Another visit to Brandon Marsh.

As the forecast for the next few days was stormy I thought I'd better do some birding so on Thursday morning I went across to Brandon Marsh.

Got there not long after 10.00AM and had two bits of luck as I walked down the main path.The first was that the weather was brightening up and the second was when I bumped into that Warwickshire birding legend Bob Duckhouse.It's always nice to meet up with Bob.

We decided to join up with the Bittern watchers in the East Marsh hide and spent a frustrating time there as the Bittern you could glimpse deep in the reeds wouldn't come out.However when a couple of birders who had come all the way from Oxford to get some shots of a Bittern and had been there since dawn decided to leave the hide and were packing up there stuff the Bittern walked across the channel.There was lots of swearing and pulling off lens caps and all they got were some shots of it disappearing into the reeds.How often does that happen!!!! I had better luck.

The only other bird of note that was about that I saw was the escapee NZ Scaup.

After lunch I joined up with another friend and for an hour we chased a Goldcrest feeding along the path between the Carlton and EM hides.I love Goldcrests but they are a bogey bird for me and I struggle to get a decent shot of one.Not only do they ping around like the ball on an electric pin-ball machine but they are always deep in the gloom of bushes etc.Here is my best shot or rather the least bad shot I took so you can imagine how bad the others were.

Just before I started to write this blog I put a new plastic bird table on a stump of a recently chopped down tree in my back garden.I've just checked to see if any birds were feeding on it and there weren't probably because the bird table had disappeared.It had blown away in the wind to God knows where.Another DIY successful enterprise !!!!!!

An hour at Marsh Lane.

The sun came out lunchtime on Tuesday so I thought I'd nip across to Marsh Lane which is my nearest local patch and try and point the camera at something and get some shots.

The car park pool was as busy as ever but there was still a lot of ice about.There were loads of Ducks,Geese and Gulls about but nothing special as far as I could see.The best shots on offer were some Gadwall struggling on the ice.

The only other shots I was able to get on a walk round included some Common Snipe in the Marsh,a Heron that I though was going to join me in the hide and a distant Sparrowhawk.

The best spot from the Oak hide were 6+ Tree Sparrows on and around the Oak hide feeders.

A pleasant hour at Marsh Lane in the sun.

Nice weather poor birding.

Went to Brandon Marsh on Monday morning and although it was pretty chilly the weather was very bright and excellent for taking pictures.

Unfortunately that was where the good news ended.There was a lot of ice on the pools and this seemed to keep all the birds away because despite visiting everywhere nothing was seen and the camera remained idle.Even the Bittern watchers were having no luck.

The day was saved firstly because I did get a couple of Warwickshire year ticks when I got a brief fly by of a Water Rail from the Carlton hide and a sighting of a lively Goldcrest from the East Marsh hide.

The day was saved secondly by Monica and Tony who were trying to lure the almost tame Robins to land on Monica's camera.

The first Robin was a bit upset and told Monica "Get that Canon out of here.Nikon only"

The second Robin that showed up was very interested in Monica's kit and asked "Are you shooting in RAW"

The third Robin was also a camera buff and said "So this is the Canon 1D mark 4"

A couple of decent Warwickshire year ticks.

After a very good hour with some Waxwings in Meriden on Friday morning I drove down the A45 to Brandon Marsh getting there just before lunchtime.

I didn't stay long in the East Marsh or Carlton hides because a bitterly cold east wind was whistling through the flaps so unsurprisingly I didn't see much but the visit was not without reward as I got a couple of very decent Warwickshire year ticks.

The first was when an Egyptian Goose dropped onto the main pool for about 20 minutes before flying off.Here is a distant shot.

The second was when the Pink-footed Goose which I thought I'd missed retuned to the main pool and was seen pretty well from the Wright hide.I'd seen them in their thousands before in Norfolk but never inland before and never on the water.

More Waxwings.

Very pleased to see the sun was shining on Friday morning so I was just about to leave to go to Brandon Marsh when a text from Nic Barlow sent me scurrying off to Meriden. Why Meriden? Well some Waxwings were showing from the bridge that goes over the main A45 on Maxstoke Lane.

Got there at 10.00AM and saw a couple of birders parked on the bridge footpath.I soon located the flock of 18 about 40 metres away on a tree that was on the verge of the A45 on the B'ham side of the bridge.

In the hour I stayed there they were very lively dropping down to the bushes just below the bridge and amazingly a couple of times a few of them landed briefly on the crash barrier on the A45 just below the bridge.

Cracking birds I love them to bits and will always race off to see them and hear them reeling to each other.Here are a few shots of the Meriden birds.

A Morning Trip to Nuneaton.

I cannot recall ever going to Nuneaton before so why would I drive over there on a dull Monday morning.Well Wawings of course.

There had been 148 reported there yesterday so this morning when I received a text saying there were 60 there in the same spot this morning I thought let's go for it especially as Dave Hutton (seeswoodpoolsandbeyond) had got some cracking shots there recently.

Got to the place at just after 10.00AM and was pleased to see Dave there but there was only one Waxwing on show and that was high up in a nearby tree.I need not have worried because although the flock did not return whilst I was there the lone Waxwing present turned out to be a gem.

Much like a film starlet as soon as it thought enough photographers were present it flew down to one of the berry trees and posed for shots.Here are a few shots which I am fairly pleased with as it was pretty dull.

On the way home I had to pass Seeswood pools where a White-fronted Goose had been seen the day before but unfortunately the cold had made me switch to wimp mode and I didn't stop.No wonder my annual Warwickshire is on on 67.

Marsh Lane early Sunday morning.

Not having ventured out birding for a few days I was keen to go out Sunday morning whatever the weather was so I was pleased to see it was brightening up when I got to Marsh lane just after 8.00AM.

The old road was pretty lively with 100+ Fieldfare in the trees and on the fields and a flock of 80+ Linnets flying around being the best spots.

The car park pool was very busy with loads of Ducks,Geese,Gulls,Lapwings etc. but nothing of note that I could see and no sign of the Bittern.The railway pool was pretty quiet and no sign of the two Jack Snipes seen in the marsh yesterday.Best spot was up to 12 Tree Sparrows on the Oak hide feeders and in the nearby bushes.Unfortunately the weather had become gloomy by this time so I couldn't get any decent shots of them but it was nice to see so many.