Frozen at Barnes

Elizabeth sent me an email yesterday about Travelscopes. I was chatting to her on yahoo last night and she said they had been looking at them at Barnes. I said it was a pity because if they had been going today I'd have tagged along. So as Malcolm had decided fancied an Opticron MM2 we agreed to meet up.

It was grey and it was cold only the main lake had any free water on it, all the side ponds on the wild parts of the reserve were frozen.

Birds look pretty fed up! Still we saw quite a few birds, Robin, Dunnock, Blue & Great Tits, Green woodpecker, Jay, Magpie, Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, Siskin, Goldfinch, Wood and Feral Pigeon, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Tufty Duck, Cormorant, Pochard, Shoveler, Shelduck, Candada and Eygptian Goose, Grey Heron, Wren, Blackbird, Parakeeet, Lesser and Great Black Backed Gull, BH Gull, Common Gull, Mute Swan, LOADS of Snipe, Lapwing, Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebe. Which I make 39, there was a brief view of what I though was a Pipit but I only saw it out of the corner of my eye. We missed a female Smew by minutes someone was "kind" enough to show me a photo.

Malcolm got an Opticron MM2 and sensibly got the excellent HDF 12-36 zoom and light hide clamp, excellent choice for someone with a camera.

We all went home afer lunch.

Some pics

Green Woody


Pochard and Little Grebe






Grey Heron and a Green Woody.






Great Crested Grebe




Canada Goose


Oh and a Crane a new addition to the collection.