Last Friday (27-01-12)
I went on a visit to Wilstone Reservoir, part of the Tring Reservoirs in
Hertfordshire. The sun was shining in a
bright blue sky unfortunately there was a strong, bitterly cold, NW wind
blowing.
A quick scan across the water revealed all the usual
suspects, Mallard, Coot, G C Grebe and Pochard all in varying amounts,
accompanied by small groups of Teal and Wigeon and of course the ever present
Black-Headed Gulls!
Over the last few weeks there have been two long staying
'celebrities' a Dark-bellied Brent Goose and a Water Pipit. After a short walk,
to its regularly reported favourite spot, I soon caught a rather fleeting glimpse
of the Water Pipit, just enough time to grab a couple of quick record shots
before it was gone!
Pied Wagtails were constantly flitting along the shore line
accompanied by a single Grey Wagtail and, by the Reed beds in the far corner, a
flock of around thirty Linnets.
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| Grey Wagtail |
 |
| Linnet (female) |
I then spotted the
other Wilstone 'celebrity' the Dark-bellied
Brent Goose just as it took off from the water to make a series of close fly
by's before landing in its normal grazing field, soon to be joined by Canada and Greylag Geese.
Then there was a quick visit by two Red Kites who made a few
lazy circles overhead before being 'seen off' by a group of Jackdaws that had
until then been noisily minding their own business in the nearby tree tops.
There were also quite a few Redwing and Fieldfare busily
looking for food in surrounding meadows and also searching the hedgerows for
any remaining berries.
 |
| Redwing |
 | ||
| Fieldfare (he thinks I can't see him!) |
And finally I spent some time watching the Teal and Wigeon 'dabbling'
in the shallows.
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| Wigeon (male) |
The video...
