Avez-Vous un Cuppa?

As most of friends will know I have been in Scotland (Glasgow) since the 23rd to enjoy the delights of a Scottish Christmas and New Year with my brother's family. Bird highlights over the last few days included: 23rd December 2008:Caerlaverock WWT. 5,000+ Barnacle Geese,200+ Whooper Swans,3 Scaup (1st winter bird and 2 females),Peregrine, 100+ Twite (on the saltmarsh) and also good numbers of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. 25th December 2008: Queens Park, Shawlands, Glasgow. 2 Goosanders (Male and Female) on the small boating lake. 27th December 2008:Hogganfield Loch, Glasgow. Drake Lesser Scaup, 10+ Whooper Swans, female Scaup, Adult Yellow-Legged Gull, 4 Shoveler and good numbers of Goosanders, Goldeneyes, Pochard and Teal. 28th December 2008: Clyde area and Lochwinnoch RSPB. Lochwinnoch RSPB 16 Whooper Swans and good numbers of Goosanders and Goldeneyes. Port Glasgow area (Newark Castle and West Ferry shoreline). 500+ Eider, 10+ Red breasted Mergansers,3 Slavonian Grebes and ...

Here a few photos of the Waxwings at Barrow-upon-Soar which I saw just before Christmas. As I had previously said on the Soar Valley Birding Blog, it's amazing how Waxwings seem to find another flock of Waxwings in the space of a couple of days (If you get my drift?!).

A walk around Watermead CP Birstall/North section produced good numbers of wintering Goosanders (35 at least with the majority seen on the King Lear's Lake). Also noted by the tarmac track towards Plover hide was a calling Cetti's Warbler . Although it didn't show it self it was probably male bird as at one stage it did it's explosive trilling call! The only other noteworthy sighting in the area was a single Shelduck on the scrape at Wanlip Meadows.

After finishing on the early shift at the General, I drove over to Eyebrook Reservoir, to look for the 2nd winter Glaucous Gull which had been re found in fields next to the reservoir. Parking up next to the hedge by the island, as I got out of my car I heard Mick Ketley's voice shout out that the Glaucous Gull was flying over the road, which upon I looked up and saw the big brute of a Glaucous Gull flying over the road into the fields behind the reservoir. Result!!! Joining Mick and the Brett's by the island we waited for a few minutes hopefully for the Glaucous Gull to return, but strangely after half an hour the bird had not returned. With this we started to scan the in coming gull roost hopefully to see the Glaucous Gull again and the long staying Iceland Gull which had been returning to the reservoir for the last three weeks. Over the next hour good numbers of large gulls joined the roost, with others sightings included a single drake Smew and smart looking male Pintail...

After walking round Cossington Meadows I drove over to Eyebrook Reservoir to see if the long-staying Iceland Gull would come into the gull roost. The majority of the large gulls took their time to come into the roost with the 1st Winter Iceland Gull arriving at 16.20pm. Slightly disappointing for the other gull watchers was the no show of the previous day's 2nd Winter Glaucous Gull in the roost. Other sightings on the reservoir included 2 nice looking drake Smews which had arrived on the previous Thursday(via information from Mick Ketley!). Hopefully before the end of the year Eyebrook Reservoir will have more white-winged gull sightings?

A walk around the reserve produced an excellent count of six Stonechats (Five males and a single female). Three birds were seen on the Swan Meadow, two on the Lower Marsh section and a single male in fields next to Rectory Marsh. The female bird was ringed.The only other notable sighting around the reserve was a single Little Egret on the Upper Marsh.