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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

It's a new year (1 Viewer)

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Well another year has arrived and for me the start of a new year list. Once again all the birds will be new ticks for me. Usually I start my year in Norfolk but this time I elected to start local in the hope that I would start my new year off with the Great grey Shrike at Handsacre, a bird I saw on Xmas day.

We started out (Ros, I and the two dogs) at just after 07:30 and our first bird of the year was a Magpie seen near to where I work in Minworth on the A38. A Crow followed then a surprise Jay flying across the A38 at Swinfen. Nothing else was added until we arrived at Handsacre at 08:15 but what a 4th of the year tick it was. As we got out of the car something caught my eye in the distance. Whatever it was momentarily disappeared but soon we were looking at a fabulous Barn Owl, not only that but a minute later another Barn Owl joined it. Jeez!!, last year it took me almost 11 months to see the only one I had of the year and already on the first day I had seen twice as many as last year.
We watched these delightful birds for about ten minutes before they both disappeared from view.

Another birder arrived just in time to see them and then together we carried on eastwards following the line of the river Trent until we came to where I had seen the bird previously. On the way we ticked off, Lesser black backed and Black headed gulls, Cormorant, Mallard, Goldfinch, Collared Dove, Starling, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Fieldfare, Kestrel, Great tit, Grey Heron and Redwing. It was now 08:45 and the heavens duly opened up. Within minutes we were all soaked as the rain poured down on us and the skies got greyer and greyer by the minute. Things were not looking good. Two more birders joined us and we all split up to take different areas to look at, all keeping each other within sight so we could let each other know if the Shrike was sighted but by 09:45 it hadn't shown and the rain hadn't ceased. Our two dogs looked totally bedraggled and sorry for themselves. The ground was a quagmire and the dogs looked like they had been dragged through the mud. The other three birders gave in and said there good byes but I decided to give it another half an hour, just in case it showed. Ten minutes later and the rain ceased and five minutes later up popped the Shrike, dead on 10:00am. I rang the pager company to let them know and then moved in to try and take a photo but disaster. I had lost my cable release and there was no way that I would be able to take a photo without it due to camera shake at that magnitude. I tried but they have come out badly. We watched the bird for about 15 minutes before returning to the car. On the way back we added a Wren and a Reed Bunting. Annoyingly Ros had seen a Kingfisher whilst I was away from her (grrr).

We decided to go to Croxall after the Whooper Swans but they were not to be seen. Possibly the first day they hadn't been there for a couple of months. Just before we set off to walk along the waters edge another birder was just leaving. He told us that there were a couple of Red headed Smew, a Goosander and a Goldeneye but try as we did none of them were seen by us. What we did tick off were Teal, Tufted Duck,Mute Swan, Wigeon, Coot, Canada Geese, Ruddy duck, Shoveller and hundreds of both Lapwing and Golden Plover.

Whitemoor Hayes was the next stop in the hope that the Whooper Swans had relocated to there. No such luck but another surprise bird came our way when a Short eared Owl flew past us fairly close by. The other birders there told us that they had been watching up to 4 at a time earlier here. Pity I hadn't got a camera capable of taking that flying shot. Would have been a good un for the competition. Other birds added here were, Chaffinch, Shelduck, Meadow Pipit, Pied wagtail, Great spotted Woodpecker, Rook and Common Buzzard. Further along this road we came across 21 Grey Partridges, 12 on one side of the road and 9 on the other.

It was now 13:30 and I decided to just drop in to Lea Marston and Coton. They are side by side of each other near to the Kingsbury water park. On the way we saw a small flock of Sparrows in Whittington village.

At Lea Marston they have now taken the old hide away and put up gates so that you can't go in there any more. You can only look from the road and I only managed to add Great crested Grebe and Pochard to my new years list.

I ended up with 47 to start my list off. This is way below my norm as usually Norfolk would throw up about 80 on the first day but I am not complaining. Starting your year with both Barn and Short eared Owls as well as a Great grey Shrike can't be bad can it?

Tomorrow I am calling in to Jessops to get another cable release for my camera then Ros, the dogs and I are going to Wales, well if the rivers don't cut off our route to there. We will end up at Gigrin Farm after the Kites and Ravens as well as perhaps the odd other good bird that might come our way. Friday I may well go on my own and start near Doncaster for the Blyths Pipit (a lifer if I can see it) which has been reported at Gringley Carr, if it is still there that is. I will then work my way around to East Anglia and maybe down to Suffolk, after sleeping in the car as I come to the end of each day, taking in Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully I will get the Pallid Harrier on the way.

I am looking forward to these few days off and intend to make the most of them. Traditionally I always travel good distances at the start of each new year and seem to see some smart birds. I just wonder what may come my way over the next few days.

How did all the rest of you do on your first day an what was your first bird of the year?
 
Hi John, congrats on a fun first day, I have to say we can't really top that except for the Smew, four males and 6 redheads. 1 red necked grebe was nice and the noise of @250 greylag + 2 snow geese landibg next to us was cool.

Mike
 
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