Oh Good, PB Didn't Go Quite So Mad This Week!

So, for the 2nd week running, my day off coincided with a belter of a forecast, and for the 2nd week running, I had the dilemma of where to go.... Langton Lakes won, as I hadn't been there in ages!

I've decided I'll have to stop going out quite so early, as most of the first 100 or so pictures were low light grainy misadventures in hopefulness!

A Gadwall pair (there were several) in the 1st lake

And a Canada Goose having his morning spruce-up

The first of the obligatory Robins :o)  (As you can see, it's getting a bit brighter...picture 141 of the day lol)

There were a lot of Great and Blue Tits about, but I saw no Long Tailed or Coal

A few finches, Mrs Chaff

And a good number of Dunnocks, at least now they're starting to behave like themselves, skulking around the bottom of the hedgerows

Mr Chaffie

And one of the Blue Tits

Suddenly a little way away a cacophony of calls signalled something was afoot... A Red Kite cruising by!

Considering the weather we've endured recently, the paths were pretty good, just the occasional muddy patch to negotiate... the Australian Goldfinch had to such worries

Since I was there last, a reed bed has been developed to help with the mitigation of flood waters, and one of the floating islands has been taken from one of the lakes, but it appears to no detriment to the birdlife. Along the approach to the reed bed, Mr Blackbird

And another Dunnock skipped ahead to the fenceline (a stripier head than I'd noticed before)

A Mallard and a Grey Wagtail shared a small island in the flooded bit of field

And an array of Snipe sat on the far side of the lake

And Billy (no-mates) was sat about 30 yards to their left

On a little island, halfway between the hide and the snipe, 4 Lapwing practised very good social distancing, and their plumage shone like a really shiny thing in the early sun.

There used to be a circular walk around the 3rd lake, but a new scrape is being allowed to develop, so the path is blocked off, so I headed back along the route I'd taken, seeing a slimmer Robin

A less stripey-headed Dunnock

A yellow Blue Tit

A Cormorant in a tree (there were half a dozen or more, but in a tree waaaaaay over the other side of the big lake)

One of about 4 or 5 Swan couples

And a Gadwall in better light!

I'd got back to what would have been the other end of the loop where the new scrape was being encouraged, so tootled off along a more "woodlandy" path, and was just thinking to myself...hmm, treecreeper or nuthatch environment... when a flurry of twig movement caught my eye... I fired a few speculative shots off, and don't remember thinking oooh..Goldcrest.....but it was Grin

In the same tree, branches rather than twigs started to shake....

Looking out across the 3rd lake, lots of Canada Geese, Mallards, several Coots, and this foursome of Shovellers

And a few Black Headed Gulls....some incominggggg

Along with the lakes and hides, there is a short walk along a stream, which I'd not done before, so I thought why not, the sun is still pretty low, and also at my back, so some nice light may be had.... the only winter thrush I saw, a Redwing

Then this fella got chased across the field by a crow, landed in a tree, paused for maybe a minute, then was off again...

Now, an infuriating Woody, who was in the tree for a good while, but no matter where I moved to, it ensured twigs were involved in my view!!

You may remember back along I said about how I love Magpies spread wings, and alluded to the tails....well it's a shame I wasn't 50 yards closer...but this is what I meant by their tails Grinning

And to finish with, 2 or 3 cormorants took it in turns to swoop from their distant tree and loop round over the lake....

And so concluded another chilly but really nice morning, out and about.

I hope you enjoyed perusing, and hope the sun and blue sky raised your spirits as they did mine.

Thanks for reading

Stay Safe All

  • Good selection of birds and photos again PB and nice to get good weather for your day off. Nice flight shots and love the pretty Redwing and the gorgeous Kestrel,
  • How could you not go mad with those sightings, goldcrest, redwing, snipe and many more. Fabulous photos and it looked a good day out, many thanks for sharing.

  • Lovely weather, lovely pics of fab birds from a semi sane PB!....thanks PB for venturing out again and sharing with us...soooooo much better than reading the morning paper with my cuppa ;-)

    Kessie in flight is so good...and to get wee goldie popping up again to say high...just a wee cutie....and lovely colour on the Lapwing!

    Very much enjoyed....thanking you ;-)
  • Ooh!! another lovely early morning meander...always appreciate your postings.

    Thank you
  • Hi PB,

    As you say not quite so mad, but another great day out in sunshine again and another well told tale. Good to see the Goldcrests, I haven't seen any this winter yet and not for the want of trying.

    Thanks for posting,

    Trevor

  • Thanks all... it was indeed a good day :o)

    Mrs PB and myself are off to Slimbridge (finally) tomorrow, although the weather doesn't look the best (cloudy/misty/foggy but dry) I'm hopeful of a good day, with some (potentially) new species...I'm looking at you Mr Mandarin!!
  • PimperneBloke said:
    Thanks all... it was indeed a good day :o)



    Mrs PB and myself are off to Slimbridge (finally) tomorrow, although the weather doesn't look the best (cloudy/misty/foggy but dry) I'm hopeful of a good day, with some (potentially) new species...I'm looking at you Mr Mandarin!!

    Its been a long time since I was last at Slimbridge (it is on my list to visit, hopefully this year), but I think you'll have a very productive day. I certainly hope you do and look forward to the report and photos.

  • Lovely pics, PB--thanks. Gadwalls are absolutely truly gorgeous but I never tire of seeing photos of all of those other birds, too. I hope you and Mrs PB are having a lovely time at Slimbridge. Is this a day trip or a weekend or week away? That is a wonderful area but it has been a couple of years since we were there, sadly, maybe next year. For many years we used to go once year, stay somewhere in the lower Wye Valley and make day trips to Slimbridge, the Forest of Dean, RSPB Newport Wetlands, International Bird of Prey Centre, and to both Symonds Yat Rock and Chepstow for the Peregrines.
  • Thanks Ann, I think the gadwalls are special too, especially in decent light that helps you see all the intricate patterns. It's going to be a day trip to slimbridge, it doesn't open til 9:30, so we'll leave at 7ish and be there for then :o) I don't think Mrs PB would appreciate being a camera widow two days running lol