Christmas break birding

Christmas has been beset with colds and flu for us, family and friends so it could've gone better! But, on a brighter note, we've still had some fun and I've also got out a few times for a bit of late 2022 birding.

The highlight for me, has been the two incredibly confiding Yellow-Browed Warblers by Mary's Lake, Earls Barton GPs near Wellingborough on 28/12. An overdue county tick and got to be the best views of YBWs I've ever had, feeding just a few feet away at times! A tricky photo subject in the gloomy light so pretty pleased with the results.

A couple of short visits to Grimsbury Res yielded the lingering drake Red-Crested Pochard in lovely early morning Boxing Day sunshine, as well and my first Gadwall (a pair) of the year there on 30/12. 

A couple of 1st-winter Brent Geese, (seemingly different birds) were good sightings for the area. The first was a long-staying bird at Foxcote Reservoir near Buckingham that I popped over to see on 27/12.

I found the second amongst Greylag and Canada Geese on the Mid-Cherwell valley floods on 30/12. The mid-Cherwell was also alive with birds, both between Aynho and Somerton and also just NW of Kings Sutton. Easily c2,000 Lapwings plus, 14+ Pintail, singles of Little Egret, Y-L Gull and Chiffchaff, c60 Golden Plover, 100s of Teal and Wigeon, along with smaller numbers of Shoveler & Gadwall. For these parts that's very good indeed!