Ring-Necked Duck

I finished last week on 66 species, far surpassing my expectations. At the end of the last post, I wondered what other surprises were in store for the patch this year, but I didn't expect the first one to come so soon.

After a walk with my family on the 9th we drove over the Staunton Harold Reservoir road bridge on our way home. From the fleeting view I got from the moving car, I thought I saw the Ring-Necked Duck with the Tufties. The bird had been present from late December through to the 2nd of January, at which point it had moved to nearby Foremark and not been seen again.

Obviously, from this fleeting view I didn't really trust my instinct and assumed it must have been a Tufted Duck seen at speed. I presumed the bird must be long gone, with no sightings at Staunton Harold for at least a week. I had been back a few times in the days in between and had no sign, and many others had done the same.

The following day, I walked back to the area, which has been so productive for me so far this year, hoping that my hunch was correct. Sure enough, as I walked up to the bridge the Ring-Necked Duck flew out from under the bridge and landed not too far away. I couldn't believe it! Whether I had indeed seen the bird the day before or this was just a coincidence I will never know, but either way this was a fantastic patch tick. It is one that I thought had got away after it disappeared in early January, before I had had the chance to walk there in 2021. The surprise of re-finding it made the tick even better.


Nothing much new was seen on the walk home, though nothing was likely to surpass the Ring-Necked Duck anyway! But it was a really nice walk all the same. A flock of Lesser Redpoll, lots of Goldcrests and what looked to be an active Badger sett were the highlights of the walk. I also added Teal, which was possibly overdue.

Goldcrests are never the easiest subjects!

Two days ago, to get some fresh air after my first uni exam of the year, I walked to Hicks Lodge via Willesley. 48 species were seen on the walk, the best being Marsh Tit at Oakthrope Colliery. I love seeing these birds, which seem a lot harder to find here this year, as they don't seem to be coming to the feeders as often as they used to.

A Kingfisher, 6 Goosanders and a calling Water Rail at Hicks Lodge, and a Pochard on Goose Pool at Hicks Lodge made up the other highlights of a very cold walk. At the end of today, this puts me on 74 for the year so far! 


Goosanders at dusk at Hicks Lodge

I'm absolutely shocked by my total already, with some easy ones like Sparrowhawk, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting and Red-legged Partridge still to get. I'm sure I could realistically make it to 80 by the end of January - not bad for walking around a small patch of inland Leicestershire. I've had worse Januarys when I could travel wherever I wanted to!


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