Tuesday 29th January (Lots of Water and Water Birds)

On this mild day Mr. Kite and His Lady put some flowers on a grave and listened to robins singing and a common buzzards calling as it circled overhead. Soon another buzzard appeared from the trees on the side of the hill and they both circled on powerful wings gaining height before dropping back into the wooded hillside.

In a small tree on the edge of the graveyard another a little bird came and perched next to a blue tit for a short while before moving on. Slightly more stocky than the blue tit it looked like a willow tit with it's black head. Mr. Kite listened carefully waiting to hear a short call or song so that he could compare it with a marsh tit but the bird did not oblige.

So on the return trip Mr. Kite and His Lady stopped at V.P. to scan the water with The Superscope. The water had attracted hundreds of birds that included teal, mallard, shoveler, wigeon, tufted duck, one female pintail and two goldeneye along with canada  and greylag geese.

The most entertaining birds were the wisp of snipe that were on an island. In the hint of sunlight their stripey heads and camouflaged bodies contrasted a golden yellow with a mottled brown. But today a number of these birds were not using their long bills to dip into the mud but to duel with a competitor. Keeping their distance they lunged forward aiming on the neck to give a good peck before moving the head back and gaining a more stable posture to fend off the opponent or take another lunge.

All very entertaining and a good selection of birds to watch.