About six weeks ago Lyn and I were invited to a beautifully kept garden in Studley overlooking the river Arrow and Studley Castle beyond. We were the guests of Mike and Linda Moffatt, and it was a lovely afternoon. I felt moved to reciprocate. Except that sitting in our tiny garden surrounded by 1970's estate properties would hardly cut it, so I offered a stroll around Morton Bagot instead.
This afternoon, being the time agreed, Mike, Linda and I set off on a nature ramble. I felt like a tour guide, and was anxious that they should enjoy themselves but worried we might see next to nothing.
It was cloudy, but still. In many ways ideal. I usually don't carry my telescope with me, but bringing it this time proved a masterstroke. I was pretty confident we would see Lesser Redpolls and indeed we did, but the views were uninspiring. Things really started looking up when we spotted a Peregrine on a pylon, definitely a bird for the scope.
What I wanted was a smart little bird which Mike and Linda might not have seen well before, to sit in a hedge for long enough to allow a proper eyeful through the scope. A Meadow Pipit duly obliged.
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| Meadow Pipit. A shame about the light but you can't have everything. |
I enjoyed the comments such as "it looks like a Thrush". It does indeed, although as a seasoned birder you can forget stuff like that.
The rest of the afternoon went just as well. A Little Egret showed beautifully in flight, a Mistle Thrush perched up distantly (but fine in the scope), and the nearest flash contained more Teal than I've seen since last winter. I counted 118 on a combination of the two flashes.
There were a few birds for me; calling Yellowhammer and Siskin, and a flock of about 25 winter thrushes heading west which I believe were Fieldfares (although they didn't call). We flushed a Snipe, and scoped a Stonechat (unringed).
Throw in a few Roe Deer and Muntjacs, and I think it's safe to say the afternoon was a success.
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