Thursday 8 December 2011

Sandy, Sorry it's taken so long...

It's been a while since I jotted down what I've been up to, but I've been a bit busy. Not busy birding as I would like to be, but working (Boo).

Sandy at Sandy... Strangely by the Bird feeders
So let me take you back in time (wobbly hands wobbly hands) to Saturday 19th November and my annual trip to RSPB HQ The Lodge, Sandy in Beds. There were reports of an Osprey that was still hanging around. Possibly confused with the unseasonably warm weather we experienced in November, or possibly not strong enough to make the flight to Africa, either way it was there. So I packed up the car with all the important stuff, Bins, Camera, Lenses, Extra Batteries, Extra Memory Cards, Sandwiches, flask of tea, Oh and I took the Wife too.

Last year I took her to Sandy, and it so happened that the weekend we chose fell on the weekend of the Xmas Fayre, so we thought we'd try and return the same weekend. For her it was for Xmas rubbish, for me it was so I could draw a comparison by returning to the same site 12 months apart and see how different the conditions are, and the resulting bird population. In 2010 Sandy had reported Redwing, Fieldfare, Redpolls of varying types and a few sightings of Waxwing, 2011 heralded pretty much none of the above, just a confused Osprey still thinking it's summertime!

Grey Waggie, with bling or possibly an ASBO tag
Bird wise it was quiet, almost a limbo. Migration was happening, but not here. There were none of the usual Autumn / Winter types about, and the highlights for me were a Green Sandpiper at the hide, and a Grey Wagtail that was very happy to perform in front of me for a good 10 minutes. My Wife, not known for being much of a birder was impressed with a pair of Raven that seem to have moved in there. Every time she saw a Crow I heard "Is that a Raven?", when she saw the Raven she said "Bloody hell, it's massive!!" Not something I've heard her say before. So all in all a strange day, not a great one for birding, but a pleasant day to walk about and enjoy the sunshine... In November?!?

PS - No sight of the bloody Osprey either!!