TEMPTATION

31/12/09

i couldent resist it......

i just couldent

had to go for the crossbills again

the light was much better today so i would have a better try at getting some half decent photos of the flock, we arrived at the top car park to find 3 birders already presant and 23 crossbills in trees and larches around the area, the views were absolutly immense, add together the light and the views the birds were giving and it equels some of the best views you've ever seen, quickly i started snapping away:

i also managed a fair few videos:
(videos not uploading)

after seeing a few siskin, coal tits and goldcrests we headed down the road to the bottom car park for the reservoir(got it again kerching), we heard a flock of crossbills calling a little down the road near the water works enterance, we walked over there and dropped under 2 silver birch trees and scanned the flock, at first i only counted 19 but soon after more and more birds piled in and flying around, we conservativly estimated 60 birds, at this point i heard some chittering from the trees above us, i looked up to find a superb flock of 31 lesser redpoll including a few paler birds, the crossbills started calling so i looked away briefly, then looked back at the redpolls and they were gone, not even a call to show they were about to fly, so bad manored, the crossbill flock then flew off back towards the top car park.

we went down the path towards the reservoir and had 3 more crossbills perched on pine trees there, we had a quick look on the raised bank between the 2 lakes, and i was outstanded by the gull flock that was down, 128 LBBG's and 3 herrings and about 50 BHG's(not including fly overs), i have never seen this much activity here before, not only by the birds but by the birders too, birders outnumbred general folk by 13-4, almost as mad as seeing half decent birds at trimpley, we then dropped onto the river and saw the flock of 21 mandarin which i also gladly got a video of:

(videos not uploading)

while watching these birds 4 more crossbills flew south over the river calling

back on the lakes there was 23 tufted duck and the obliguious mallards including a few dodgy hydrids/ escapiees.

will try and post videos in another post when blogger will let me upload them

MB