31 December 2010 A day off from WWT Slimbridge but I still have plenty to do on the laptop…….I hope you are catching up with any birds missed for a 2010 year list, if not get ready for 2011.
27-30 December 2010
A good week at WWT Slimbridge wth new arrivals and when the fog allowed views of the geese which revealed a few goodies such as two Greater Scaup, a second Pink-footed Goose, a Tundra Bean Goose and larger numbers of birds generally.
The less advanced moulting first winter male Greater Scaup.
26 December 2010 No sign of the Waxwings but at least one winter thrush remains.
Fieldfare
25 December 2010 HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.
Christmas Day afternoon brought a trio of Waxwings to my home….
Brambling among the Chaffinches..
4-24 December 2010 A period of very cold weather and snow has much limited the birding. I have spent nearly all of my spare time ‘up to my eyes in it’ working on a book. The Reserve Christmas party on 22nd being a distraction from this, I was not really able to focus on anything the day after either. WWT Slimbridge is still producing the best local birding spectacle with increases in Bewick’s Swans and E White-fronted Geese especially. The best birding for me at work has been the the two Bitterns I saw flying around, one chasing the other. The finch flocks have been great as well, so nice to have so many on our ‘crop’.
The bird of the month has to be Waxwing, I bumped into a flock of 34 at the Eastington services roundabout (near M5 Junction 13) with JJS on one day as they dropped in to grab some crab apples. Even better were the 33 that I saw at the Whitminster Village Hall.
Every journey I take sees me on Waxwing duty, scanning the treetops and berry bushes.
Having some time at home has also bee good to actually see what birds are using the feeders. I had a flock of 50+ Redwing on my apple trees, sliced apples speared onto a few shrubs. I have never seen them swarm like this as they are usually shy around my garden. A couple of Fieldfare, a Song Thrush, 5 Blackbirds, 2+ Blackcaps, female Brambling, 30 Chaffinch and a Reed Bunting have all joined the commoner species. Greenfinch is still notable by absence and not many Great Tits.
I popped out the other day to check out a report for someone and they were right, a pair of Goosander were on the canal at Frampton on Severn.
3 December 2010 I was returning from the bank at 1100 ish when I saw a dumpy, starling sized, crested bird in the county recorders garden in Whitminster, I thought it to be a Waxwing. A Crane was at WWT Slimbridge this afternoon (N Warren).
2 December 2010 A Spoonbill was around WWT Slimbridge this afternoon. 142 Bewick’s Swans recorded today.
Isles of Scilly, Champagne Lakes and North Norfolk trip reports now online.
Anserbirding 
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