Monday 3 January 2011

Grey start brightens up the day!

It's early days and I'm still content to bird locally (I don't think it will last) and today - Waxwings were the target! They have become a little elusive of late though with the retail park berries largely exhaused. News of three in Roden the previous day at least got me in the right area for a decent encounter - but not of the Waxwing kind!!

Will, Rob and Mike had checked out Roden without success and then during a trawl of the local lanes, Eagle-eyed Will had found 8 Grey Partridge! I was there in minutes (Here's 7 of them in one field of view!).....






Slowly but surely, they worked their way closer to the roadside hedge which gave plenty of cover....






After half an hour of watching them do... well, absolutely nothing... I checked out Roden again and all I found was Andy! A return to the Grey Partridge proved to be a good decision as they had moved nearer to the road! I had no choice but to single out smaller groups!






Eventually, single birds were looming large in the viewfinder - shame about the clound and as ever 'into the light'. Shame about more year ticks too, no way was going to leave this little party....










The sun shone briefly and a quick change of angle lit the birds up nicely....








By 2.30 I had so far resisted the lure of 18 Waxwings reported at midday in Shrewsbury..... I couldn't leave it much longer but had I left it too late?