Friday 6 December 2013

What a start to December!

Friday 6 December

That's it, our time is up and in a  couple of hours we will be off top the airport for the return journey to Malaga and home.  But not without some great birding in the first five days, mainly at Rutland Water on Wednesday morning but also from our eldest son's dining room window where we were able to see both Coal Tits and visiting Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Record shot of a Water Rail Rallus aquaticus at Rutland Water

Wednesday, on the very calm and clear day before yesterday's big country-wide storms was fabulous and I ended up with all the tits apart from Bearded along with two woodpeckers and, I think, fourteen species of duck including Long-tailed, Smew, Scaup and Goosander.  Just as enjoyable was have a very clear view of a happy feeding Water Rail out in the open ditch not twenty metres away.  Just a shame that it was in shadow and the very low sun was immediately behind the bird but, nevertheless, I did manage the record shot.

Travelling back from Southampton to Stamford in the dark meant no Red Kites and/or Buzzards on the way and not a single raptor was seen on Wednesday.  But who knows; we may well record all three on the drive down the A1, A16 and M11 to Stansted to put the record straight.

A full, illustrated, report can be found on my alternative blog by CLICKING HERE.

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