As usual with these rare events, I was many.
many miles away from Bedfordshire when news broke of Ross Ahmed's county first
discovery and had to wait patiently before I could finally get an opportunity to
visit and search for it. Anyhow, that chance finally arrived this morning and I
was on site and in position shortly after 0900 hours. DJO, MJP, JG, LC, BC and a
few other local observers were already in situ when I pitched up at the bridge
over the river and after several shifts of buntings in the tree tops, I decided
a different approach as this was clearly going to be a long haul.
I followed the considerably muddy track along
the outside edge of the maize strip checking Reed Buntings as I advanced. A
sizeable flock of them were feeding at the tops of the maize on the seedheads.
As I got perhaps 130 yards along, I heard the familiar hard ticking call of the
LITTLE BUNTING and briefly got onto it as it perched alarmed on a seedhead. It
then flew to the adjacent hedgerow and perched, still scolding loudly
(repetitively ticking) and flicking its tail at the same time. Quickly, it
dropped back down into the field and as I manoeuvred to get into a better
position of the light, it flew back into the hedgerow and perched, virtually in
exactly the same spot. I then saw Tony Hukin appear and beckoned him over.
Within minutes of him joining me, the Little Bunting returned once more to the
exact same spot and perched - this time in brilliant view. Just as I was about
to get the perfect photograph, the barrel gun in the field went off and flushed
all of the buntings. All returned to the maize.
All 17 other observers on site all then came
round from the bridge and joined in with the search but with the barrel gun
exploding every half hour and the jittery nature of the flock, perhaps numbering
90 Reed Buntings with an additional 37 Linnet, the task was a very difficult one
indeed. Although I heard the bird ticking after I last saw it in the hedgerow at
1015, I never personally set eyes on it again after that time, despite a lot of
diligent searching, but Dave Odell and Pete Smith independently glimpsed it
subsequently some 70 yards further along the bordering scrub. This is one very
difficult bird, just like all of the other Little Buntings bar one I have tried
for this winter in the UK and I feel very lucky indeed to have
connected.
DIRECTIONS
Park sensibly in Great Barford village NW of the
Barford Great Ouse roadbridge and walk west along the public footpath that takes
you along the north side of the river. Keep walking for around 750 yards to a
green bridge that crosses the river. At this point, there is a narrow strip of
maize bordering the riverbank that is harbouring the wintering bunting flock.
You can choose to either watch from the bridge as the Reed Buntings perch high
in the trees or skirt the edge of the field and search from there - take your
pick.
ELSEWHERE
During the afternoon, I failed to locate the
Twite in the rough field opposite the entrance to The Lodge RSPB (Sandy) but did
count 107 Linnet, while 6 BRAMBLING were feeding with Chaffinches in the horse
paddocks thereabouts
No comments:
Post a Comment