Early Jan by the river

On 5 & 6 Jan 2024 I went down to the river at Denso to see if anything was around.

Not a bad list for the time spent having a wander. The birds seen, in something like size order, were:- Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Wren, Siskin, Long Tailed Tit, Treecreeper, Blue Tit, Robin, Dunnock, Great Tit, Redwing, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Little Grebe, Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Magpie, Crow, Goosander, Woodpigeon, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Cormorant, Grey Heron and Red Kite. And Rat and Squirrel were the furry things spotted. Those in Bold are those I have included a photo of.

Several times small flocks of Long Tailed Tits moved through the trees. The tail-enders passing those at the front continuously and slowly moving down river. A few minutes later a flock would roll through going up river. Several times one or two Goldcrest seemed to be moving with them. While watching one flock go through I spotted several bird silhouettes feeding on catkins high in Alder trees. They didn’t move on in the way the Long Tailed Tits moved. They swapped places back and forth, were sleeker, and had shorter tails. A closer look showed them to be Siskins. The light wasn’t good but I reckon there were about 20 of them in the few trees above me.

The Little Grebe was quite good at catching fish. Every other dive it came up with a small one.

Looking across the river, up towards the canal, I could see birds feeding in the grass and then flitting into the cover of the brambles and trees. I could see that some of them were Blackbirds. After watching the others for a while I decided that they were Redwing and Song Thrush – no Fieldfare. The photos of them are quite heavy crops and even then the birds are small but identifiable.

The Red Kite is readily identifiable from its silhouette but I had not intended to take a photo of it because it was so high. And then I noticed it was carrying something. In one blurry photo the bird has its head bent towards its talons and something long and stringy was dangling behind it – no doubt something nutritious and certainly something I would not want to eat.

I haven’t checked to see where post excerpts appear but WordPress can now use ChatGPT to generate them. I have read the one it has generated for this post. It’s not quite my style – On January 5th and 6th, 2024, a visit to the Denso Reserve yielded a diverse birdwatching experience. Notable sightings include Goldcrests, Siskins, Treecreepers, and a Red Kite with prey. The Little Grebe showcased impressive fishing skills, while Redwings and Song Thrushes were spotted in the area’s foliage. A keen observation captured the unique behavior of Long Tailed Tits.

As usual you can tap on an image to see it larger in its gallery – viewing on a PC with a decent sized monitor is much better than a phone or tablet.