buzzard - 3
Roe Deer - 17
Rook - c100
Stock Dove - 3
Fieldfare - c400
Starling - c100
Goldfinch - 7
Little Owl - 1

East Butterwick: 09:20 - 09:40

Grey Partridge - 4
Reed Bunting - 2
Roe Deer - 20
Skylark - 1
Wood Pigeon - 4
Lapwing - c60
Fieldfare - 8

Tuetoes: 09:50

Starling - c100

Black Bank: 10:00 - 11;15

Dunnock - 3
Robin - 1
Blackbird - 3
Squirrel - 1 took half an apple I put down lol
Blue , Great , Coal & LT Tits
Chaffinch - 2
Pheasant - 1
Fieldfare - 7
Whoopers - 10
Mutes - 37
Lapwing - 2
Corvids

Lovely to get out again and get fresh frosty air!

John aka Max

Today took car for a long awaited wash and before setting off thought I'd call at BB or elsewhere for twenty mins watching then go home, so only took bins and scope leaving camera at home sadly! Called at BB and someone was parked opposite the feeders so I had to park behind, not perfect but better than nowt. As it turns out it was absolutely perfect because from where I was it turned out I saw something I'd never seen before, in trees spotted a Jay then two minutes later another joined it and then another, all were within four feet of each other, in all my years birding have never seen three at same time, I was over the moon.  Later the three landed on ground and fed next to a Moorhen and Blackbird for a few minutes then the Jay's took to the trees. As If this wasn't good enough I also had two Tree Creeper, a Song Thrush and a female GSW. I stayed two hours and saw lots of other stuff. Sad I hadn't brought camera but well chuffed at seeing the above and others beside.  If ok tomoro will take camera and as we all know "sod's law" will apply.

Black Bank: PM

Jay - 3
Tree Creeper - 2
GSW - 1
Chaffinch - 4
Great Tits
Blue Tits
Coal Tit - 1
LT Tit - 6
Crow - 6
Blackbird - 4
Moorhen - 1
Robin - 1
Song Thrush - 1
Squirrel - 1
Reed Bunting - 2
Mute Swan - 2
Wood Pigeon - 20
Magpie - 2

Best day here for a few year.

Regards

Max

First time have been out on my own since November.

Burringham: 12.45 - 14.10

Little Egret - 1
Roe Deer - 11
Magpie - 12
Common Gull - 50
Buzzard - 3
Jackdaw - 8
Black-headed Gull - c50
Wood Pigeon - 30
Mallard - 2
Pied Wagtail - 6
Kestrel - 2
Pheasant - 2
Grey Partridge - 2
Starling - c300
Fieldfare - c200
Crow - c150
Feral Pigeon - 50

East Butterwick: 14:15 - 15:00

Crow - c60
Roe Deer - 17
Grey Partridge - 3
Cormorant - 2
Goldfinch - 30
Stonechat - 1m

Black Bank: 15:05 - 15:45

Kestrel - 3
Starling - c150
Common Gull - c100
Moorhen - 2
Rook - c200
Linnet - c50
Lapwing - 10
Black-headed Gull - c100
Buzzard - 3
Wood Pigeon - 30

Yaddlethorpe: 16:00

Chaffinch - 30

Very enjoyable but will see how I feel tomorrow before next trip.

Regards

Max


 

Today a close friend took me out for first time in two months, she isn't into birding but she spotted lots of birds I didn't, told her am ring rusty after a lay-off, was out just over an hour but really enjoyed seeing my patch again with good selection of birds and the fresh air.

Burringham:  

Lapwing - c100
Roe Deer - 3
Common Gull - c100
Fieldfare - 47
Feral Pigeon - c100
Kestrel - 2

Carr Dyke:

Common Gull - c250
Rook - 6

Black Bank:

Pheasant - 3
Wood Pigeon - 6
Golden Plover - c50
Black-headed Gull - c50
Lapwing - 25
Mute Swan - 17
Whooper Swan - 8
Moorhen - 2
Coal Tit - 1 

John & Kerry