Booga
Wil Wilson
Hampshire mini-meet this morning: Fleet Pond Report
Hi all, just a little report onour meeting this morning at fleet pond.
Redwing, Martinow and I arrived at the carpark at 8.00am to be greeted by Pedro Vanman, Camberley Red and Alan Rymer.
After a round of introductions and getting all the equipment ready we set off through the woods to the Lake. First sighting 4 or five redwing followed almost immediately by a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
I hope one of the guys who noted all the sighting can add to this as I was so engrossed with my first birding with a scope session that I have probably missed out loads!
Long-tailed tit, blue and great tits, chaffinch, siskin and robin all featured as we walked through the woods to the sandbank at the lakeside. Here we set up the scopes and viewed the cormorants, Mute swan, Canada geese and an excellent Great black-backed gull who circled his patch several times. No sign of the Bittern for us here. Saw a heron too.
Next we followed the wooland path, Pedro Vanman was pleased that I 'Guaranteed' a nuthatch or three as he had only previously seen them on feeders birdtables. So you can imagine what an idiot I felt when a nuthatch failed to show where I expected it too. Whilst looking though, we saw a few blue and great tits. Yes guys I know I pointed at that blue tit in excitement and said it's a nuthatch! Wren, goldfinch, chaffinch and goldcrest were seen here too. Highlight here being a sparrowhawk who shot gracefully through the woods at head hight about 15 feet away!
The next piece of woodland was pretty cool too. Alan, pedro and I saw our second Goldcrest, we all saw the Green woodpecker fly through and into a tall Alder. Oh and we finally got the nuthatch. Paul and I pondering on the late show as we both have seen them often before.
Next we set up the scopes on the jetty near Chestnut Grove. everybody was on the scopes and bins searching the reed beds for the elusive bittern. No joy today, but as Rich said, it can be seen better nearer dusk. Watched two magpies bathing in the lake from a willow branch on an island. The green in the tail and the blue really caught the sun. Next a call over to pedro and Alan who were about six feet away from an utterly gorgeous Goldcrest. Really made my day as it flitted ever closer to the group, posed a few times, then flew between us into another tree.
As we walked round the final stratch of the Lake we all commented on how few waterfowl there were, considering the location and habitat. Not always the case as there were loads when I went 2 weeks back.
Back at the carpark we had a chat, agreed that it was a good mornings birding and said our goodbyes and talked about future meetings. Great bunch of guys, cheers for the good company.
Martinow, Redwing and I then went back to my local patch to get the Kingfisher I'm always going on about. Complete no show, although one scary lady who commented on the scopes (and called us twitchers) did says it was about. We went through the woods, goldfinch, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldcrest, long-tailed tit, great and Blue.
All in all a good session, cheers for the trial of the scope Rich, excellent expeience.
Thanks lads.
Hi all, just a little report onour meeting this morning at fleet pond.
Redwing, Martinow and I arrived at the carpark at 8.00am to be greeted by Pedro Vanman, Camberley Red and Alan Rymer.
After a round of introductions and getting all the equipment ready we set off through the woods to the Lake. First sighting 4 or five redwing followed almost immediately by a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
I hope one of the guys who noted all the sighting can add to this as I was so engrossed with my first birding with a scope session that I have probably missed out loads!
Long-tailed tit, blue and great tits, chaffinch, siskin and robin all featured as we walked through the woods to the sandbank at the lakeside. Here we set up the scopes and viewed the cormorants, Mute swan, Canada geese and an excellent Great black-backed gull who circled his patch several times. No sign of the Bittern for us here. Saw a heron too.
Next we followed the wooland path, Pedro Vanman was pleased that I 'Guaranteed' a nuthatch or three as he had only previously seen them on feeders birdtables. So you can imagine what an idiot I felt when a nuthatch failed to show where I expected it too. Whilst looking though, we saw a few blue and great tits. Yes guys I know I pointed at that blue tit in excitement and said it's a nuthatch! Wren, goldfinch, chaffinch and goldcrest were seen here too. Highlight here being a sparrowhawk who shot gracefully through the woods at head hight about 15 feet away!
The next piece of woodland was pretty cool too. Alan, pedro and I saw our second Goldcrest, we all saw the Green woodpecker fly through and into a tall Alder. Oh and we finally got the nuthatch. Paul and I pondering on the late show as we both have seen them often before.
Next we set up the scopes on the jetty near Chestnut Grove. everybody was on the scopes and bins searching the reed beds for the elusive bittern. No joy today, but as Rich said, it can be seen better nearer dusk. Watched two magpies bathing in the lake from a willow branch on an island. The green in the tail and the blue really caught the sun. Next a call over to pedro and Alan who were about six feet away from an utterly gorgeous Goldcrest. Really made my day as it flitted ever closer to the group, posed a few times, then flew between us into another tree.
As we walked round the final stratch of the Lake we all commented on how few waterfowl there were, considering the location and habitat. Not always the case as there were loads when I went 2 weeks back.
Back at the carpark we had a chat, agreed that it was a good mornings birding and said our goodbyes and talked about future meetings. Great bunch of guys, cheers for the good company.
Martinow, Redwing and I then went back to my local patch to get the Kingfisher I'm always going on about. Complete no show, although one scary lady who commented on the scopes (and called us twitchers) did says it was about. We went through the woods, goldfinch, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldcrest, long-tailed tit, great and Blue.
All in all a good session, cheers for the trial of the scope Rich, excellent expeience.
Thanks lads.
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It was Great to put faces to names, and even names to nicknames.
