First of all I quote Mr Moran!
"Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis AC2E*
I'm not claiming Cat. A for the Nunnery Lakes bird - that would be stretching it - but a quick squint at BB 104 p122-123 gives me enough evidence to bag it on Cat. C, I reckon: "Barnacle Goose was added to Cat. C2 in 2005 based on self-sustaining populations in at least Bedfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk." And a recent WeBS report put the winter maximum of 'naturalised' Barnies at a staggering (depressing?) 1,516 individuals in January 2009."
So 40 free flying, fully winged birds at Pensthorpe (yes, yes..... of course they are not in the collection area, in fact they actually don't have any of these, there more into "Nene" type wildfowl, yer' know the rare breeds etc!) So I am claiming these, ta very much! So that's 96.
Anyway today, was a long one, starting at 7am with 3 hours of Lesser Pecker blasting followed by lots of dipping! I tried a 3 mile section of the Wensum, saw them here well 2 years ago, but nothing, not a drum or a call, nowt! Kingfisher, Grey Wag, Otter footprints all very nice but no points for any of these!!
A nice bit of trespassing on to the best parts of Sennowe, proved fruitless for the pecker & Firecrest despite more blasting. Plus nothing of real note on the lake, well no NM Year ticks anyhow - gets you like that I am afraid.
Then came Pensthorpe to the rescue, first good hot black coffee & cake, which having paid the annual membership of £39.00 they really ought to have fed me for free! This place is starting to look like my saviour. The wader scrape does look promising & the backdrop to rough wet grassland looks very inviting. The latter scoring with 6 White-fronted Geese (97) that dropped in & started feeding & were still there when I left - (great grip back Nick!). Then just in front of me the first returning Avocet (98), can't remember being so pleased to see one of these since I lived in land locked Notts!
With my enthusiasm re-energised I took a circuitous route home stopping twice to scan for raptors, but still no Kites or even a Peregrine, never mind was a good day.
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