6-10-13.

Over the past few weeks I have forgot this is a blog about what I do as the Alrewas Birder, not just what birding I do.  Well to be honest I have mainly been birdwatching but I have had a few fishing matches which I have struggled surprisingly.  I used to fish the rivers as a kid and teenager and two weeks ago and yesterday I had matches on the river Soar hoping to do ok.  Result, absolute rubbish.  struggled in both and came near bottom in each.  Rubbish.  Because of these I have decided to give the winter league at Blythe fishery a miss.  I will miss the constant fishing over the winter months but I am not going to miss sitting in minus temperatures catching nothing, I can bird instead.  I will use the winter months to sort out my tackle (!!!!!!) , clean up and be refreshed ready for the new season next year.  I am also in talks to sell my house in Wales so watch out I may be moving to a house near you, if you live near where I live already that is.  Err, work, golf and ploughing matches have taken up the rest of my time.  I also have some exciting news but this cannot be revealed for several reasons but some people do know and if that is you please keep it to yourselves until I can tell all next week.
I am in a rich vein of luck at the moment and this continued this morning.  Whilst I was on a golfing holiday news came through of a Blue-winged Teal in Lincolnshire, then two then three so this morning I was off to Lincoln to find Boultham Mere and then find the birds but first I had to find the mere.  This was a bloody nightmare but after many deadends and three trips to Mcdonalds (to use Wi-Fi, not food!!!) I found the car park by the Superbowl, walked down a track and eventually found a hidden mere.  I soon found the hide and when I got set up and opened the shutters the low sun was right in my face making every bird look the same as well as a slight mist.  how the bloody hell would I find the teal, and to make it worse there were loads of ducks and lots of places for a duck to hide.  I settled down for a challenge and for ten minutes I checked out every duck I could.  Teal, Shoveler Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Mallard, you get the drift.  The sun was making this impossible.  I had a slight break and watched three birds mount a sunken island in front of the hide, checked them out with the scope and watched a bird flap its wing and show a hint of blue. BLOODY HELL, three Blue-winged Teals.  Boom boom boom.  I could not believe my eyes.  A huge mere, loads of hiding spots and my targets were the closest birds to me.  I fired off a load of photos as I couldn't believe it, who else would.  Nothing else of note, Lomg-tailed Tits and Jays in high numbers so I headed back to the car happy, very happy.

A panoramic photo, not a very good one, from the hide.  Note the high reeds, loads of open water and loads of hiding places.  This is the left hand side....

......and this is going towards the right.  Note the post on the left, that is near where the birds perched later. 

The first sighting the Blue -winged Teals, the third one is behind the bird on the right. 

The first proper views of why it is called a Blue-winged Teal.  Cracking.

 



 I will admit I have been a bit sceptical about these birds, I mean one Blue-winged Teal would raise eyebrows about where it came from but three together, on a small mere in Lincoln, these had to be escapees however nothing has been said and after a bit of homework last night it is not uncommon for these birds to turn up not alone.  I will pencil it in my black book for the time being.