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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JWN Andrewes" data-source="post: 3359302" data-attributes="member: 7131">18th February; part IIFrom Gloucester we headed to Cotswold Water Park, well ahead of schedule thanks to the early appearance of the Penduline Tits, to look for Smew and Red-crested Pochard. Managed to find a spot to park smack between the two pits I was interested in; 28 for Smew and 44 for the Pochards (based on checking the sightings on the CWP website). As it happened we encountered 15 or so Red-crested Pochards on pit 34 as we headed to 28, saving us a walk later. Shortly after our encounter with the locally famed plastic fantastics my ears detected a chak-chakking - directly overhead! Drew the boys' attention to it, then tried to get into position to see the vocalist. Managed to get up the jacksie views, but in repositioning the bird must have bailed it, because I couldn't find it anywhere. Just as we were giving up and continuing on our way the youngest piped up "I heared it again!" More than I did, but we'll check anyway, and lo and behold, in a tree top across the corner of the pit, a lone FIELDFARE! First target down, sitting up for excellent scope views in glorious light. Brilliant. En route to pit 28 we picked up a Reed Bunting for the year, and then located the Smew with no dramas. This was a tick for the youngest, having opted not to come to Newchurch last year, and an upgrade for the eldest, with three smart White Nuns parading up and down with a single dowdy redhead.More or less between the Cotswolds and Cambridge is the delightful Milton Keynes (never knowingly unsarcastic), currently hosting a drake Ferruginous Duck, which was very much on our shopping list, and reported still present this morning on Caldecotte South Lake. Should be simple. Humph! Met a couple of birders as we arrived on site, and the skinny was; bird present and correct this morning, subsequently searched for by another birder who failed to see it, but did see a woman throwing sticks into the lake or her dog smack in the middle of the signposted Conservation Area, the area favoured by Mr Fudge. Two plus two anyone? We relocated to Mount Farm, the other water body he's been getting on, no luck, so it's back to Caldecotte, still nothing. Close views of Great Crested Grebe and a female Red-crested Pochard was all we had to show for an endeavour that basically consumed all the time we'd won by doing so well earlier in the day. Way it goes.Venue for the last hour of the day was Wicken Fen. Good views of hunting Barn Owl and three Marsh Harriers were topped by a glorious male Hen Harrier coming in to roost, toing and froing several times, then hanging, hovering, above the reeds for several heartbeats before dropping out of sight. Always good to end the day well.</blockquote>

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