Last night I was wondering if something good would turn up when the wind had died - I wasn't disappointed. This stonking male Ring Ouzel was on the "lawn" in the field south of the pool. Unfortuantely I didn't have my Canon which is still bust, hence the dodgy digiscoping and I didn't have time to watch the bird for long because I was late for work. Funnily enough I only picked the bird up when I was walking away from the pool - I don't think it was there on the way in. As I left it hopped over the hedge and onto the south bank - I suspect it will soon be flushed by dog walkers.
Five Black-necked Grebes present this morning with seven GCG's, 31 Tufted Duck, 2 Teal and 54 Wigeon. A quick visit to Rixton at lunch produced 5 Wheatears in fields off Prospect and Holly Bush Lanes with 60+ Lapwings, a Buzzard and a female Sparrowhawk which glided low over the field right past my car.
This evening I had a good look around HGF and the fields around Winwick but as expected no further sign of the Ring Ouzel. Two pairs of Grey Partridges were at HGF with eight pairs also in fields off Waterworks and Highfield Lanes.
A better photo of the Ring Ouzel can be found at this website (you will need to register) courtesy of Paul Brewster aka The Doc.
http://www.focalpointoptics.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3302
This morning I did watch two Black-necked Grebes engaged in a courtship display. The male started by sitting up in the water with wings spread and bent at the carpal joint. The female swam in front and then both stood up in the water and walked across it for a short distance with the male behind the female. Absolutlely superb!
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