On Sunday I did my first session with the 'Urban Rangers' group at Morden Hall Park in the morning, where we sorted out the tools they had and learnt how to maintain them as part of future conservation work - similar to what I did in Dorset in October. It was a good first session, with the next one in just under a month's time due to half term. Afterwards, I had a quick spin around the patch and a single Water Rail in the border between areas [8/9,] 2 Grey Wagtail, 1 Little Egret, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Kestrel, Cetti's Warbler in area [9,] 7 Fieldfare and 3 Nuthatch the highlights. I've got a camera back, though not the one I've been using since 2015 (Canon SX60 HS,) but an old Pentax DSLR model the Pentax kx. I'm hoping to get a new lens for it, as I would like to take some better pictures. If anyone has recommendations please let me know.
Throughout Britain, the last few weeks has been pretty good for birds.
Just as Steve Gale predicted a month or two ago, the Hawfinch invasion has picked up in strength and more birds seem to be arriving, with charms of them now arriving in much larger numbers - in Surrey groups of 70 and 40 have been counted in places like Juniper Top/Bottom and Guildford. Unbelievably he also had 200, an incredible number to see in one go. Though I've seen individuals and pairs this autumn I'm yet to see a big group, and am keen to find one - maybe even on the patch.
Rare birds have picked up too. That Stilt Sandpiper in Dorset is still moving along the coast, no longer at Arne or Poole Harbour. The American Horned Lark (or Shorelark subspecies?) has returned to Staines Reservoirs after an absence of nearly 2 months - this brings into question which reservoir or reserve has it been at over Christmas? Which birder has missed the bird at their own patch? Or was it just hiding on the furthest parts of Staines, which the birders there couldn't see? Who knows...
These two birds are both ones I'd like to see, as well as 2 other species that have been seen in the vice-county. That is the Parrot Crossbills at Wishmore Bottom, though I've never even seen Common Crossbills perched, and the Little Bunting at Walthamstowe Marshes. Both are quite far and considering I don't really have spare time to go on twitches for obvious reasons, so I'll have to settle for local birds. For now.
Next weekend I'm heading to Brownsea Island with the Urban Rangers, and that should be good fun and should definitely produce some good birds - I'm pretty sure I can find myself either a good wader if not a Black-necked Grebe, diver sp, Merganser or a nice gull! Having never seen a diver or rarer grebe, that be my target!
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