New years day at the tring reservoirs

With rain forecast for most of the weekend decided to head over to tring and see what was about to start off my birding year. Started off a Startop's End Reservoir where were a good number of great Crested Grebes out on the water with a good number of Teal with a few Pochard, Shoveler and Wigeon then came across a nice Fieldfare which posed nice in the tree which i think was sheltering from the wind as usually there quite timid.

Posing Fieldfare

Add caption

Walked around a bit further where I had a flyover Pied Wagtail and in a flock of Tufted Duck the long staying Scaup was in the flock though asleep till a coot got too near at which point it started preening.

1st winter Scaup

Then walked around the bank where had some nice views of some Wigeon which were feeding on the bank and 3 Little Grebes feeding out on the water before heading over to Wiltstone.

Few wigeon on the bank

At Wiltstone walked around to the hide where in the woodland had a nice number of small birds with Blue, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits seen as well as about 4 Goldcrest feeding in the ivy. From the hide a great sight of  over 400 Golden Plovers with 50 or so Lapwings feeding in the mud which looked superb through the scope. While out in the water a few Little Egret were hunting and a Shelduck was feeding while a kingfisher flew past.

Flock of Golden Plovers and Lapwings