Yankee Pipit

With Mark being available this weekend and the American Buff Bellied Pipit hanging on for another week at Queen Mother’s Reservoir near Slough, a new bird for us both, the twitch was on. It was another early start picking up Darren and Richard, a couple of mates from Leeds en route and we were on site by 8am, we got our permits and headed straight off to the South-east corner of the Reservoir which the bird had been favouring but there was no sign of it first thing, we hung around for a while being entertained by a couple of Red Kites and several noisy Ring Necked Parakeets flying past, then news came over mid morning that the bird had been seen briefly back towards the Yacht Club, we started heading back and were soon alerted to the bird by a couple of birders just up ahead, we joined them and it wasn’t long before more birders started to arrive with numbers soon swelling to more than 40, including a few familiar faces, everybody enjoying fantastic views of this superb and very confiding little bird, it never ceases to amaze me how these northern species show so little fear of humans. Next port of call was the little village of Chenies in the adjacent county of Bucks, it was a really lovely area of countryside, hard to believe its so close to London, there were several Little Egrets kicking around and it wasn't long before we located the Great White Egret found there in the week although camera shy as usual, there being nothing much else in the area we headed for home paying a quick visit to Stewartby Lakes near Luton as we passed though nothing of note was seen apart from several Kites and Buzzards along the way. 

first views as it made its way along the waters edge

then it just kept getting closer

having a preen

amazing how different it looks in changing light

Windsor Castle across the way

didn't get a clear shot