Dire light ..... with a few positive illuminating encounters - Post number 1 of 5.

Grey, grey and grey overcast conditions again.

Rather than make my usual circuit of the reserve I decided to camp out in the Heronry hide ( several pairs of Grey Herons are very busy repairing nests from last year )  for a while and see what came to pass.

First up in the series a Drake Goldeneye, there are a number around at the moment, highly energetic divers they seem to spend as much time under water as they do bobbing around on the surface.

They are spending a lot of time in and around the large Wigeon flocks. 

I saw a few of them displaying, throwing their heads back and calling, but was sadly unable to get a decent image.

What a stunning bird this winter visitor to our shores is.

Goldeneye ..... the James Bond of the gravel pits

Every winter these ducks are welcome winter visitors, whilst they are essentially black and white they certainly brighten up a walk around the gravel pits on a winters day with their stunning bright yellow eyes.

After yesterdays North American exotic to a duck much more at home in the UK but equally as attractive.

The Drake Goldeneye, a regular winter visitor to the reserve is a stunning looking bird that breeds in Northern Europe, North America and across Asia.

First nesting birds in the UK were observed in Scotland in 1970, I say nesting, in fact their nests are in  holes in trees about three meters above the ground. In Scotland a programme of erecting specifically built  boxes on trees close to the water has enjoyed considerable success.

For me it is always a pleasure to see the first arrivals of the year.

Permission to stay Indefinitely .......

Permission to stay indefinitely is I believe the jargon used by the immigration authorities
when a person is granted leave to stay and work in the UK.

It certainly seems to apply to this drake Goldeneye which has been at Titchmarsh LNR throughout the year.

And what a handsome bird it is with its striking and yet at the same time rather plain plumage.