Nice end to the birding year at Wallsea Island

On sunday went out out toWallsea Island for my last days birding on lovely day birding even though at the moment you can only currently walk along the wall quite a few birds out on the estuary with a lots of Redshanks, Ringed Plovers, Dunlins and Lapwing feeding out on the mud. Furthern in and on the inner pools lots of Teal, Gadwall Wigeon and wildfowl with Meadow Pipits and Skylarks in the fields.

Reflecting Redshank

Walking back along the wall in the late afternoon the first of the raptor came in the form of a beautiful Barn which spent some time hunting before landing on a fence post about 50 foot behind a pair of birder who where looking the wrong way!! Further down the wall a Short-eared owl came in off the sea and one of the 6 that spent the rest of the evening hunting or fighting in the fields along with a Ring-tailed Hen harrier whicch flew through before a beatiful Sunset.

Hunting Barn Owl

Hunting SE Owl

Speedy Hen Harrier

Sunsetting

College Lake

A nice trip out to College Lake with the RSPB last weekend on a beautiful winter morning with plenty of Fieldfare and Redwing around along with selection of Finches. From the main lake a nice selection of ducks with Wigeon, Tufted and Gadwall in high number and over 10 Snipe feeding on the islands.

We then walked further round with more sighting of the winter thrushes along with a few Bullfinches, GreenWoodpecker and a big flock of linnet least 40 birds and a nice woolly bonus in the shape of the grazing sheep with a few hunting Kestrels over the grassland. Then walked around to the woodland hide where a nice selection of Tits and Chaffinches where feeding.

Feeding Redwings

One of many Fieldfares

Green Woodpecker briefly in the tree

The flock of sheep

Then ended the day at Wiltstone Reservoir where I came across an Dunlin which is quite unusual at this time of year feeding in with the ducks with a nice number of Teal and Wigeon looking stunning in the evening light.

Feeding Dunlin

Feeding teal

Calling Wigeon

Greylags flying through the sunlight

Wiltstone Sunset

Winter morning at Amwell

At the weekend had a nice morning at Amwell Gravel Pits started off with few robins calling while walking along the canal past the main pit where there when plenty of Blackbirds and Redwings feeding and sometimes coming down to drink before the path started to get busy but along of the main paths lucky enough to come across a Goldcrest feeding with a tit flock.

Robin in the winter sun

Redwing down to drink

Feeding Goldcrest

Then headed down to James Hide where i spent a lovely few hours in the hides seeing what was going about and was lucky enough to have a few of a Water Rail though fast! quite soon as i got into the hide. Also around the feeder were a nice Marsh Tit and some nice Reed Bunting and a nice flyover Sparrowhawk.

Water rail popping out

Sparrowhawk overhead

Marsh Tit by the feeder

Male reed bunting by the pool