Deer, oh deer

Deer of all species are notoriously wary, usually requiring quite a bit of fieldcraft to get close to.  Thankfully, there are often the exceptions to the rule, and a female Muntjac on the Nunnery Lakes reserve is one such animal.  She is still a bit wary but instead of running the second she gets wind of you, over the last few weeks (usually at lunchtime when I don't have my camera with me) I've seen her quite a few times and possibly she now recognises me and realises I don't pose a threat can be fairly confiding, today even allowing me to approach a bit closer and kneel down to photograph her.

White Nun at the Nunnery

Got into the office this morning to be greeted to the news that Nick had found a pair of Smew down the Nunnery Lakes, but despite dashing down there straight away, there was no sign of the birds on what little unfrozen water was left.  I spent lunchtime at my desk whilst a group went down the Lakes from the office and relocated the birds on the river but as with the morning were very skittish and flighty so I decided to chance my arm again and took a late lunch.  Again there was no sign of the birds on the either Bob Clarke or E Lakes but as I walked around the bottom end of D Lake, I scanned the river ahead of me and there was the drake, though best part of 100 yards away, but no sign of the redhead.  Knowing how flighty they had been earlier and with temperature still low I didn't try to get any closer and left the bird undisturbed, hopefully they will stay around and there might be a chance of a photo another day...

De-railed

Sitting in wet long grass by a river for a couple of hours may not be most people's idea of how to spend a Saturday morning, but once the fog had lifted, I was out trying to photograph Water Rails on the BTO's Nunnery lakes reserve, having failed last week.  Thankfully, persistence paid off, but typically, the bird I was after was shy and skulking but after a while it did show well feeding on a mat of vegetation.

The rest of the reserve was mostly quiet, but as I walked back alongside E Lake, I glanced up at a few circling gulls and was more than a bit surprised to see one had all white wings - an adult Mediterranean Gull!!  The next few seconds I was all a fluster as I frantically tried to get a record shot of this extremely rare visitor to the reserve but thankfully I managed to get something reasonable.  I contacted the local Lakes birders of my find but the bird drifted off and I lost track of it and despite a thorough search, couldn't relocate it.

Beats a morning in the office!

Woke up to glorious sunshine and a sharp frost, so instead of heading in to the office, I picked up the camera and headed down the Nunnery Lakes reserve instead.  Recently, a couple of Water Rails had been showing well along the river so over the weekend I had tried baiting the best areas, and in the process getting stunning views of these normally skulking birds.  Typically, today when the light was superb and I had my camera with me I didn't even see a rail, let alone photograph one!!  Oh well, something to keep trying for...

Even without the bonus of photographing the rails, it was still a glorious morning to be out with the camera slung over the shoulder.  There were a few good birds around, the drake Goldeneye was on E lake and the female Scaup was still on D Lake along with a Shelduck and adult Herring Gull, all local scarcities, and a few of the commoner birds like Coot and Greylag Geese did show well for a few photos.

male Shelduck

Coot

Greylag coming in to land

Happy with my morning wander round, I was sat at my desk a couple of hours later when we received news that a Short-eared Owl had been found down the Lakes.  Chairs were left spinning as me, Nick and Dawn rushed down to join John who had seen the bird.  After a short search, the owl flew up and showed well being mobbed before drifting off, a most unexpected but very welcome bonus and a Lakes tick for all present.

Nazgul!

It appears that this year we are going straight from autumn into Spring, not bothering with winter...well that's what the local birds seem to think.  Robins and Blackbirds are already practising their dawn chorus songs and down the Nunnery Lakes this lunchtime, Dunnocks, Wrens, Goldcrests were also in full voice and displaying to one another.  With the gales finally dropping and unseasonally mild and sunny weather today, the lakes were quite busy with 5 smart drake Goosanders, a remarkable (or if you are a fisherman, worrying) flock of 28 Cormorants that came up off D Lake, which then proceeded to circle overhead like something out of Lord of the Rings and much more unusual down the lakes, an adult Greater Black-backed Gull.

Lakes listing continues

With the BTO Vs RSPB Teal Cup now finished, birding around the Nunnery Lakes reserve this year should be a little more relaxed without the competitive pressure.  My first visit for a couple of weeks this morning really didn't set the pulse racing, though the drake Goldeneye and a couple of Goosander remained on the lakes from last year and a cracking Water Rail and a Little Grebe showed well on the river.

Lakes listing

Having only been down the Nunnery Lakes reserve a handful of times before this year, despite it being a short walk from where I have worked for the past 8 years, the BTO Vs RSPB TEAL Cup has changed all that and rather belatedly I am now an avid Lakes Lister.

Starting 8 years too late means there are still some glaring omissions to my list, but a text from Lakes resident (almost literally!) Nick Moran had me hotfooting it down to the meadow to successfully twitch 2 Yellow Wagtails this evening, though I only saw them in flight - but they all count.