AWAY DAY - Part I

 Althought year still remains 'young' we felt in need of an Away Day but with Longham Lakes still in lockdown the obvious next choice was

just across the Hampshire border and maybe, if time allowed, a wander across part of the New Forest. Not an unexpected start with Waterfowl predominent we kicked off with

a number of male

but unusualy only a single female

GOLDENEYE
in company with no more than a dozen

GOOSANDER

an even mix of 'red-headed' females

and quite the opposite

males.
The luckiest break of the visit had to be the very distant

RING-BILLED GULL
(from the America's) which has been resident for a while now but having usually left the roost by that time

for the feeding grounds presumed further inland and likely at a Pig Farm??
(images from the archive)

With little else to detain us we ventured across the road to find both

SISKIN

and

LESSER REDPOLL
at the feeder as usual but a couple of

BRAMBLING

flitting from perch to feeders

before moving on to the

(Siskins and Redpoll)
Woodland Hide
from where the (presumed) returning

BITTERN

was seen directly underfoot.

Under another set of circumstances the Ring-billed Gull, a visitor from the America's, may have taken pride of place as Bird of the Day, but for its secretive nature the Heron took the trophy!
ONWARD and UPWARD
Part II Tomorrow.