Cranes and scoters at North Duffield Carrs.

 Wednesday 12th April. I had just sat down in the Garganey Hide when the rain started. I had a quick scan at the birds in front of the hide as I was getting my telescope etc set up. I noticed teal flying in from my right and when I looked to see what had disturbed them, I saw 4 cranes flying.

Not the best of pictures due to the weather etc. Things settled down a bit after the excitement of the cranes. Not as many ducks as on previous visit, which is not surprising, as I expect that birds are slowly migrating to their breeding grounds Still a few pintail about and a lot of male shovelers. During the heaviest rain shower, several swallows flew low down over the water hunting insects.

Friday April 14th. I arrived about lunch time and I joined Alan, Elaine and Mark in Garganey hide.

Alan told me about a pair of common scoters that were on the reserve, so I had a quick look through my bins, just in case they flew off. Year tick 141. They were a fair distance away

The birds were still there when I left at 3.30. They kept swimming up and down the same stretch of water and did not appear to like coots or when they were surrounded by a lot of greylag geese. I enjoyed watching the scoters, as I have only seen them at sea, either bobbing  up and down on the waves, or a long line of flying ducks.

Hares were in the field to my left.

As on Wednesday, swallows came down to feed when the rainfall was at its heaviest. Two snipe also dropped in to the right of the hide.

I thought that these coots were fighting

Perhaps I need to go you know where !!