Last Monday Keith and I had a day out to Pitsford Water in
Northamptonshire. We arrived at around 6.30am, and after buying our permits ( excellent
value at £5) from the little hut by the main gate we parked up on the causeway
that divides the reservoir into two parts (wildlife reserve and sailing). By
now the sky was beginning to show the first glimmer of light and the first
thing that we noticed, apart from the cold ( -4 C / 25F ), was how low the water level
was, which doesn't bode well for the Summer.
Whilst having a warming cup of coffee and waiting for the
sun to rise we noticed stream after stream of Gulls coming in to land on the
water from where they had, presumably, roosted for the night. Over the din of
the traffic which was now getting busy along the road, we started to hear from
across the water, what we decided were
Jackdaws 'talking' to each other prior to leaving their roost and sure enough,
as the chattering got louder literally hundreds of Jackdaws left the trees and
started swirling around in the sky before slowly dispersing to wherever they
were going to spend their day - a beautiful sight!
After recording at least 17 different bird species without
moving away from the car and watching a beautiful red sunrise it was time to
set off on our seven mile trip around the reserve and within less than 300
yards we came to a small group of bushes containing a feeding station where,
amongst others, we found large flocks of
Fieldfare, Tree Sparrows and Yellowhammers. Keith also spotted a covey
of Red-legged Partridge making a hasty retreat!
With another ten or so species
recorded here it looked like a good day was in store. Unfortunately
the birds were keeping their distance making it difficult to get any
real close photo opportunities.
Fieldfare
Retreating Red-legged Partridge.
So, on with our walk, despite the sun now shinning in a
bright blue sky it was still cold with a thick white frost on the ground. Although
there are numerous hides overlooking the water we didn't see any waders mainly
due to the shallow water in the scrapes being frozen over!
For most of the way
the path tends to be some distance from the water's edge and travels through
various stands of trees, quite a few species noted here including both Green
and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Pheasant, and Bullfinch. We were also
accompanied for most of the way by what appeared to be a single Robin darting
from bush to bush just a few yards in front of us but in reality it was a 'relay' of
Robins escorting us safely through their 'patch'.
There were still a few Jackdaws hanging around.
Nearing the end of our walk the path again afforded good
views across the water where we had a good, if fleeting, view of a pair of Goosander and a male Goldeneye.
Goosanders
I also managed to capture this image of a different kind of
aviation. There is a small airfield close by Pitsford called Sywell were they
fly a lot of vintage aircraft. I checked the registration number and this is
a DeHavilland DH-82A Tiger Moth built in 1939. I don't know what the
passenger jet is but it just struck me as to how far (in some ways!!) we have
advanced over the last 70 odd years!
So after seven miles and a little over six hours of pleasant
walking we arrived back at the car for a welcome 'picnic' of rolls and coffee.
With over fifty species of birds logged along with Rabbits, Brown Hares and
Grey Squirrels it turned out to be a very enjoyable day.
A video of the walk!
21 comments:
A really good post. I admire the silhouette. Wonderful!
Beautiful shots of the Fieldfares, and the video, well done Trevor.
Thanks Adrian...[;o)
Bob,thank you...[;o)
A wonderful post to read and watch Trevor..
Take care..
Excellent account of an excellent day Trevor.
Great flight shot of the Fieldfare; and I love the old plane and new plane together.
A great video too.
Far better than my effort, that won't be seeing the light of day lol
Well I admire your stamina and you were rewarded with some lovely sightings.
HI Trevor...Well it sounded like you two where like kids in a candy store!!
It looks like a pretty nippy morning and that walkway I would not want to be walking and a windy day alot of open area!!
It is very pretty though nice to see the county side and the birds there!
Glad you two had a good day !
That silhouette is very nice ; }
Grace
Thanks Andrew...[;o)
Thanks Keith. Yeh, it was a great day out, I really enjoyed it...[;o)
Welcome back Frank. Yeh, we paced ourselves! It was an excellent day out...[;o)
Hi Grace, thank you. Yeh, kids in a candy store sounds about right! And the cold? when you're surruonded by beautiful scenery and wildlife it just becomes a part of the experience. It was a great day out...[;o)
Stunning photos! I especially like the last two!
Thank you Ruby...[;o)
Lots of great images here Trevor, especially the flight shot of the Fieldfare and I really like the Jackdaws (very artistic).
Thanks Roy. Yeh, I get a bit 'arty' sometimes!...[;o)
Hi Trevor, I keep seeing your comments on my blogland friend's posts so thought I would come and take a good look. You have a lovely blog here with beautiful photos. On this post I particularly like the first Fieldfare.
It sounds like you and Keith had a good visit. I have been wanting to go there, maybe I will manage it in the Summer.... if we have one ;-)
Great video too.
Hi ShySongbird, or can I call you Jan? Welcome and thanks for stopping by, a big thank you for your very kind comments, I'm glad you're liking what you see. Yeh, Pitsford Water (nature reserve) is a great place, you should visit soon, but beware a fine! Summer weekend it (the area) can get very busy!!...[;o)
These pictures are so impressive. I am following you immediately, I love nature. Greetings from Rome!
Hi Francesca, Welcome and thank you for joining my (happy!) band of followers.
And big thank you for your kind comments...[;o)
Slipped on over here from Holding Moments blog, sounds like a nice walk and a grand day out birding.
Dale, thanks for stopping by. Yeh, It turned out to be a most enjoyable day out...Please feel free to visit again soon...[;o)
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