New Forest walk

A sunny sunday for a change and a walk in the forest beckoned. The two highest points in the New Forest are Pipers Wait and Telegraph Hill so I thought a walk between the two was bound to produce a few raptors. It didn't. Just a brief glimpse of a Sparrowhawk.
The biggest surprise to me, walking along the edge of the plantations were the number of Coal Tit and Goldcrests calling. I expected both these species to be hit quite hard by the hard winters, but Goldcrests in particular accompanied us everywhere, feeding high in the tree tops right down to bracken level.

Just before Telegraph Hill, a nice male Dartford Warbler came out to shout at us for a while, it was the only one we saw or heard that day but this is a species together with Stonechats which really does seem to have been hit hard this winter. I didn't get any photos of him and didn't want to disturb him further so we walked on  to find this group which are pretty unlikely to find themselves on the British list

We walked along the top of Black Gutter and I fully expected to find a nice Hen Harrier, but no, it was almost devoid of birds of any species apart from the odd Crow and Black-headed Gull. However, these very wary Sika deer, including a nice stag, were good to see, but having been spotted, I wasn't very likely to get any closer.

Mystery Gull

Fishlake has a considerable and variable Gull population during the winter. Mostly this consists of Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull and a few Black Backed, but it throws up the occasional oddity as well. A Yellow Legged Gull has turned up on a few occasions this winter, but on this lovely sunny day I photographed this one accidentally which no one seems very sure of.

Mute Swan numbers seem to have swelled of late with plently of youngsters around.

Good practice for "birds in flight" photos, if only the Hobbies were this easy....

The number of fish-eating birds that survive around Fishlake is quite extraordinary given the newness of most of the ponds. Cormorant flocks can be well over 50 although only a dozen or so were about today, sitting in their tree looking like vultures

Grey Herons on the other hand seem largely fairly static and numbers are usually around 50-60, mostly dotted around the edges of the ponds, although often tucked away from sight unless something or someone disturbs them.

Seeing this number in flight in a confined space is quite a spectacle, only 30 or so went up on this day, together with various waterfowl

including Greylag Geese and a Shoveller with delusions of grandeur

Goosed

The Smew was still doing well today, busy grooming and fishing and doing general Smewy type things still seemingly unhindered by its injuries.

You know those fabulous photograghs of I think its Blue whales diving where just their tails are showing sticking up in the water? Well the following photographs are nothing like that.

The Grey Wagtail was running up and down the grassy banks which still looks a bit odd to me as I am more used to seeing them on shallow stony stream sides

Just down the road at Fishlake Meadows, I had a quick scan from the road over the main floods. Amongst the Canada Geese I spotted one white face that made my heart jump for just a moment as I thought ooo a Barnacle Goose, but no. From one to two to three,  these strange beasts have muddled genes which may or may not have a little Barnacle within them

I thought for a moment I had a strangely plumaged Shoveller to go with them, but on closer examination, it was just mud presumably from over enthusiastic dabbling

A Sparrowhawk shot past to make sure I was going, and unfortunately, I was.

Electric Blue

A sunny day with lots to do. Too good to waste all of it indoors, I had a quickish walk along the canal and through the meadows at lunchtime. I could hear a Bullfinch calling but couldn't find it, unlike this Dunnock who was making his presence VERY obvious.

Lots of Siskin had moved into the alders, even the females looking especially bright in the sunlight

while the males shone like beacons

Crossing the meadows I found a bird I hoped to get close to perched as it sometimes does high up on the power cables of all places

Briefly it dropped down to the bushes below but flew off within a couple of seconds allowing me just one distant shot.

A little further on I refound her while walking into the low sun, not ideal for birdwatching or photography, it always amazes me how even these stunning colours are rendered completely useless both to the eye and to the camera in such conditions

I managed to skirt round and catch her from the other side but she was off to the river before I got anywhere close

Before I knew it it was time to get back, but not before I caught these Greylags heading towards the main water with what is definitely NOT a leucistic Ross's Goose!

An eclectic mix

There was an interesting mix of birds around the feeders today, apart from the daily visitors, a couple of male Brambling turned up to brighten the bare winter branches.

A pair of Woodpigeons decided it was never too early to start house hunting. Mrs Woodpigeon liked the natural light provided by the contemporary glass roof design of this one

While Mr Woodpigeon considered something more in their price range and remembered a time before middle aged spread that he might have fitted into this one (with the emphasis on might)

Yet again, they seem to have compromised on a messy pile of sticks in a tree with nice open views over the park.
Down below, this unlikely visitor snuck in with a certain air of "burglar caught red-handed" about him.

 Hopefully he will hang around the comparitive safety of the park and gardens until the end of the month (end of shooting season).
In the back garden, all of a sudden the Cotoneaster has attracted the attention of Redwings. Often one of the last berry bushes to get stripped by birds, I thought it might get ignored this winter, but thankfully the berries aren't going to waste.

Smew check up

Today the Smew was mostly in the company of a female Tufted Duck. Although a bit nondescript and brown, there is always a certain humorous quality (maybe something to do with John Tenniel's illustrations?) to female Tufteds which I assume the Smew appreciated too.

I'm not sure I've ever noticed a duck yawn before, but the Smew did on a couple of occasions, and that was good, confirming no serious injury lower down the jaw, and also giving a good view of the bill tip injury.

Maybe this stretching was to relieve stiffness I don't know, but either way it continued to fish, apparently unconcerned, and with no little success, taking several good size perch over the course of an hour

One full and seemingly content Smew