Big mouths!

Doesn't that tickle?

Think back to your first experience of birds and I bet that it was when you fed the ducks at the local pond as a nipper. I can almost guarantee that amongst those ducks was the Mallard, a duck that if it were more scarce would have birders salivating at the sight of it, especially the male.

Another go at the Great Northern Diver

I am getting a bit obsessed by this bird, now into its' second week at the small fishing pits in the village of Maxey in Cambridgeshire. The bird shows no signs of moving on (famous last words) and has been seen catching plenty of fish, seemingly happy in its' current residence. I live in hope for an absolutely 'stonking' photo, but until then, I leave you with the above shot and the one below.

Great Northern Diver at Maxey

Things have been a bit hectic in the Saunders household over the past month. My wife went into hospital a couple of weeks before Christmas for a hip operation and so consequently she has been my main priority (she always is, but you know what I mean!) and birds etc were put on the back burner. I have been helping her with her job by walking dogs, house-sitting and doing my own job at the same time, so obviously haven't had much time for anything else. That was until the New Year.

A Glossy Ibis was reported on New Year's Eve at Deeping Lakes, but I couldn't add it to my 2013 list as I was erstwhile engaged. The bird, however was still present on the 1st, so was a good way to start 2014. Saturday 4th January arrived, wet and horrible, but with it a phone call from Mike Weedon to say that he had found a Great Northern Diver at the same Deeping Lakes, a Peterborough Bird Club lifer for me and the first in the area for 10 years. A quick dash to the area without binoculars or scope and I was getting my first glimpse of this bird through another birders optics, number 211 for the PBC area. A little later and I was walking a couple of dogs and I received another phone call from Mike to say that another Great Northern Diver had been seen at Maxey fishing pits, but I had to wait to see this bird. The following day, I managed to see it, this time with my own optics and managed to get the above shot. This bird is still present, enabling a lot of local birders to 'enjoy' a local rarity and I have even got my digiscoping gear out again for when the bird is a bit too distant for my 300mm lens, which has lead to getting the shot below.

Everything is settling down a bit now, the patient is making a good recovery and my 2014 local list is off to a flyer, three local rarities (the Ibis, Diver and the Great Grey Shrike is still at Holme) kicking off another attempt at breaking that elusive 180 mark.

Water Rail

A bird that is usually hidden away in a reedbed or among dense sedge and is heard by its' 'squealing' pig call. Sometimes, though the Water Rail comes into the open during its' search for food.

Parrot Crossbills at Holt, Norfolk

A flock of Parrot Crossbills have been frequenting Holt Country Park in North Norfolk for the past few weeks and I have been toying with the idea of going to see them, but with one thing and another, I just just never got around to it! That changed at the weekend with myself and my friend Chris Orders making the journey on Sunday.

On arrival at the car park there were a few cars, but no Parrot Crossbills. We went for a walk through the woodland to see if we could find the birds, but nothing. On returning to the now much fuller car park there was still no sign, but it was still early, so no time to start worrying. A car then pulled in and we recognised the driver from earlier, he had found the birds a little way off and had come back to tell everyone, very decent of him! We all piled into our cars and raced off to the new site, where the birds were found high in some pine trees where there were seen feeding and even gently feeding each other, very nice. They came a bit lower, hence the picture above and even drank from a puddle by the road and then they flew some distance. The views we had were exceptional and we left having added another 'tick' in our books.

The Parrot Crossbill comes from North and Eastern Europe and is a lot more scarce then the Common Crossbill, but pretty similar in appearance. The Parrot is slightly bigger, with a bigger head, bill and a thicker neck. The large, thick bill is roughly as deep as it is long, giving a more 'blunt' look to the tip. The call is a lot deeper and 'harder' than the Common Crossbill.