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

Upton Warren (23 Viewers)

Thats a good Dunlin count for this time of year. Could easily be something mixed in with those pipits and thrushes; gizza call for a Eyebrowed or Dusky (actually a Ring Ouzel will do me). Unlikely to venture south to UW today given the amount of snow in Sutton.

Only managed a couple of hours - snow blowing in through the hide windows making it hard work, and closed they were covered in snow!

Here's my list from this morning

And some rubbish pics on the Flickr link!
 

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A bit down of last week's effort Gert.

Just out of interest, on your BirdTrack summary how do you indicate a White Wag as the base entry appears to be "Pied/White"?
 
A bit down of last week's effort Gert.

Just out of interest, on your BirdTrack summary how do you indicate a White Wag as the base entry appears to be "Pied/White"?

There's an 'alba' and 'yarelli' option. I'm just lazy and choose the Pied/White option - but ought to go with sub species I guess
 
There's an 'alba' and 'yarelli' option. I'm just lazy and choose the Pied/White option - but ought to go with sub species I guess

Sorry Gert - wasnt meant as a criticism of how you recorded it, just querying that the system gives you that flexibility.

JTB reports 7 Pintail headed north straight through the reserve (first for the year).
 
Yes, the Pintail report typifies my timing prowess! Spent a few hours with JTB in the East Moors hide this morning, but once the cold really set in I had to pack it in. There was a large flock of Redwing feeding to the left of the hide with a couple of Water Rail. This area was later used by a pair of Oystercatchers and some Fieldfare to feed.
The conditions were truly appalling as is shown in some of the attached images. My personal highlight was the pre-nuptial courtship display by the GCGs, although it didn't quite develop into the full dance though.
 

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Just back from a 11 and a half trek over the Himalayas, or was it really a nightmare.
The snow and biting E/NE and at times a gale-force wind, meant this was not the early 'spring all-dayer' I had planned for.
Fair play to Gert, Sy, Rob and Ian for braving it.
I decided to start at the Moors east hide just to keep out of the wind.
There was some early movement of meadow pipits some moving south but later groups went north. A single bird fed around the SW marsh late on. There was some obvious cold weather movement including a flock in excess of 60 redpoll, and the snipe flock had certainly been augmented by the weather over the last few days. The Pintails flew through at about 11.47 battling against the blizzard with no intention of landing and included one male.
From the left side of the hide there was an amazing amount of activity on the muddy stretch of field. This was probably due to the ideal soft conditions and the 'shelter' afforded to it by the eastern boundary hedgerow. The number of birds from the hide to the telegraph poles was as high a density you would get anywhere, the strip is no larger than 10 yards x 60 yards, numbers and species included. water rail 2, snipe 40+, oystercatcher 2, redwing 120, fieldfare 10, song thrush 5, blackbird 6, starling, redpoll 30, goldfinch 12, chaffinch 5, greenfinch, reed bunting 2, blue great and long tailed tits in good numbers, carrion crow 2, wood pigeon, dunnock, robin and a chiffchaff in the bramble,
species count for the MOORS
GCG 4, little grebe 4 (2 prs), mute swan pr, cormorant 10, shoveler 14 (6 prs + 2 males), teal 12, gadwall 6 (3 prs), shelduck pr, PINTAIL 7,tufted 35, NO POCHARD, coot 40, water rail 8 (4 in and around Amy's marsh and 4 in front of the new hide). oystercatcher 4, snipe 55 - 60, herring gull 5, LBBG 10, common gull, BHG 120, NO Raptors seen, although the gulls were spooked several times by an unseen predator. green and great sp woodp (2), collard dove 3, meadow pipit 20, redpoll 60+, siskin 5, goldfinch 20, song thrush 6, redwing 120+, fieldfare 12, chiffchaff 2,
Feeding Station: greenfinch 20+, reed bunting 15, bullfinch 2, dunnock 9, chaffinch 5,
 
Spent my last 2 hours at the Flashes from 5.15 to 7.15pm
on route on the Sailing pool: GCG 13, tufted pr, coot pr,

The water had risen by 10 cm since Tuesday, but there was enough dry areas for the roosting species. Sadly not 1 Lapwing was seen on the reserve all day, by anyone.
Roosting species:
Teal 10, shelduck 3, Curlew 25, oystercatcher 2, avocet 16, snipe 2 came out at dark, BHG 1500, common gull 3 ads, coot 8,
also stock dove 3,
 
Did you break 60 species for the day John?

No mate, 54, which is the lowest for a good few weeks. I had 66 one day last week.
If you add what Gert Rob and Ian saw: greylag, dunlin, peregrine, sparrowhawk, buzzard, + mistle thrush and goldcrest then maybe just about - 61.:t:
 
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Tricky conditions for photography today (well that's my excuse anyway!) but here's a couple.

1. Avocets in flight as a Raptor went through
2. Chiffchaff on the island feeding


Rob
 

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Pure record shots taken in the blizzard and poor light - with my bridge camera.
All taken from the left window of east hide.
 

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