Pinkies and a Scoter.
As I was working later in the day, I decided to check out Dean's Lane, Beacon Hill to do a bit of Vis Migging in the morning.
Although I got there a bit late at around 10.00 am, I noted straight the way that a large movement of thrushes was occurring as I had seen over 200 Redwings and Fieldfares within twenty minutes.
Then at around 11.00am I spotted a group of fourteen geese flying over the ridge just below the lane from a north-west direction. As there came closer I realised that there were Pink-footed Geese and were probably migrating south in the direction of the east coast.
Over the next half an hour I counted more winter thrushes and small groups of finches like Siskins, Chaffinches and probably Lesser Redpolls.
Please of what I had seen over the last hour and half, I then moved onto Swithland Reservoir.
Scanning the reservoir and seeing the usual suspects I noticed something slightly different in a small group of Tufted Ducks. I realised straight the way that I was looking at a female Common Scoter. Although it wasn't a year tick for the county, as I had seen the group of sixteen Common Scoter previously in April of this year, it's always nice to find a sea duck so far inland.
Also as Common Scoters are quite scarce in Leicestershire any time of the year I phoned the news out of the sighting.
After getting better views of the Scoter from the Kinchley Lane viewpoint, I reluctantly drove back home to collect my stuff for work, but was pleased that I had found a couple of good birds for the county.
Although I got there a bit late at around 10.00 am, I noted straight the way that a large movement of thrushes was occurring as I had seen over 200 Redwings and Fieldfares within twenty minutes.
Then at around 11.00am I spotted a group of fourteen geese flying over the ridge just below the lane from a north-west direction. As there came closer I realised that there were Pink-footed Geese and were probably migrating south in the direction of the east coast.
Over the next half an hour I counted more winter thrushes and small groups of finches like Siskins, Chaffinches and probably Lesser Redpolls.
Please of what I had seen over the last hour and half, I then moved onto Swithland Reservoir.
Scanning the reservoir and seeing the usual suspects I noticed something slightly different in a small group of Tufted Ducks. I realised straight the way that I was looking at a female Common Scoter. Although it wasn't a year tick for the county, as I had seen the group of sixteen Common Scoter previously in April of this year, it's always nice to find a sea duck so far inland.
Also as Common Scoters are quite scarce in Leicestershire any time of the year I phoned the news out of the sighting.
After getting better views of the Scoter from the Kinchley Lane viewpoint, I reluctantly drove back home to collect my stuff for work, but was pleased that I had found a couple of good birds for the county.
Comments
I would suggest that in a local context, a mega would have to be a county tick for everyone, or very nearly everyone. Plenty of people saw the long-staying bird at Eyebrook in the winter of 1993/94, although not Matthew for some reason, so he had a county tick yesterday!
Changing the subject slightly I think Leicestershire has had an excellent month birdwise.