Wildfowl ticking

Scaup is always a very useful SFYT and not a species guaranteed for anybody in any year whereas Egyptian Goose is almost becoming so, but still we all need to get one somewhere. Both were good for me this weekend with the male Scaup at Chimney Corner becoming three of a kind after getting a male Scaup there in the previous two years (23/2/13 and 29/3/14). Elstow brought me some Egyptians, on the winter crop field next to the pit with a couple of grazing Moorhens.

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.

Mealy Redpoll and Peregrine

On my walk back to Potton after a productive visit to Roxton and Great Barford with Richard, (more below), I finally gained good views of a redpoll flock on the Old Bedford Road that have been giving me something of a runaround. I first saw this flock of up to 60 individuals in early January and on January 19th, thought I had a good contender for a Mealy, but could not 'tick all of the boxes.' I even remarked to Steve about the possibility! Today, the flock was settled and feeding/ preening/ resting in a silver birch. Overcast conditions didn't provide ideal viewing, but at least one bird (a first-winter/ female) showed all the diagnostic features of Mealy: overall paleness to underparts, crisp, white wingbars, greyish brown upperparts and head, contrasting nicely with the mantle, and when preening, a nice, obvious, whitish rump. Another bird could also have been a Mealy, but could not be 100%. c.45 Lessers were accompanying them, allowing excellent opportunity for comparison.

At Roxton, RIB and I enjoyed a fabulous flyby immature male (I think) Peregrine, which obligingly sat up on a pylon for R to obtain some video. Near Great Barford, six Egyptian Geese and 68 Mute Swans held our attention for a while.

A photograph of the Peregrine will follow...

That puts me on 99. What will be the landmark bird?

DOM

Gypo's OTL

A lovely weekend but not many 'finds' - Out with Darren Oakley-Martin on Saturday produced a lot of birds but nothing new. After a snowy night on Sunday 5th a nip out to Broom GP found four Egyptian Geese in fields north of the pits.