Brandon Marsh Thurs 25th November

I've been making good of the short weather interlude before things turn foul (pun intended) again.

This was another brilliantly superb day, even if my binocs took a bashing in the excitement.....

The day started with a brilliant autumnal scene, yellowish trees and blue sky

and a blip on a nursery rhyme,  you've heard of the cow jumps over the moon, well how about the plane flies over the moon!

Back to wildlife, the first sighting as a pair of flying lollipops, but the camera wasn't ready to capture them....

But it did capture this magpie

and blue tit

While on the way round to the New Hare Covert, another autumnal view

No report would be right without a robin,

Time to reflect a bit on the day before the serious stuff.....

Now the serious stuff.

Did I say really serious!

Cormorants, they were plentiful and very active...

A golden eye, and it was close to the hide

and enjoying some diving.....

Do you have a water flea?

and back down again....

More cormorants, this time in flight.

its not often you get the same bird going out and coming back in, but I did follow this one as it did a circuit, and I think I know someone who will appreciate the special show.

A pair of black headed gulls, heaven knows what they were squawking on about, whilst dipping their necks just below the water surface....

I did wonder if it was a territorial thing at first, but nothing moved away from them and they didn't seem to be chasing anything either. I'm open to any ideas

The tufties were out and about, and this looked like it could be one family.

and another pair of male tufties

Flapwings taking flight!

More tufties

and taking a dive....

A coot with some weed, most likely parrots feather weed

Whilst I was busy photographing the tufties, cormorants, coots etc, someone in the hide said in an excited but quietish voice: "KINGFISHER" and invited me over to see and take a photo or two. Whilst trying to get up off the bench, not easy to do when your knee doesn't bend fully, I dragged my binocs to the ground, relinquishing them of one eye cup!

Unfortunately, being dark in the hide, I couldn't see it, but was happy to snap the kingie, even though it wasn't a brilliant piccie...

The teal were out in force, a pair of bums up males....

and one gracefully swimming past to make a nice photo

I don't normally photo mallard ducks, but the sun just took the iridescent plumage to the next level,

The shovelers were hard at work scooping under the water surface...

The male gadwalls were posing as they swam by...

And for what I thought at the time was the prize for the day, an otter, turned out to be mink!  Confused 

Well, if I hadn't bashed my bins, I would have known sooner rather than when I got home...

But still worth a piccie...

I am considering rejoining the wild life trust, and fear not RSPB, my funds to you are safe. Having enjoyed my two visits there (for those who missed it, the previous visit Brandon Marsh Thurs 28th Oct https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/278382/brandon-marsh-thurs-28th-oct), and a third visit will be on the cards, weather permitting.

In other good news, someone had found and handed in the eye cup, which has now been clipped back in to place, until the next time, but not before I had purchased another pair of bins, a pair of Opticron, because I will need another pair of bins before the Nikons would be returned after repair.

I was going to send the bins to Nikon for repair, because all that was required, a replacement eye cup, which is an fairly easy fit (I've knocked one off before and they don't come off too easily either), and the Travelites are still a current pair of binocs. Yes, the Travelites do have a hard life with me (even harder in my mountaineering days, especially while scrambling up rocky crags), but they keep bouncing back every time.

As always, a good day, or should I say, a damned good day.... Thumbsup

A lesson to learn for next time, take a small torch (now packed in my tripod carrier with new battery) so if that happens again in a dark hide, I have light to search with....

  • Cracking photos Mike, the waders looking really good on the water and congrats on the Kingfisher, I must get over to the Spinnies sometime, maybe when this weather calms down.
  • gaynorsl said:
    Cracking photos Mike, the waders looking really good on the water and congrats on the Kingfisher, I must get over to the Spinnies sometime, maybe when this weather calms down.

    Thank you Gaynor.

    Yes, I'm missing a visit to the Spinnies, even though I've only been twice, and that was two years ago, but managed brilliant catches on both days, a kingie and a grey heron trying to consume an eel for lunch.

    Those photos are in my November 2019 album on the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/peak-rambler/albums/72157711722536556

  • Great set Mike and good variety of ducks including the handsome Teal drake plus the Kingie and regular birds; my camera hasn't been out of the bag for weeks as I've only been using the mobile phone camera ! Will have to wrap up on next adventure wherever or whenever that will be.
  • Unknown said:
    Great set Mike and good variety of ducks including the handsome Teal drake plus the Kingie and regular birds; my camera hasn't been out of the bag for weeks as I've only been using the mobile phone camera ! Will have to wrap up on next adventure wherever or whenever that will be.

    Thank you Hazel.

    Just a shame the otter was really a mink.....

    Yes, cold weather gear is needed now, I've been wearing my merino wool base layers, choob, beanie, and Extremities gloves (my RAB Powerstretch gloves are good, but these just have the edge, and I can still operate the camera or binocs comfortably) that I'd found packed away in a rucksack.

  • Lovely Flicker pics Mike, whetted my appetite once more, when this cold weather passes I might get over there for a quick visit.
  • "A coot with some weed, most likely parrots feather weed"

    I'm gonna have to be contary and say that looks more like Myriophyllum spicatum (native) or Elodea (not native) or (native) hornwort (Ceratophyllum dermersum).

    The smew (Mergellus albellus) is more closely related to the goldeneye than it is to other 'mergansers' (DNA analysis). Shoe-horning my merganser/names discussion.

    Gadwall! (thigh-rub).
  • tuwit said:
    "A coot with some weed, most likely parrots feather weed"



    I'm gonna have to be contary and say that looks more like Myriophyllum spicatum (native) or Elodea (not native) or (native) hornwort (Ceratophyllum dermersum).

    The smew (Mergellus albellus) is more closely related to the goldeneye than it is to other 'mergansers' (DNA analysis). Shoe-horning my merganser/names discussion.

    Gadwall! (thigh-rub).

    The weed was only a wild guess

  • Looked a super day Mike, and I'm glad Cornelius behaved himself and did some "action" for you within camera range :o)
    Well done on the Kingie, it feels an age since I've seen one!
    Thanks, as always, for sharing
    ps the Flickr Heron and diving Kingie are FAB!
  • PimperneBloke said:
    Looked a super day Mike, and I'm glad Cornelius behaved himself and did some "action" for you within camera range :o)


    Well done on the Kingie, it feels an age since I've seen one!
    Thanks, as always, for sharing
    ps the Flickr Heron and diving Kingie are FAB!

    Thanks PB.

    I had another visit this week and a kingie again, piccies in another post.

  • Hi Mike,

    A lovely sunny day in Warwickshire and a set of photos to match.

    I've never seen a Mink in the wild but we think a Mink emptied our pond of fish twice, it's now a wildlife pond and we've given up on fish.

    Thanks for posting.

    Trevor