Page 10 - Out Birding Winter 2024

chalk rock had become more slippery than an iced eel. Malcolm did his best Christo- pher Dean impression showing how treacherous it was, so the rest of us took it all the more gingerly, eager not to do a Jayne Torville in response.
Thankfully, Simon and his buffet were wai􏰀ng for us intrepid adventurers as we trouped back in. The customary photograph in the garden was clearly not possible given the challenging weather, so we clustered in front of the buffet table to record the event for posterity, to be added in due course to Simon’s hall wall where evidence of all previous events are duly displayed.
Ul􏰀mately, this is one of those GBC events where being with friends is paramount and any birds are just a bonus, so thanks to Alan, Carol, Chris, Geoffrey, Helen, Lesley, Lin- da, Malcolm, Mark, Sandra, Simon, for whom adverse condi􏰀ons were never going to dampen the day.
Adrian
Draycote Water 14/09/24
Scan􏰀ly clad crowds and pumping techno greeted us. No, not Ibiza, but a 10k fun run (quite the non-sequitur in my book) around Warwickshire’s largest reservoir. We resisted the urge to retreat to the café and headed off clockwise away from the start point. There were definite signs of the change of seasons – small numbers each of House Mar􏰀n, Sand Mar􏰀n and Swallow but also a good showing of winter duck along with the regular Tu􏰁ed Duck and Mallard. Plenty of Shoveler and Teal and the odd Pochard and while we watched more and more Wigeon flew in. We also found several Goosander.
The engineers amongst us appraised the new flood preven􏰀on mechanism recently completed. A juvenile Ringed Plover played ‘now you see me, now you don’t’, on a muddy area and another was seen by some of the group later.
Lunch was leisurely at the café and allowed the opportunity to catch up on news and birding achievements. A shorter walk in the a􏰁ernoon to the hide gave us decent views of 2 Caspian Gull of different ages plus hundreds of Great Crested Grebe and several dozen Li􏰂le.
A lovely autumnal day spent with friends. Thanks to Caroline, Jean, Geoff, Helen, Lesley and Derek for their company.
Andy Marshall
Extra Events November
Sunday 17th
Parkgate high 􏰀des
Pat 07761 444371, patblundell@b􏰀nternet.com Saturday 30th
Llanfairfechan, North Wales
Carl 07918601854 gentling@outlook.com
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