Friday 12th Sightings

‘Little and Large’ ‘Droopy’ Pair

Still windy this morning, but started well with a perched redpoll! Redpoll called overhead as I was walking towards the Sandpiper Bridge and came down by the Lee Navigation. Walked over the bridge and found it 2 or 3 metres away sitting in an elder. Best views I’ve had for sometime, as usual records here are hearing them overhead and catching a glimpse of the bird as it flies over.

After my mention the other day of no teal in the channel at WM East, today a male teal was cruising there, seen from the Green Bridge. Arrived at Stonebridge Lock to find two egyptian geese but this wasn’t Little and Large. Took photos and I’ll see if good enough to send to David Chapman (They are – See above DMC), but one has whitish head and drooping right hand wing, which is a bird I’ve seen before (and have named “Droopy” – not very original, but quite descriptive). I am guessing this is a different pair (the “Droopy pair” for short), rather than it’s Large with a new partner of Droopy – but who knows!

Few groups of redwings flying over. A group of seven SW calling and 2 SE calling, plus two other groups of small thrushes which didn’t call but I presumed were redwings (I’ve never recorded groups of song thrushes flying). 6 of these NW, then later 2 SW.

When I got to the Chalk Bridge over the Lee Navigation, on my way home, a female goosander appeared up from the channels east, then flew off high N over Banbury Reservoir. Going out from WM East over the East Bridge, I found 4 gadwall in the channel (2 male, 2 female), the first record this month.

Finally, I checked all the starlings flying overhead, trying to spot waxwings (they are said to have a similar shape in flight), but no luck. I’ve never found my own waxwings, only ever seen some that others have reported, so fingers crossed.

DMC