I was recently enjoying a lovely time with friends over a weekend, celebrating one of their birthdays. This left Kev free for the weekend, and with his wife away, he headed down to Cornwall to go birding with his sister Karen and her partner Dean, later visiting RSPB Ham Wall. He managed to tick quite a few birds, some we’ve since encountered on our travels, but he also added further species with his wife in Hampshire when they went to see the killdeer.
There are therefore a couple of species that might normally require a special trip, but Kev already has them on his year list. This isn’t usually a problem, as Kev graciously revisits several birds he’s already seen just so I can add them to my year or life list.
Today, I decided it would be a good idea to knock a couple off the list in advance, avoiding the need for extra trips and leaving us free to search for new species for both of us, rather than just me. So, I focused on the American wigeon at Ferry Meadows CP and the two long-staying Slavonian grebes at Whitemoor Haye.
I had a specific plan, so there was no need to be out at the crack of dawn. I waited until my wife was getting up to go play pickleball, still quite early, before setting off. The drive was smooth, and I arrived at Ferry Meadows CP, passing through the camera-controlled (license-recognition) barrier. I made my way to the furthest car park and used the facilities before returning to the car. A birder and his wife were just setting off, and he briefly asked if I was there for the wigeon. He suggested the most likely spot to see it was where the pin-drop on BirdGuides indicated. As they left, I jokingly remarked that it would be nice if they could locate it by the time I arrived.
In the UK the American wigeon is considered a rare but regular vagrant. It doesn’t breed here but individuals are occasionally recorded, especially in autumn and winter. It used to be treated as a rarity deserving formal review, but because of increasing records it is no longer classed as a British Birds Rarity Committee (BBRC) rarity. These ducks normally breed in boreal and sub‑arctic North America and winter across the southern USA and Mexico. Birds that appear in the UK are believed to arrive as a result of trans‑Atlantic vagrancy, often aided by strong westerly winds or weather systems that push them off course during migration.
I walked to the viewpoint to find the couple and another birder scanning the water - a slightly worrying sight, as they were looking in different directions. The lone birder explained that no one had seen the bird yet and that he had spoken to several others who had been searching since early morning - it hadn’t been found. I joined the search, but things didn’t look promising. We worked through the various ducks and geese on and around the water and passed a great white egret standing on the point to our right. It was delightful to watch a group of eight little grebes diving along the edges of the reeds. There were also plenty of common gulls, and I spotted one cormorant of the "Sinensis" sub-species, also known as the “Continental” form due to it being common inland across Europe.
Time passed with no sightings. The couple eventually decided they’d had enough and went to the Centre for a cup of coffee. The other birder, who had already been to Fen Drayton to see a smew, concluded that our luck had run out. I stayed on, continuing to scan the banks. American wigeons are dabbling ducks, feeding mostly at the surface of shallow water rather than diving. Even when actively feeding in the morning, many wigeons rest on banks or grassy areas near water, often tucking their heads under their wings. What worried me was that there were only a handful of Eurasian wigeon on the water, and none were visible on the banks. The footpath around Gunwade Lake runs quite close to the water’s edge, so opportunities for them out of the water were limited.
I waited and noticed a birder on the opposite side of the lake checking his phone. Deciding to do the same, I saw a report on BirdGuides confirming the American visitor just a minute before but in a completely different location, on the far side of Overton Lake in the marshes. I packed up and began making my way to the new area. Along the way, three birders approached and said, “You know what we’re going to ask you, right?” I explained about the update and hurried on, checking the route as I went. The site was new to me, and I didn’t even know the marsh area existed or how to access it.
After a 15–20 minute walk, I reached the viewing platform and arrived with the couple I had met earlier - they were very glad they had stopped for a coffee. Within a minute, we located the American wigeon among its Eurasian cousins and numerous teal. This was a much better location for the bird to feed. As we watched, it cruised along, feeding, gradually moving further away. Eventually it reached the far end of the visible water, and I decided I had been fortunate and had waited patiently. It was time to move on.
I had planned a trip across to Whitemoor Hays, but noted that Eyebrook Reservoir was roughly on the way and decided to make a detour, as up to eight smew had been recorded there lately. I set off, but the journey seemed to take longer than expected given the relatively short as-the-crow-flies distance.
On arrival, I made my way down toward the bay the smew favour each winter, passing through a large pool of water covering the road. As I neared the spot where I planned to park, I came across a couple, both carrying birding gear, walking the other way. I nodded to them, thinking they were relocating to the spot likely to give the best view of the birds. I quickly parked the car in the mud beside the road and checked the opposite side of the island before following them down to the gap in the hedge cut to allow viewing of the bay. While there had been a report of eight smew from this spot earlier in the morning, there were none now - really disappointing.
The couple had moved further along the road, and I followed, hoping for a wider view of the water. When I reached them, they explained that the only smew they had located was on the far side of the water and only visible from where we stood. It was just about visible in the scope but extremely difficult to photograph - I tried anyway. How unlucky was that? Eight birds earlier, and now a single drake at extreme distance.
It was bitterly cold standing there, so the three of us walked back up the road toward the cars. On the way out, I stopped at each pull-in, hoping to locate any others, but had no luck.
It was still quite a drive to my next venue, and I hoped the murky conditions wouldn’t limit my chances of seeing the birds. I needn’t have worried, as the sky seemed to brighten slightly as I got closer. I drove down the last stretch of road to a pull-in where I could turn around and then return to the spot that offered the best view of the Roadside Pit, where the long-staying Slavonian grebes had been recorded since 12 December. As I pulled up, I waved to a chap who was heading back to his car - he must have been checking out the surrounding area.
I jumped out and learned that he hadn’t located any grebes, which was a bit annoying, but I set up my scope and began scanning. I asked him about any merlin, and again he hadn’t seen one.
I lifted my binoculars and scanned the field behind where merlins are sometimes reported, and there it was: a female, sitting in the field. I pointed it out to him, and he managed to get on it, agreeing with my ID. I spun round my scope and reached for my camera to take a few record shots; it was at some distance, and the light was starting to fade. He expressed his gratitude, saying he wouldn’t have seen it without my help.
The merlin is the UK’s smallest falcon, a compact, fast, and agile bird of prey that chase small birds low over the ground at high speed, often surprising prey with sudden bursts of flight. In autumn and winter, the resident population is augmented by migrants, especially from Iceland, so numbers increase in the UK during the colder months. Many of our resident birds breed on upland moorlands (Scotland, northern England, and Wales) move to lower ground, coastal marshes and farmland in winter.
With the excitement over, we turned our attention to locating the Slavonian grebes. After about ten minutes, we spotted one, cruising gracefully among the ducks. At first it stayed in the middle of the pool, but eventually it worked its way to our end, offering a much better viewing position. I managed a few record shots at a distance before packing up my kit for the journey home. All in all, it had been a very successful day of birding.
Year list: 142.
No comments:
Post a Comment