Psilos Bird Journal
Monday January 22nd 2007
     
"Thwarted"
     
After the further high winds over the weekend the new week dawned clear and bright with just a light breeze. Feeling in high spirits I decide to pay the allotment a visit. My aim is to set up some perches for my feeding station. A high rainfall has made the track rutted and very wet so I drive up with extreme care. Rounding the cornor I am on the lookout for any deep potholes but these are to be the least of my worries as I am confronted with a far bigger problem right in my path.
     
Robin
     
Like a line of dominoes the storms have uprooted the trees and sent them toppling right across the road. Three large trees completely block my path with numerous others uprooted and flung around like the havoc wreaked by an angry giant. I get out of my car and survey the damage. The trees have formed an inpenetrable barrier and even climbing through them to the allotments behind is not an option. Deflated I have to think of a plan B. The light is beautiful this morning and I dont want to waste it. So Doffcocker is next on my list of places to visit.
     
Moorhen
     
Here there is evidence of all the rain we have had as the water is at the highest level that I have ever seen it. The water is relatively calm and the light superb. Sadly though after much scanning it is obvious that there is nothing to photograph. A handful of coot, moorhen and Mallard are all that is on the water today. No swans, grebes or kingfishers anywhere to be found.

Walking round the back of the lake there was plenty of small bird activity. Chaffinches and Great tits were singing and I watched a small party of great tits with heads and wings spread low fighting and displaying. Obviously spring is in the air already! Robins, wrens, coaltits, bluetits and goldfinches could also be seen with a few redwing and alot of blackbirds busy feeding on the berries in the hedgerow but today luck was not on my side and I didnt get close to any of them.
     
Magpie
     
Still I have a yearning to photograph small woodland birds so I head to Moss bank park. In the winter the wild birds come for the food put down for the animals and it can be a great place to photograph nuthatches. Arriving in the park to see a large number of council vans shows me that I am to be disappointed. The centre is closed due to storm damage and to rub salt in the wound even further I can hear two nuthatches calling loudly from the very place that I wanted to be. Thwarted yet again!!
     
black headed gull
     

Walking back to the car I have to content myself with just watching and listening for the birds. There is a huge amount of bird activity here but non of it approachable. There are greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, blackbird, jay, blue, great, coal and lots of long tailed tits, robins, wrens and of course the nuthatch that can clearly be heard laughing at me all the way back to my car!
 
     
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