Hi
As you aware this week was my birthday. I had planned for us to go away for the weekend do a couple of walks enjoy a pub meal and visit the odd tea shop and potter home in tie for an early night before work on Monday. However when the weather reports forecast high tides, snow and gales and people on the coast started to be evacuated I reconsidered.
Despite the worst predictions of the weather forecasters today started off dry if rather cloudy. We decided to use the time to catch up on a bit of bird watching so we drove to Nottingham looking for waxwings. These rather endearing birds arrive in the UK from Scandinavia every few years when their numbers rise. They spend the winters here feeding on berries alongside the redwings, fieldfares thrushes and blackbirds. These four had chosen to Station themselves alongside a busy road in the suburb of Carrington in Nottingham where a row of trees full of berries were just ready to be eaten. They really were this clear
(Your father didn’t take his camera so this is one from LentonCliftongrove Birds – official website Cliftongrove Birds – official website534 × 640Search by image
We also found a number of redwings enjoying the berries not to mention blackbirds and a mistle thrush.
(You can see the author of the image in the top)
We became a bit cold and decided to drive to Eyebrook Reservoir. We parked at the edge of the reservoir and found at least three male smew with attendant females.
Smew – Mergus albellus | NatureSpot NatureSpot773 × 563Search by image
There was a shoot over the far side of the reservoir but we did manage to find a kingfisher at the dam . It was an excellent sighting of a male as it didn’t move for quite a few minutes. I also saw a great spotted woodpecker unfortunately it flew off before I could share it.
(owls about that then!: November 2015 Owl’s about that then!700 × 626Search by image
The little owl was sitting in the sunshine against the tree but on the side out of the wind. For once it looked more sleepy than grumpy.
(Rod’s Birding: A afternoon’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland …Rod’s Birding800 × 450Search by image)
We had a lovely few of fields of fieldfare and redwings. Before we headed to Rutland Water. We were welcomed to the car park by the sight of a red Kite soaring above our heads.
Rod’s Birding: A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland …Rod’s Birding800 × 450Search by image
We found goosander on the main lagoon but instead of walking round we headed off to the North arm to see if we could find the black necked and slavonian grebes that have been about.
As we parked the car we found this bird in the edge of a lagoon along with grey heron and little egret just for comparison.
David Gray on Twitter: “One of the Great White Egrets on Lagoon 3 …Twitter1200 × 900Search by image
We found both the slavonian grebe and black necked grebe 2 of each.
Slavonian Grebe – Podiceps auritus | NatureSpotNatureSpot1024 × 720Search by image
We heard that there was a red necked grebe on the Hamilton peninsula so we ended our day with seeing this bird.
Moysie’s Birding Blogmoysiesbirdtrips.blogspot.com400 × 296Search by image
We found quite a few canny red legged partridge that had escaped the slaughter. All in all we saw sixteeen new species had a lovely day out and were home before it got too dark
Thank you to everyone whose images I have used to illustrate this narrative.
changinglifestyleblog 
