Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Dorney
It was just before 4 pm and too late to go birding really, but I had something to post and decided on a quick visit to the floods. I parked at the cattle grid in light drizzle and walked along the very muddy bank of the stream, noting a solitary Canada goose at the far end of the common flood.
From the high path I saw the other Canadas (with the two white-fronted geese) at the far end of the Eton Wick flood. They left the grass and took to the water, paddling purposefully towards the common. I walked back to the gate and was surprised to see a shelduck now on the common flood.
I was so busy trying to get a record shot of the shelduck, I failed to see that the two whitefronts were airborne until they were past me. They landed next to the solitary Canada. The other Canadas followed in dribs and drabs until the geese were all together in a tight flock on the common; meanwhile the shelduck flew off west.
At home: A couple of nights ago there was a full moon. Several tawny owls were calling round the village. I looked out and the sky was clear, with Orion (one of the few constellations I can identify) climbing in the south. Couldn't see any of the owls, though.
// posted by Christine @ 10:06 AM 
