Pitsford Reservoir :: 11 December 2021

I'd been to have my scheduled Covid booster jab on Friday evening and was washed out by the working week. I was in no rush to get up and out on the Saturday morning. I eased into the day, pulling on some clothes to do a spot of gardening in and to ready for the winter; an hour's effort would be all it took.

I came in for an early lunch to hear that the two drake smew reported at Pitsford Reservoir were still there and after a bowl of soup I was on the road. There was constant spotting on the way, but never outright rain and so it was as I put on my walking boots and headed to the Goosander Hide from the Fishing Lodge car park.

From the path I located the birds on the water and so the day was already successful. I stepped into the hide and found Ricky Sinfield and another chap watching the birds and boy were they stunning - I do like the redhead females but the drakes are really something special. There were lots of wigeon, gadwall, teal, mallard, tufted and shoveler ducks on the water with other wildfowl such as moorhen and coot. Usually on the right of the body of birds were the smew - always distant. Spots of rain continued to fall, the sky was grey, the light was limited but none of these spoiled the views.

Ricky and the other chap packed up and left, leaving me watching and hoping that the smew would come closer, but they never did. I did have some fortune though as a great white egret fished off to my left. They are really elegant birds, and it is amazing quite how many are appearing across the region. Once a rare visitor to the UK, sightings have become more common over the last few decades, with several pairs now breeding - the UK’s first breeding pair of great white egrets was in 2012. A handful of others flew past, as did little egrets and several grey herons.

What a great hour and completely unplanned. As the rain set in, I took a few photos of other species on the water and had tits, finches, goldcrest and grey wagtail as I made my way back to the car. The rain increased in intensity and was set in by the time I reached home.