Out first thing Saturday and Sunday for Goose counting. I was quite keen as I knew I had birds on the patch which is change from recent years. Prior to the open cast (or surface mining as it has been renamed) I had some good counts of Geese from a flash and grass bank in the central portion of the Carr but the flash was drained and the birds no longer come to roost. The fields at the west end near the Golf course however are still slightly flooded and this has attracted our Siberian visitors. Saturdays count was 14 Tundra Bean Geese, two Eurasian White-fronted Geese (a nightmare for positive ID in the strong wind but smaller size and a crappy picture did the trick) and two Greylag plus two Canada found at Banks Pond. Sunday was much the same although there were 14 Greylag to match the Beans. These are Big Waters birds and they duly departed in that direction as it looked like snow around nine.
This is 12 of the Beans at their usual distance. Also of note some good flocks of Fieldfare that are a nightmare to photograph as they are very skittish, numerous Buzzards and Blackbirds plus the Great Grey Shrike which after going AWOL on Saturday returned to give some observers excellent views of its feeding technique. I understand somebody even has a picture of the unfortunate impaled vole and H got lucky with a close encounter and a fine shot.
I did a lot of chasing but no snapping. Of course the owls were performing as usual with P2 being an obvious spot.
Out first thing Saturday and Sunday for Goose counting. I was quite keen as I knew I had birds on the patch which is change from recent years. Prior to the open cast (or surface mining as it has been renamed) I had some good counts of Geese from a flash and grass bank in the central portion of the Carr but the flash was drained and the birds no longer come to roost. The fields at the west end near the Golf course however are still slightly flooded and this has attracted our Siberian visitors. Saturdays count was 14 Tundra Bean Geese, two Eurasian White-fronted Geese (a nightmare for positive ID in the strong wind but smaller size and a crappy picture did the trick) and two Greylag plus two Canada found at Banks Pond. Sunday was much the same although there were 14 Greylag to match the Beans. These are Big Waters birds and they duly departed in that direction as it looked like snow around nine. 
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