A first (and unplanned visit of 2022) to Brandon Marsh Sun 9th Jan

Finally, a break in the weather, and after a phone call on Friday to say my day surgery on Tues 11th has been postponed, I felt that was a good enough combination to get outside.

Though the letter of the postponement hasn't yet been received, I am genuinely grateful to the hospital for phoning me, and the lady was very apologetic. I do feel for our NHS in these current times, however, moving on.

As it was a last minute thing, the only reserves close enough were Middleton and Brandon. Middleton will be a mud bath while Brandon used to be relatively good underfoot after long periods of wet weather, and I'm happy to report, this visit shown no adverse change.

Though I didn't get there until around 10ish, the birds seemed to still be tucked up, even the robin seemed to have just got out of bed and was a little reluctant to show...

Mind you, it was a bit chilly....

The first sighting was Mr Tuftie on East Marsh Pool viewed from the Wright Hide. It wasn't long before quite a few tufties swam in front, but by that time, the sun had moved to the front of my view.

Also Mr Teal came paddling past

Even the cormorants seemed to be having a lie in this morning, but one was out and about...

By now the low sun was shining directly in to my eyes and it was impossible to see anything, so it was time, so time to move on to the other side of the pool, and see what was happening there.

A large flotilla of shovelors!

I counted around 45-50 in this photo, and they seemed to stay in that area for most of the day.

Now, spot the birdie!

Yes, common snipe, also having a lie in....

A pair of female goosanders flew in, and were having a bathe....

Ooo, action?

A head popped up!

Then some movement in the reeds...

Another case of spot the birdie...

It was a dunnock.

The flapwings decided it was time for some exercise.

Well, the snipe weren't going nowhere, and I'd taken quite a few photos, so to save wasting any more time, I felt it was time to move and see if the kingie was coming out to play....

Another Mr Tuftie

Another Mr Teal

and Mr Gadwall

And another spot the birdie photo.....

A toughie, so I'll give you a clue, you will need to enlarge the photo and look above the tail of the waterfowl with its head well in the water....

A shy little egret, it never got any further from the bank

Mr Pochard having a rest

Mrs Tuftie

This mallard caught the light just right, though I was a second or two too late to get the best of the colours.

Now what do I spy in the tree?

A kingie, was it the one that flew across the pool earlier, the one where I said look above the tail of the waterfowl?

A shy little egret in the tree....

cropped

What do I see, a blue streak!

Mr Goosander came on the scene

with Mrs Goosander in hot pursuit!

I could imagine her little webbed feet paddling faster than ten to the dozen....

and she finally catches up with him...

Time for a quick cuppa and bite in the tearoom before going home, and right by the window, a small pool with blue tits taking it in turn to have a splash around...

Another good day out, and I guess I'll just have to wait for another hospital date, and start the isolation again.....

On a happy note, there was an offer on to join Warwickshire Wildlife Trust at 50% for the year, so I figured why not, and cancelled my BMC (British Mountaineering Council) membership (I'll not be needing that again post accident), but I've kept my RSPB membership, that will get used.

  • What a day you had Mike..albeit it cold but plenty of sunshine which made all the birds look so beautiful. Och even the birds deserve a lazy Sunday morning but had they known you were coming lol...

    I must admit I love the dunnock emerging from the reeds ;-)
  • Sunshine Mike? Lucky beggar...not seen any since my last day off.... but it is forecast again for the next day off!!
    You must have bionic eyes to have seen anything above the waterfowl...even when I knew what I was looking for I saw nowt lol. Lovely captures in the tree tho, striking colours as always.
    Trying to think of the last Goosander I saw...must have been on hols up by Fountains Abbey I think, nicely snapped :o)
    Love the Snipe too, only ever see them by mistake when I snap something else lol

    And may I just say....5.2? that's positively barmy! (Did you see what I did there? eh? Eh?? lol)
    Thanks for sharing :o)
  • Linda257 said:
    What a day you had Mike..albeit it cold but plenty of sunshine which made all the birds look so beautiful. Och even the birds deserve a lazy Sunday morning but had they known you were coming lol...



    I must admit I love the dunnock emerging from the reeds ;-)

    The wee dunnock was making quite a swish among the reeds, we (the fellow folk in the hide) were expecting a water rail or something a lot bigger to come bursting out!

  • PimperneBloke said:
    Sunshine Mike? Lucky beggar...not seen any since my last day off.... but it is forecast again for the next day off!!


    You must have bionic eyes to have seen anything above the waterfowl...even when I knew what I was looking for I saw nowt lol. Lovely captures in the tree tho, striking colours as always.
    Trying to think of the last Goosander I saw...must have been on hols up by Fountains Abbey I think, nicely snapped :o)
    Love the Snipe too, only ever see them by mistake when I snap something else lol

    And may I just say....5.2? that's positively barmy! (Did you see what I did there? eh? Eh?? lol)
    Thanks for sharing :o)

    5.2 was without any real wind as well. If the wind had got to around 10mph, that would have been a lot colder with the wind chill!

    As for the sun (it was after all, Sun-day), that was only just for the day, Monday was back to dark grey skies and  more of that wet stuff, today, just the dark skies at the moment.

    For those wondering where the kingie was in that pic, I've circled where it was in the pic below.