A Mega Lifer to start the New Year

Third time lucky in Beeley, near Chatsworth in Derbyshire today. After two previously unsuccessful trips before Christmas, I finally connected with the female Dusky Thrush today. My views were distant and hence the photos are all record shots, but I had great scope views and the light was fantastic in the early afternoon. It was amazing how quickly the sun went down though, almost between shots!

This is only the 13th record of a Dusky Thrush in the UK since records began, but there have probably been a lot more of them about as they are easily mistaken for Redwings.

This little beauty has probably been blown in by the autumn's strong easterly gales which have provided us with such an amazing collection of rare birds this year.

It was probably heading south for warmer climes from its breeding grounds in chilly Siberia looking for more food sources when it was blown off course by strong winds.

This bird seemed to be a loner most of the time, although a few Redwings were never far away. Indeed, I saw it chasing them off on more than one occasion.

These shots were taken earlier in the afternoon when the light was much better but I wasn't quite as close. The bird was pretty faithful to a patch of grass in front off the tallest Ash tree in one of the hedgerows off Pig Lane.

These two blurred shots are best viewed small !

Finally, a couple of decent shots of the two other birds in the same area today:

Not a bad start to the New Year's birding.