A Roadford Trip

Oh dear...

Yeah, so I used my other day to wander up Roadford Res. way, as I've not been up to our biggest puddle for many a year [I believe a Ring-necked Duck may have been involved..]. The weather was forecast sunny then cold and overcast, and as I'd been up on't Moor the day before, I figured for a change. [[Hmm.]]

The 'showy' juvenile Long-tailed Duck was a factor too, 'tis true.


Not so much with the showy [though it was still better than that fricking RND], though;

Juvenile L-T Duck

Really.

It was out there, you see;

See that little bay on the right?

Yeah...

I wasn't alone, and had some lovely photos of that frelling little quacker shown to me, but then had a much less grippy sight, as a big boss female Merlin attracted first a noisy Jackdaw and then our attention as she flew right up over us! That's twice in as many days I've had big female Merlins appear and then fly up far too high for a Merlin.. [[I suppose it's possible it was even the same bird, they can move when they want to..?????]] One wonders about origins, but as I didn't get any shots.. ::shrugs::

Anyways, in the vain hope the dratted duck would move somewhere more convenient, [and yes, to sit my behind down] I wandered down to the hide. Which was so hot I thought I might have taken a wrong turn into a sauna..

Almost went very wrong, as I found just in time that a queen wasp had taken up residence under the nice cushion they have there. Could have been a painful encounter all round there... :O

Once She had been politely evicted, I had a look about. Not vast amounts, though there was the odd bird of vague scarcity;

Snipe x 4

With the LTD determinedly hiding behind that wonderfully convenient island, I eventually took a toddle along a few of the many byways around the vast lakeside. I met a few nice birds, most notably a RL Partridge, and most prettily a party of Bullfinch, in between a few Mistle Thrushes.


Eventually time wandered on and I called back in to the hide again on my way back. The Duck Of Doom floated through my field of view, getting behind the island just before I got my camera on it   AAARGH! It then vanished completely, not even in view from the viaduct.


But I did see these two;

Female and male Pintail

The foreshore was still alive with alba Wags - mostly Pied - and a Grey for colour. One eventually posed high enough up for my camera to get a lock on it, not the grass in the foreground;

Tagwail

Scenery;

Very cold and overcast

More numbers.. 550+ roosting gulls, 305 Canada Geese [yes, I counted them!], 1 Pochard, 7 Tufted Duck, 3 Little Grebe, 8 GC Grebe, 25+ Wigeon, 3 Grey Heron, and a Little Egret!


Frustrations with small ducks aside, it was a day of quiet, relaxed birding. Very pleasant indeed.




There will be more from Patch at some point soon, and no, I haven't forgotten that I still owe you torment and woe, it is coming [dun-dun-duuuhhh!].



Be Seeing You..