A day to oneself during the Christmas "holidays" is a rarity indeed. Better to leave the house early in case you get roped into yet more family nonsense. With recent storms bringing sea birds to reservoirs up and down the country, I couldn't possibly ignore the Black-throated Diver at Audenshaw Reservoir, Manchester. My mate Eddie joined me on this one.
Black-throated Diver, 28/12/13, Audenshaw Reservoir one, Manchester (Digiscoped).
Not the best shot in the world I know, but I could only just see this bird through my scope.
Job done at 13.00, was it worth zooming down the M56 to see if the Buff-bellied Pipit would finally play ball...?
Job done at 13.00, was it worth zooming down the M56 to see if the Buff-bellied Pipit would finally play ball...?
Siberian Chiffchaff, 28/12/13, Burton Marsh, Cheshire.
We arrived at Burton Marsh an hour later, parked the car and immediately found the Siberian Chiffchaff, almost certainly the same individual from a few days previous. As I took a few more shots of the obliging bird, I could see a group of birders focusing on something else...
Buff-bellied Pipit, 28/12/13, Burton Marsh, Cheshire.
Bingo! In less than 5 minutes we had perfect views of two completely different rarities, right next to the car too. You take the rough with the smooth in this game, but today was one of the smoothest days ever. Real ale and chips at Parkgate promenade rounded it all off.
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