January 1st 2012

Out mega early with Dave but failed to start the year with decent views of any owls due to very poor light so moved on to the pond where some of Warwickshire’s finest were gathering for our annual catch up stroll before breakfast.


Male and female Pintail and Shoveler were soon found along with the Red-breasted Merganser female but not much else so after breakfast we searched Long Lawford, Lawford Heath and the Avon valley but found very little apart from 100+ Chaffinch, 15 Yellowhammer, 3 Buzzard, 40+ Wigeon and 24 Mute Swan and were about to give up and go home when JJ rang regarding adult Iceland Gull at the pond.
We raced back over and were soon reminded why we don’t go to the pond at this time of day at this time of the year as it was heaving with Joe Public trying to get rid of their hangovers and mince pies. Just as we started searching some donkey in a power boat was flushing all the gulls and duck but Dave finally found what we thought could be the bird in biggen bay but it was miles away and spent most of its time head on. While we were there a Little Egret flew over the reservoir and draycote bank, 4 Dunlin in rainbow and at least 54 Goosander counted flying around because of the disturbance.

Richard