Saturday 22 November 2014

A wave of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS inland include 6 at Hilfield Park.....

Following information kindly provided by Joan Thompson, I raced over to HILFIELD PARK RESERVOIR late afternoon (Saturday 22 November), where Steve Murray had located 6 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS - a rare bird in Hertfordshire and the first to be recorded this year. Despite the gloom (it was dark by 1530 hours!!), I managed to locate (and photograph) the six birds as they flirted with the gull roost (6,000 birds and counting) - all being 'yearlings' (eg, juveniles). I later learnt that numerous Red-breasted Mergansers had been recorded today including a flock of 8 at Arlington Reservoir (East Sussex), 4 flying west along the River Thames at West Thurrock (Essex) then Beckton (Gtr London) and singles at Angler's Country Park (West Yorks) and Staines Reservoirs (Middlesex). Most pertinent however, and perhaps directly related, were 6 juveniles present at Diddington Pit, Paxton Pits NR (Cambs) briefly earlier in the day. Two Common Goldeneyes also joined them towards dusk. Record shots of the flock follow.....





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