Monday 8 June 2020

Wintersett and a midday MEGA!! 08.06.20

A cool 7 - 12 degrees with  6/8 cloud and a cool north, north easterly breeze.
Wintersett Res: A Bee -eater flew west at 12.0 5hrs, leaving to the WSW over Cold Hiendley Res. Common Tern 8.  Goldeneye 1 female.   Herring Gull 4.  A Hobby with prey circled. over.
Haw Park Wood: Crossbill 3. 
Anglers CP: A Black-tailed Godwit was on the shallows early morning. Little Ringed Plover 2.  Pochard 1m.  Little Grebe 1.
Mammals: 2 young Weasels were on ACP this evening.

BEE -EATER  FINDER'S ACCOUNTJUNE 8TH 2020
June is usually a quiet month, particularly inland, as birds have their heads down breeding and migration is at a very low level.  Birding daily can get very repetitive for days on end, although if you do find something it can be an absolute belter!  Today was again a fairly quiet day and the only birds of note were a Black-tailed Godwit and 3 Crossbills, all of which I missed.  Walking back to the car park at 12.05hrs along the dam wall, heading for lunch, I heard a distant call which I thought to myself sounded like a Bee eater. I continued walking and listening and heard nothing,  I looked up and saw a bird flying west, quite close about 200 feet up.  I raised my binoculars and immediately shouted, "F...ing BEE-EATER!"  This alerted Ange to the bird, before it disappeared behind the large sycamore trees.  We ran to the track behind the trees and watched its undulating flight as it left to the west south west over Cold Hiendley Reservoir.   Fist pumps followed in celebration of a cracking new bird for the Wintersett List.  Interestingly, one turned up in Cheshire around 90 minutes later.  Same bird?

Peter Smith 

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