Friday 20 January 2017

Elusive Laplands!

What with having the builders at home and a doctors appointment, the latter becoming more frequent with the passing years, I didn't get out and about until midday. I went straight to Scotney, as I arrived AP was leaving having just seen 2 Lapland Buntings in the fields behind the lakes. I wandered out to the back having an interesting chat on my way with the farmer about the number of pairs of Barn Owls at Scotney, reaching the raised bank I scanned the distant Greylag Geese, finding 2 Tundra Bean Geese among them 5 Brent Geese and a separate party of 14 Egyptian Geese. Carrying on along the bank 4 Goldfinches, 2 Corn Buntings, 6 Reed Buntings and 3 Skylarks came out of the rough ground around the dung heap, reaching the far end of the rough I heard  a Lapland Bunting but was unable to see it because of the low sun, a few minutes later I heard the call again and 2 birds came out of the sun and dropped into the crop field c50 mts from the path. I spent a few minutes scoping the area but could not locate them until they took off and flew back over me into the sun dropping into the ploughed field by the lake, once again I scoped the area but was unable to find them on the ground. 
 4 Pinkfeet, 2 Tundra Bean and a Greylag Goose taken yesterday
Drake and duck Smew on the New Excavations this afternoon
Visiting the reserve this afternoon the Ring-necked Duck was still on Cook's pool and the first drake Smew of the year was  on the New Excavations. While scrutinising the 100s of Gulls that came into bathe, I came across a drake and 2 duck Goosander but no interesting Gulls.
The 2 Iceland Gulls were still at The Patch today per DW.

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