Foulridge and Slipper Hill Resevoirs

Took a walk out today (17/2/18) to get some fresh air and see what was about on my local patch.  It all seemed very quiet to begin with but as the walk progressed things began to look up.  There were quite a few Blackbirds, Great and Blue Tits, Magpies and Wrens.  On all of the lakes were small flocks of Mallard Ducks.  On lakesides and on the water there were some really interesting sightings about.

Perched on a fence post was this Song Thrush which sang loudly for a bit before popping down to the field for some juicy worms.

 

 On a tree at the side of the Upper Reservoir was a small flock of Redwings.  As it was getting late in the afternoon I think these guys may have been preparing to roost there for the night.

 

 As I walked along the footpath by a small stream I heard a familiar sound but at first could not see where he was but soon located him beside the narrowest spot of the stream.  I watched him for quite a while as he focussed on the water but eventually he decided to move on.  An encounter with a Kingfisher on a cold damp day is always uplifting to the spirit :)

Further along the path a couple of Carrion Crows dropped down for a drink.  There are quite a few of these about the area

 But I must admit I had not seen very many Rooks around for quite some time.  But there were about 15 in this field and a few fields further away about the same number were spotted.

On the water our old friend the Great Crested Grebe was watching my activities.  There were only 3 or 4 of these on the reservoirs, there are usually a lot more.

In the distance on the Upper Res I spotted his cousin the Little Grebe.  I think this is the same bird that has been here for most of the winter.



 However there were a good number of Goosanders on Slipper Hill Res, I think there were 8 or 9 in total, can't be certain as they were in and out of undergrowth.

There were also a number of Tufted Duck on two of the reservoirs. 

 

 About half a dozen Golden Eye spent their time in the middle of the Upper Res.  They seemed to be paired up as there were 3 males each with a female.

Some Teal were found on both the Slipper Hill and Upper Foulridge Reservoir.

and a nice pair of Mandrin Ducks, nice to see the male has fully molted from his winter plumage in readiness for the mating season.

 It is rare to visit these areas of water without coming across a Grey Heron but it is nonetheless lovely to see.  I did not see this guy before he flushed but clearly I didn't spook him too much as he only went a short distance.

 The Oystercatcher is not a bird I have seen very much around.  They are relatively plentiful around the area but not seen them much near the lakes.  In any event there were 3 by the side of the Upper Lake today.

 A regular in the area is the Moorhen and today I spotted about 12 of them across the lakesides.

And a couple of Coots on the upper lake.  It had started rain so the photo is a bit rubbish but I think you can stiff see.

 Along the south side of the Upper res was a flock of 80+ Canada Geese happily grazing in the field. 

In addition there were a half dozen Cormorants which were seen flying over and at a distance but I did not manage to get a photo of them.

A great day out on my local patch after a while away.  It did not disappoint at all despite high numbers of dog walkers and a fleet of sailing dingys on the main lake.  Great fun.

© Bernard Bracken

 

 

Lake Naivasha - Kenya

On leaving Sweetwaters we headed further south to Lake Naiviasha Sopa Lodge where we were scheduled to spend another night.  The trip south was long and in parts we travelled along a very rough road which was exhausting.  However, as with all the other sites, we could have spent the entire holiday in this one spot and not been disappointed.  According to the blurb there are almost 600 species of bird found in this area but in the few hours we had available I was not going to get to see anything like that but it proved to be different and exciting in any event.

On first arrival at the Lodge we had a late lunch and went on a short boat ride around a small part of the lake. At this point I will hold my hands up and say I did not adjust the camera for the reflected light in the lake so a lot of the photos are not great,  However, as we pottered along on our hour long ride we got to see a fair amount;

 A distant little Egret was the first of many we spotted along the side of the lake.

 As was our old friend the Grey Heron.  Both of these species are pretty common in this part of the world.

 Another bird I seem to encounter virtually everywhere is the Little Grebe or Dabchick.  Although I only saw this one bird I am certain there are more about.

The Pink Backed Pelican is found all along the lake in small groups but the lake also hosts the Great White Pelican.

 

 and lots of Cormorants, this one being the White Breasted Cormorant.

While this one is a Reed (Long Tailed) Cormorant with its yellow bill and red eye, unfortunately I only got a single shot of this one so we cant see the tail.

 A little family of Egyptian Geese were none too happy with our boatman coming along.

 As we drifted into a small alcove this Great White Egret came into view but he did not stay about for very long.

A god awful shot of a purple heron, for some reason I could not get focused in on it at all but at least there is enough to make a clear ID possible.

 There were quite a number of the Pied Kingfishers working the lakeside.

 The White-Fronted Bee Eater was a first for me, These are beautiful little birds with a bright crimson throat were quite common along the lakeside.

A second view of the White Fronted Bee Eater.

 

 A couple of Yellow Billed Ducks.

 A Sacred Ibis was one of many we saw fishing by the lakeside.

While we later spotted a couple of Glossy Ibis searching the hotel lawn for lunch.

 A rather distant view of a Blacksmith Plover.

 Yet another lifer for me was the Yellow Billed Stork.

 While not too far away was a Marabou Stork, definitely not one of the prettiest birds you will see around the place :).

 

 This juvenile Fish Eagle was difficult to get close to so unfortunately its a bit of a long shot.  There were a few around the side of the lake but this is all I could get by way of photos.

 

A couple of Spoonbills feeding by the lakeside and the lower shot has some Spoonbills, a Grey Heron and at the back I think there is a Cattle Egret.

 On the return trip I caught sight of this Giant Kingfisher perched on a dead tree.

 

 Some shots of the Abyssinian Scimitarbill which landed on a nearby tree.  I got to watch one of these up close while over at the hotel complex a little earlier in the day but as is always the case, I did not have a camera.

A distant shot of what I believe is a Nubian Woodpecker, this one appears to have a distinct black and white face which is indicative and I think this is female as it appears to have a red hindcrown.

 

Have quite a few photos of the Hippos in the lake but probably the more interesting ones would have been those at night (if I had them).  we were warned not to come down to the hotel alone after dark because the Hippos come up onto the hotel lawn to graze.  As we were being chaperoned by the security man later in the evening he shone his torch either side of the path and there they were about 20 feet away.  A little disconcerting when you think these are among the most dangerous animals on the continent.

The Waterbuch heard wandered about the hotel lawns all day and all ran towards the dining room in the evening.  I am not certain but I guess they are being fed there.

 

Giraffe wandered around some areas of the hotel grounds also.

And a small heard of Zebra were also present but a lot less approachable than some of the other animals.

We set off the following morning for the Masai Mara having only had about 6 daylight hours at this site but as with every other place we visited I would return here in a heartbeat and for much longer to see if I could get some more of that 600 bird list.

© Bernard Bracken