Rarity

A visit to Whetsted GP....not often undertaken any more due to the work now being done....and the muddy mess they are creating....in places along the track its a quagmire.....there was no one present today so maybe they have stopped for the winter.....

Anyway....a Red Necked Grebe was reported a couple of days ago by MG and confirmed still present yesterday by PD.....so off I went...heres a couple of poor shots...

….but enough to show it was indeed the bird....I forgot to take my camera and scope....

The over all bird numbers seemed to be down....who knows why, is it the traffic going by that's putting birds off....or just not cold enough to drive them to places like Whetsted….

I did manage to clock up a few other species new for the year despite the speed of visit....

Song Thrush, Dunnock, Starling, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch, Kestrel

…..and on the water....

Shoveler 14, Tufted Duck 33, Pochard 1, Teal 4+, Common Gull 2, Coot, Mute Swan 1, Great Crested Grebe 5, Mallard 5, Gadwall 34, Cormorant 12, Coot 35+, Kingfisher 1