New Year Birding 1 1 11

1 Jan - An excellent start to 2011 with some local rarities, the weather now much milder than the exceptionally cold December of 2010. First stop Savernake, with 2 Red Kites over the A346 en route, and I quickly found a finch flock along the Grand Avenue which contained at least 3 male Bramblings (4). Then Freeman's Marsh at Hungerford, and the long-staying Glossy Ibis (1,2 JM) was oblivious of its crowd of admirers as it fed at close range, apparently well known by now to all the locals out walking their dogs. A small flock of Siskins and a Water Rail were also present and 2 Little Egrets flew over (and there was also one by the A4 at Froxfield) and there were 6 more Little Egrets at Great Shefford with the Great White Egret (3,JM) that has been present here for a while.
Home for lunch via the Swan flock at Inglesham by the River Thames, and there were 14 Bewick's Swans with the Mutes. A quick check in the Water Park confirmed that most pits were still largely frozen, but a smart adult Yellow-legged Gull was on the ice at pit 16 and at least 15 Goldeneye were swimming in the open water patch. Pit 41 produced a drake (5) and 2 redhead Smew, 3 male Shovelers and 2 drake Goosander flew in to pit 65, and another was on pit 29.
Late afternoon at Imber army ranges was fairly quiet, with no sign of the hoped-for Harrier, but a Short-eared Owl (6) flew in and perched obligingly on a bush and a Barn Owl emerged at dusk. A total of 76 species seen....