Golden Grimley

Saturday was a planned trip to Grimley .Having popped there last week to see the fantastic array of birds, I felt they deserved a second look, given the snowy wet viewing the previous week. The first 45 minutes were a bit frustrating, as from my position I was unable to get on any of the goodies I knew had been seen on site earlier. However eventually the Sanderling showed, which was the one species I missed the previous week, it's winter plumage looking very fresh and white in the sunshine.The Grey Plover then appeared too, but in order to see the Smew again it was necessary to relocate to the south end. This was worth the effort, as with the sun behind and the conditions benign, the views were excellent of the female. The 2 drake Goldeneye were also very Smart.
Well satisfied that I had had good views of the birds I drove back towards Top Barn for an equally satisfying  hot sausage roll.

Just prior to reaching the hot sausage oasis, I noticed the field by the lay-by was chuffing with Lapwings so pulled in. Lifting my bins I scanned the field, I was hoping that maybe there were some Golden Plover in among them. There were , c20 ! Result ! This was especially pleasing, as I had never had really satisfying views of this species, and once viewed in the scope I set up, I was able to spend a while enjoying these lovely birds at my leisure. With business elsewhere that was it for the day, but I was glad I returned to see these species, and picking up the Golden Plover was ultimately a real bonus too.

Golden Plovers, Grimley

It was really windy Sunday, and I was just about to embark on my Garden Birdwatch Survey, when I had news of yet another great sighting at Grimley,this time a pair of Whooper Swans ! I was virtually ready to pop out for a while anyway, and I didn't take long to decide I fancied a quick twitch back to Grimley. 30 minutes later I was enjoying the spectacle of the 2 Whooper Swans.

Whooper Swans, Grimley

 The wind was very strong, nearly blowing over my gear at one point, and I decided to move on and do a bit of patch walking, more for the exercise than for expecting to see much there.  I did pick up a patch year tick, a pair of Mute Swans on the local fishing pool. This brought the local patch year total to 55, all on foot. I had set a target of 59 for January,so a score of 93% seems reasonable. Herring Gull, Grey Heron, Goosander and Sparrowhawk were my patch 'no shows'.