Last orders?

No podium position for me again but a nice quality addition to my SFYL with a Smew found while visiting Cuckoo Bridge Lake for WeBS.  Worth pointing out virtually no one else goes birding here and WeBS is the excuse I need to visit.  Over the years I've had Great Northern Diver, Pintail twice, Scaup three times and Great White Egret.  Not bad for a quiet site.

Slow times

With just some Yellow-legged Gulls to add over the summer, my next SFYT was this morning.  Catching up with a first winter period miss - 2 Pintails at Radwell during my WeBS count.

Whimbrel at Radders

Radwell red rare

Blimey, what a big rare - first for years in the county.  The last time we saw one of these, GW Egret hadn't been recorded in Bedfordshire and now we've had about 15 of the trashy birds.

Anyroad, here is my best obscure shot and a follow up PF Goose which I'm having.  Its not the Harold injured one as I saw that half an hour before.

Shock at non-Broom record of Greenshank

Adding another tick thanks to Radwell Lakes WeBS count.

Splosh...

LTD at Radders

Get in!  I'll need a few more of this quality to catch up mind you...

True Pink at Harrold

This is the way to do it. New bird, new site, that certain look in its eye. And not the injured bird nearby. Pink-foot on my SFYL  '14.

Goose goose

Two of three Egyptian Geese at Radwell today.  Five hours in the field today gives me a SFYL worth posting, so I must find that spreadsheet.

Pink

A Great Black back last weekend and a Pink-footed Goose at Radwell today adds a couple more.  Not sure if I can make it to 150 for the year but reckon that's a suitable target now.

Well thank you July...

My first SFYT since May I reckon. 

Still in the running for Wildfowl Cup

Catching up with my WeBS counts after a weekend away and bagged a half decent Selfer with a Brent at Roxy. There have been a few around/over in the last few days.

Nailed some Pins.

A slightly late WeBS count from Wyboston because I can't raise them on the phone to get access.  I resorted to viewing from across the river from Little Barford - not the best view but reckon I can see about 70% of the water and probably 90% of the birds.  Well, it came up trumps with some wonderful Pintail and a calling Little Owl.  Add these to the Oystercatcher and I'm past 90 species - still lagging behind a bit though.

As for photography - despite owning a nice big Blain-style scope now, I'm still pushing out my usual standard of 'record' shot.  And excuses - long distance and 4pm tonight...

 The View

 The Pinners

Roxy Oyc

Whoop whoop!

A good day out in the field from 07.30 to 15.30. All my six WeBS sites covered and several satellite sites, all for the Great Duck Hunt. I'd finished Harrold-Odell CP and done Tustings when I looked over the flood meadows to see if there were any geese there. Thankfully there were so I stopped and raised my bins and got on nine flying swans. As they came closer I could see the were yellow bills. Hard to determine species but they had the good manners to fly over the lake and land. So I zoomed back to the park and there they were. So far, my only quality SFYT of 2013 and a species I didn't get in 2012.

I've had a few etc.

Back of the net...