Tuesday 15 April 2014

Binn There, Done That!

Two-barred Crossbill feeding in the Larches at Binn Green

A great day for me at Binn Green / Dovestones with Alan Wilcox, Paul Brewster, Andy Makin, Austin Morley and many other birders all waiting for this Two-barred Crossbill to show. Unfortunately after several hours a few people left only for the bird to finally show up around 3.00pm. Looks like afternoons are best as the bird was feeding for a good 20 minutes or so on the larch cones before coming down to a pool for a drink near the feeders and then giving us a fly past over the viewing platform and down towards the reservoir.

Unfortunately the little blighter was feeding in the wrong tree for photographs, as it was looking straight into the sun. So these record shots are the best I could get today and I'm only posting them to make Austin jealous. Unlucky Austin, you just gotta put more hours in mate.

We also had good views of a Ring Ouzel on the top of the conifers as seen across from the platform, and three different male Bramblings, a Willow Warbler, male and female Siskins, male and female Redpolls, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Coal, Blue and Great Tits, and at least six feisty cock Pheasants at the feeders.