Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Glorious morning

Up bright and early this morning to try my new Kowa scope. By 8am I was mooching around Houghton Green Flash with Bill, Bins and new scope.

The first thing that I noticed was a Buzzard perched on a fencepost by the "lawn" in the field behind the kennels. I then spotted some Linnets perched in the top of the Hawthorn bushes in the south hedge. Some more appeared and some more until there were 50 birds - they then relocated to the Oak by the gate. The rising sun made them all glow pinky-red - a wonderful sight.

These were the first birds viewed through the Kowa - I am still blown away by the sharpness and clarity. The view was absolutely superb.

The pool was relatively calm with the western half lit up pink (it made the Wigeon & Pochard glow) and the eastern half still in shade. Most of the water fowl were out on the water for a change and seemed fairly settled. Numbers today:

87 Wigeon
12 Tufted Duck
9 Pochard
1 Great Crested Grebe
53 Coot
4 Moorhen
1 Pied Wagtail

Hardly any gulls about so I didn't bother checking the few that were present.

A brief visit to Waterworks Lane this lunch, there was a largish flock of Chaffinches (circa 50) with 2 male Bramblings. One of the latter was the male with the dark hood which I have nicknamed Vader! 6 Tree Sparrows, 2 Yellowhammers and a Reed Bunting completed the line up with a Buzzard on its usual fenceline nearby. The finches as usual were extremely flighty and cleared off when disturbed by a passing van.

Also had a quick visit to the pool off Moat Lane in Rixton at lunch. Tufted Ducks up to 93, plus 58 Gadwall, 50 Coot and 2 Little Grebes. 3 drake Teals were new.

I am now impatient for the weekend and a chance to use the new scope in anger!

No comments:

Post a Comment