Twitched the 1st winter Oriental Turtle Dove at Chipping Norton this morning (I know, I'm weak!). With my back improving I wanted some easy birding, and what could be easier than watching a ninth for Britain from a warm kitchen? With the crowds now subsided I was able to spend 45 mins watching the bird feeding and preening just metres away in the garden of no. 41 The Leys (many thanks to the Akers family). I knew very little about this species before today so it was an education studying the salient ID features. Great bird! Also amongst the common species on the feeders were 4+ Brambling (including a very bright male), 4+ Bullfinch and a Reed Bunting.
The journey back along the M40 was livened up by 36 Red Kite, 2 Common Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk, but then things got even better when a detour for petrol at Sunbury led me to at least 150 Bohemian Waxwings feeding on berries on the A308/A316 roundabout at Sunbury Cross (present at 11 am).
Back home watching the feeders in my own back garden, I was thinking birding for the day was over when at 13:20 a Red Kite flapped lazily low over heading north! Not a bad day so far!
Sounds like a cracking day me ol' mucker. Pretty gripped by the RK on the garden list, that species is overdue down here. Any sign of my boots in the garden, or any dirty twitcher with a Scottish accent wearing them?
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the back, join the club. I have not been for the OTD yet, cant get inspired for some reason!
ReplyDeleteNo sign of your boots Jaffa! Actually, I was going to look for a nice pair for myself while I was there, but I didn't like any of them and so had to drive home in my crappy trainers.
ReplyDeleteI hope your neck is getting better Martin. I wasn't going to bother with the OTD either but it's a little more reliable than the SBG.