Last day of February(winter) I jest

Walked to Maple Lodge walked past the snow drops,just prior at the Club house a male
Chaffinch had obliged.

On route to the Rotunda hide I passed a line of red elf cap fungi in the soil clinging to broken
wood.

From the Rotunda a single Green Woodpecker showed feeding it was only there for a short time.

Moving  on to the paddock the now regular Snow Goose was present on Lynsters lake.

On to Long Hedge where a Common Buzzard showed briefly in an Alder before it took off.

Returning to the club house  Shovelers came close along with some confiding Jays ended my
morning at Maple Lodge.

Lewis and Carter cloudy and cold at Maple Lodge

Lewis and I took a stroll around the reserve and soon Geoff Laptop was telling us what he had seen.
Of note a patch of Snowdrops were evident just inside the reserve.

We  moved on to Rotunda no sign of Laptops Water Rail just some wrens in the phragmites,we
did manage Green and Great spotted woodpeckers.

Muncjac had been grazing on exposed trees and branches and 2 raptors seen were Red
Kite and Common Buzzard.

A few more duck present notably male Tufteds and pairs of Mallard in courtship
display.On the conservation side splendid work being carried out by out ageing
volunteers.

Well thats all for now look out for end of February notes soon

February overcast and cold.Return to the Mara

On Sunday my daughter and I Sarah walked Ted to Woodoaks farm a chill was in the air ,the farm

hands children were playing in the paddocks and the talk was of restoration of the old barn.
Sarah and I walked on and of note 3 Red Kites put in an appearance over the adjacent fields.
On return my mind drifted back to warmer times on the Mara on New Years day walking
from the tent to the jeep I photographed Common Wattle eye.

Once in the jeep with our Intrepids guide John Parmasu we crossed the smelly river as
John calls it due to sulphurous gases it emits.

Game was more in evidence over the river larger herds of gazelles ,giraffe and notably a
bull Elephant with a broken tusk and a bullet hole in his ear.

The sun and temperatures of 40c were punishing as we moved on in  search of cats
we were lucky with 2 cheetahs together.

We also found the mother of last years cubs full of milk or rather drained out hunting in
the same place for another litter.

It was now back for lunch on the Mara and Woodoaks farm and my day dream was over.

February blue with Man Flu

Hello fellow birders got the flu and missed the Bittern at Stockers hoping to get it before winter is
over.However on the 3rd at Maple lodge had5 Egyptian 19 Wigeon  5 Siskin and a Common Buzzard.

On the 4th a pair of Sparrowhawk were displaying over the Teal hide the now regular
Red Kite puts in an appearance daily over the house.

At the feeding station a Dunnock obliges amongst tits and chaffinches.

Today the 7th a Snow goose obliges at Lynsters farm viewed from Long Hedge amongst
canadas,greylags and Egyptian.

Urban Waxwings

A quick jaunt to Stockers with Lewis to look for last nights reported Bittern did not go to
plan . A few birders walked along the Colne missing it as did I ,but after I left Sir Geoffrey
Laptop had it  on his radar for 3 seconds before it flew off to Maple Cross or any reed bed with
water.
So  Lewis dropped me off at Denham Way where 10 Waxwings duly obliged on cottoneaster
but the light was crap and they are quite mobile.

Just lately I have been struggling to get good photos always a stick in the way ,plus some
sun would be a bonus ,two weeks ago I was in Mombasa, it was 40c .Always moaning us poms.
Here is an urban Waxing of the sub species maplecrossius.

Brendan Glyn has been running around the estate like a headless chicken dipping on
the Waxwing. So thats all for now.

winter wildfowl

Lewis and I had an hour of window oppurtunity to view Bury and Stockers GP's
parked in the Aquadrome car park and viewed the frozen lake some water was
still available for the ducks mostly.

This particular male Tufted was quite confiding although further away a pair
of Wigeon were a bit dark.

We did a circular walk colne side of Bury lake where a number of Goldeneye were
swimming along the edge of the ice.

We crossed the causeway between Stockers and Bury noting reed bunting and ring
necked parakeets before crossing the canal at Stockers house.

Finally a male blackbird posed on a branch just prior to the car park.

Friday 18th Jan Birding Maple Cross

Just along the road at Denham Way recreation ground a few Waxwings had put in an
appearance,Christine Bessant gave me the nod they were there so I ambled up the road
for a few pics although the light was poor.

Nearby at Maple Lodge on Sunday the 20th I was looking out of Club house hide on to

the lake.A few Common Teal obliged but on or near the feeders a male Great spotted

woodpecker showed well.Also of not feeding on the floor was a Stock dove and a superb
Robin in a thistle bush.

Next up viewing Lynsters from the hide off the Paddock cast a wintry view over the

lake.Further up Long Hedge across the field in adjacent Lynsters Farm ,Corvid city
had irrupted with huge numbers of Jackdaws and Rooks.

Finally a Red Kite patrolling Denham way  sent the Wawing on their way.