Elton Reservoir

Elton Reservoir in Bury is a great place. It attracts most of the common water birds plus good numbers of rarities and less common stuff. Any visit there brings reward in one way or another, be it some good birds, good pictures or just a nice pleasant walk.
At the car park area there are lots of feeders that are regularly topped up by a local birder. These have brought in some good birds during the winter months, in the shape of Brambling, Willow Tit and Lesser Redpoll. I managed to see a Brambling while I was watching, but it was camera shy.

This very nice looking male Bullfinch was a pleasant surprise.

 A nice Common Buzzard overhead.

A Dunnock on territory and looking very nice too.

There were three Goldeneye on the water, but sadly they didn't hang around.

Burton Mere

A nice Spring time visit to Burton Mere is always a good trip out. The sun was shining and the birds were nice and active on the reserve just by the Dee Estuary. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary this day, but it was nice to be out with no rain, snow or wind and good light.

I managed to add a few year ticks too, in the shape of Curlew, Pintail, Marsh Harrier and Oystercatcher. The elusive Cetti's Warbler was once again added to my 'Heard Only' list for the year.

This Dunnock was in fine voice in the warm sunshine.

A Little Egret on a fly past.

A Little Grebe with a fish almost as big as itself.

Some soon to be departed Pink-footed Geese flying over the marsh.

A very good looking Shelduck.

A Teal in the fantastic light.

Scaup and Goosander - Elton Reservoir

A couple of weeks ago, I popped along to Elton reservoir in Bury. It was a lovely warm day, which made a change from the previous cold and damp weeks. I was even able to leave the jacket in the car and just walk around with my t-shirt.
There had been 7 Scaup on the reservoir for some weeks, and this is usually around the time of year that I manage to tick them off. So they were one of my target birds. It's not a small area of water but I had an idea as to where they would be. Right at the opposite end to where I was!
I took my time and made sure I had a good look at what else was on the reservoir. This proved to be the wrong tactic. I had picked them up in the binoculars. They were quite distant at first, but looked settled. Shortly afterwards, a group of Tufted ducks took flight and headed off the reservoir. These were followed by some Gadwall and Canada Geese, and before I had even got close to them the seven Scaup took flight too. Noooooo!!
I had to get the camera up quick in case this was the only opportunity I'd get to see them today. It was exactly that :(

They were swiftly followed by some Goosander. 4 Females here.

Two males at the back here.

Coal Tit - Pennington Flash

The Coal Tit is a bird I've rarely been able to photograph. I see them often, but they are so quick and flitty. Even when I've set up at feeding stations, they are the quickest birds around. They are constantly on the move. They head get to the feeder, grab some food and then head off quickly to the safety of the undergrowth, never allowing a clear shot.
At Pennington Flash a few weeks ago I got lucky and managed just a few shots of this nippy little fellow. The sun was a little too bright, but I was pleased to get something more than a blur, and these are the best I've ever managed of this species.

Fieldfare

Fieldfares had been pretty elusive for me in the last few months, until a few weeks ago when I went for a local walk at Woodford. I came across around 40 birds in a snow covered field. The berries on the trees had long been eaten and so the search for food was on the ground.
They are pretty flighty birds and are spooked easily. So this was a game of patience.
I had to wait and let them come to me. They duly obliged.