WeBS count today, so met JF down at Dru, I've not put any oats out for yonks, but there were 3 linnet on the dunes and offshore was a great-crested grebe, nearly into breeding plumage (a patch year tick! - they have been very scarce in the county this winter). The most surprising bird on the pool was a red..DOH! Black-throated diver - nice one for the WeBS count, it's yonks and yonks since I saw one of these on the lake, though they are virtually always present offshore, even in summer.
Crappy record shot of Btd
The other highlight was a little grebe, first one on the patch this year. There were also 10 shoveler, 113 wigeon, 72 teal, 14 shelduck and 7 goldeneye. Elsewhere on the patch, 2 pairs of stonechat were on the fence, a grey partridge was on the meadows and the male kestrel was being harassed by a crow, there were also a few mippits back, with at least four by the parking area.
In the fields opposite the hamlet there were easily 1000 pinkfeet, I didn't bother counting them cos many were more were over the brow of the hill, a scan through the visible one's didn't produce anything other than pinkfeet....oh for a white front.....
Thousands of pink-feet opposite Druridge Hamlet
The blog will be pretty quiet over the next couple of weeks as I will be on my travels, both work and fun!
77 great-crested grebe
78 little grebe
2 comments:
Hi Iain,
You sure that's a Red-throat? Why is it not Black-throated??
Cheers
Ian
You're right it is a BTD, to be honest I never really looked at the pics, the opnly time it wasn't asleep was wheni grabbed these pics, so didn't see it well..there where tow guys in the hide who said they had seen it close and said it was red thoated so I just tookthem at their word...just shows eh? Thanks
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