New year county drive about

On Friday (02/01) it was time for a new year outing around the county on my last proper day off before going back to work on the Monday.

I started off at Clifford Hill GP first thing on a bright, sunny day, in the hope of seeing the recent Black Necked Grebe. The first birds of note was a group of 8 Goosander on the River Nene. Walking around to the SE corner, I soon located the Black Necked Grebe fairly close in. I carefully crept along and managed to enjoy great views with the sun behind me, soon joined by Bob Bullock.

I also eventually got onto the recent juv Dark Bellied Brent Goose with Bob's help right in the NW corner so no photos. I had a stomp around the boggy, reedy areas between the main lake and the A45 but nothing too exciting other than a calling Cetti's Warbler & a Kingfisher.

I then drove the short way along to Billing GP to have a look for the Ring-Necked Duck. It was pleasing to find it pretty close by, near to the car sales hut by the garden centre. It was in the company of a couple of Gadwall and a handful of Tufties. Sadly the light was pants and even getting permission from the caravan shop next door to view from there still meant fairly poor light. The scope views though were very good and were a hundred times better than what I'd had back on Christmas eve.

I finished the day at Pitsford Reservoir on both sides of the causeway. From the feeding station there was a distant Redshank in the Scaldwell Bay and several Snipe, however no sign of the hoped for Smew. Tree Sparrows appeared to be in pretty good numbers.

I moved onto the south side of the causeway and set off on the long walk to the Pintail Bay area. After a bit of a scan, I managed to locate the Slavonian Grebe that had been present for the previous few days, feeding with several Tufties and a Little Grebe.

A short way along I had a look for the 3 White Fronted Geese that had been in the area for quite a while. I soon found them amongst around 50 Greylags in Pintail bay. The trio consisted of 2 adults and a juvenile and showed well in the late afternoon golden light.

The walk back produced an unusually showy Redwing and back on the North side a Little Egret appeared, as well as a feeding Great White Egret distantly in the Walgrave Bay.

I drove back home and then onto Bicester to pick up my girlfriend from work and was chuffed to see a Woodcock flying across the A43 in the last of the light about a mile or so into Oxfordshire.