The Longham Patch 18th February

Went back to the lakes this afternoon for the Bullfinch did not see any, but what a wonderful afternoon to spend walking round the lakes in search of birds. With the sun shinning and bird singing away what more could you want, how about a nice surprise while you are looking through the scope. This is exactly what happened at the end of the walk I was scanning the fields from the west bank look towards the river when one of the Great White Egrets flew up from the river and head up river. Then something caught my eye moving in the undergrowth,  can it be, no it is, I could hardly believe my eyes as the creature emerged from the undergrowth with a lovely sleek brown coat and ambled a long the bank. It was an Otter no less but in my excitement and just overwhelmed to be watching it through my scope I forgot about grabbing a record shot.It was not my first sighting of an Otter as I have seen them many times before on the River Stour from the late 1990’s and through the early 2000 but this was the first one I have seen from the Longham Patch.

  There were 15 Shoveler),30 Teal, 2 Great White Egrets, one down on the river and another in the field of the west bank of North island, C46 Pochard, 91 Tufted Ducks, 3 Buzzard over, a new bird for the Patch Work Challenge with a Cetti’s Warbler which brings the species list for the patch to 68 birds seen. Two Great Crested Grebes perform there courtship weed dance yesterday and today's are the first time I have seen this happen and today was very nice to watch though they did not get up on the feet and run. Just a lot of head swaying back and fourth preening motion and the pair diving coming with big chunks of weed and facing up to each other then swimming over parallel with each other fast. So an absolute wonderful afternoon was had. 

 

Stonechat