In the end I went to Staines Reservoir to catch up with the Great Northern Diver, a regular visitor to the reservoir, seen yesterday for the first time at Staines this year. The icy cold wind blowing from the north was particularly unpleasant, but I met up with Bob Warden and Adrian Luscombe, both of whom I hadn't seen for quite a while, and they pointed out the Diver in the distance out on the south basin. It was difficult to see looking into the sun.
The Scaup were too far away on the north basin to pick out, and there was no sign of the Black-necked Grebe either.
The Diver disappeared from view pretty much as soon as I located it and after a while Bob headed off to Homewood Park, near Chertsey, to look for a pair of Wood Duck Franco Mareovic had seen a few days before, while Adrian had to head home soon after.
I headed off up the causeway to see if I could relocate the Diver and soon enough I found it much closer to the causeway. Normally it is hard to see Divers for very long as they spend so much time underwater searching for fish. You can be scanning the water and not see a thing even you are looking in the right place.
Great Northern Diver on Staines Reservoir |
I saw my first Treecreeper of the year, 15 Siskins and Kevin Duncan, who was having a quick walk around the area.
I contemplated going over to the quarry close to the Queen Mother Reservoir to see if the Buff-bellied Pipits were still there, but that was likely to prove fruitless, and I even thought about going to Eastbourne in the vain hope of seeing the Bonaparte's Gull – a regular feature at Princes Park this past week or so – but it hadn't been seen for a couple of days.
So, in the end I went to Hyde Park to see the two juvenile Bearded Tit. At least I could guarantee seeing these lovely birds close up. I went back to Redhill via dipping the Firecrest at Banstead Golf Course for the umpteenth time and caught the train to Victoria.
At the other end the Tube was a nightmare – like an extremely busy Monday morning rush hour – as the Circle and District line was closed. Everyone had to travel via the Victoria line if they wanted to head west.
Juvenile Bearded Tit feeding on the Diana Memorial reeds on the Serpentine |
In the meantime, the Bonaparte's Gull reappeared in Eastbourne and a Buff-bellied Pipit turned up again at the Kingsmead Quarry. Maybe next week.
Sounds like a worthwhile day out. I really ought to go for the Bearded Tits - need them for London. Really, Neil - let me know next time you're headed for that golf course and I'll meet you. You must be walking down the wrong path or something :-) !
ReplyDeleteDavid.