This month was generally quiet on my local patches with nothing of real note. Dave Doherty had 17 White-fronts fly through over the lakes at Blenheim one morning during the month, something I had been hoping for myself this winter. A report of a Bean Goose late in the month I suspect was erroneous given the lack of any details. I had a look around the lakes not long after it was reported and could only find a hybrid Greylag x Canada which had a very superficial look of a Bean Goose about it.
My most enjoyable visit to Blenheim this month came following about half an hour watching two pairs of Goosanders at close quarters. They tend to be quite shy normally but the males were quite vocal and engaged in courtship display and this seemed to distract them from my presence. One of the males seemed dominant and wasn't too happy having the second pair nearby and frequently chased them around. Although the light was poor, the high ISO capabilities of modern cameras combined with powerful editing tools allowed me to get some nice images.
The pair of Oystercatchers that bred last year on the Queen Pool island have arrived back and appear set to try and repeat the feat. They have already been examining the exact spot they used for their nest last year. The only other birds of note at Blenheim this month was another sighting of the second winter Caspian gull and an adult Yellow-legged gull feeding in the sheep fields in the north of the estate. The Crossbills are still about as are a small number of Siskins. Having seen them a lot this winter I am now less inclined to search for them, however it will be interesting to see how long they remain into the spring. A few singing birds suggests they may well breed. A pair of Stonechats were present in one of the more "wild" areas of the park mid-month.
I was glad there were some other local birds of interest this month to keep the motivation up and fortunately for me have all been within 20 minutes of home. Like most people I got some very distant views of the pair of Smew near Stanton Harcourt at the start of the month. I went twice and tried both ends of the lake and had equally poor views on both occasions, but better than nothing and great to see locally.
Next to appear were the small group of Knot in the flooded field adjacent to the Northern Cross Valley Way pits. I've not seen many in the county so it was nice to enjoy them for an hour or on the Sunday morning after their identification was confirmed. They were frequently spooked and flew around the small pool of water but clearly settled enough to remain for a few days.
At the end of my January blog I lamented the dip of the Long-tailed Duck at Standlake, but thanks to someone unknown who found it again at Rushy Common, I didn't have to wait long to add it to my county list. I was fortunate to be able to go for it immediately on the cold and wet afternoon when it was found. Just seeing it was enough to be satisfying on this occasion as it's always nice to add another scarce county bird to the list. The weather was awful but thankfully the hide offered sheltered views of the duck on the far side of the lake. Even with the hide, it was still bloody cold and I was glad to get back in a warm car. I managed some very distant photos of it with the ISO through the roof. I was actually quite pleased with the image below given how unfavourable conditions were for snaps.
It was great that it eventually settled down and became more reliable as the month progressed. I had been keen to try and see it again in better light, and after a few reports of it showing well from the car park and screen on a sunny afternoon, I had another crack. Luck was certainly on my side and I watched it gradually drift from one side of the lake to the other, passing in front of the screen as it went. It was as good as I could have hoped for.
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