Stand By Your Patch

This week's round up from Hartpury Orchard Centre:

Sunday: a brief visit. I spent most of the time watching Redwings and Fieldfares streaming across the sky. A quiet day bird-wise: the Kingfisher was the highlight again. 

Mind you, sometimes you have to sit back and enjoy the mundane. I'm talking Moorhens here of course. Not the most exciting of water fowl but they are as reliable as a Volkswagen Golf. What is it about those faces though? Those beady eyes and that vacant expression? They put you in mind of Louis Walsh.

Louis Walsh

A Moorhen

There was even a little family gathering on the waters edge today:

"Louis, get out of the water. Your tea's going cold!"

I made a second visit on Friday evening as another birder had said he had heard a Water Rail there at dusk. Now there's a bird on my wish list!

I arrived at 4:30pm and sat it out in the cold, windy hide until it got quite dark. In fact almost too dark to find my way back to the car. Truth be told, I'm not supposed to be out on my own after dark.

No Water Rails I'm afraid but two Tawny Owls put my patch list up to 72. 

On Saturday I made a lunchtime visit during a brief spell of sunshine. A walk along the reed bed flushed 18, yes count 'em, 18 Snipe. I fancied that one of them flew lower and looked a bit smaller. Jack Snipe? No, just my over active imagination I think.......

There was certainly more birds about today:

4 Mallards, 2 Teal, a Green Woodpecker, a Kestrel, 2 Mute Swans, 4 Moorhens (of course), a Yellowhammer, several Mistle Thrushes, a Bullfinch, 6 Goldfinches and a constant trickle of Redwings and Fieldfares overhead.

Then as if by magic my local patch birding buddy Alan (and his snazzy new binoculars) turned up just as the Kingfisher paid a visit.

Oh, how we indulged! What a treat to watch this little beauty taking fish right in front of the hide:

Down the hatch!

Kingfisher - what a gorgeous bird

Seriously, no matter how many times you see it, you cannot tire of this bird.

We then had a couple of Ravens overhead and 7 of the Snipe flew back into the reed bed.

A most satisfying day but we are still waiting for that big tick!