I've had quite a decent birding week all things considered. After Monday's Hawfinch, the next two days featured twitches to Earlswood for species which I could conceivably miss locally in the course of a year.
The first was a Barnacle Goose. Yes I know, far more likely to have come from the substantial feral population currently residing in the UK than from the snowy wastes of Spitzbergen. Nevertheless I had not seen one (or even heard of one) within my 10k Circle since I started this daft obsession in 2021. It didn't help its provenance that it had chosen to accompany Canada Geese in the tranquil setting of Mereside Fishing Pools next to Terry's Pool.
That was on Wednesday. Next day the Whatsapp pinged to let me know that there were three Pochard at Earlswood. Back I went, and settled for the pair which was swimming around the partially frozen Engine Pool (the other was on Windmill).
No problem with provenance this time, it's just rather sad that this once common winter visitor is now missable locally unless you're willing to twitch one.
This morning I resumed my random wandering, but fate had chosen the north end of Arrow Valley where I was quietly confident I might find another year-tick. And it didn't take long before the target, a Kingfisher flew past me along the course of the river Arrow.
It was too quick for a photo and I couldn't relocate it, so I settled for ambling along the path chatting to anyone who wanted to ask me if I'd seen anything. One lady mentioned having seen a Barn Owl flying in broad daylight around Bordesley Meadows. This will be the same bird as was seen from their garden by Tony and Leigh Kelly a week or so ago. Unfortunately there was no sign today.
Wandering back I decided on a circuit of Arrow Valley Lake where I counted 145 Black-headed Gulls, 16 Goosanders, and five occupied Grey Heron nests. This was all pretty much what you'd expect, and just before I left I saw a Little Egret which flew up into a tree.
Irresistible. The camera came out.
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