High Rid Reservoir

Juvenile grey wagtail

A brief, cold and wet stroll around High Rid this afternoon. I'd no sooner started walking along the most exposed side of the reservoir when it started hailing.

High Rid's a bit exposed for getting caught in a sudden hailstorm.

Luckily the showers and hailstorms passed as quickly as they arrived so there were breathing spaces for a bit of birdwatching. At least eighty pied wagtails were chasing each other around and I counted eight grey wagtails all told. Sixty-odd, or maybe more, meadow pipits split their time between the reservoir and the Winter stubble fields. Three kestrels — a male and a couple of juveniles — were patrolling these fields, much to the disgust of the jackdaws.

I literally lost count of the number of meadow pipits in this field, they disappeared so quickly and completely into the stubble.

Halfway along this stretch of path the wagtails and pipits rose up in a panic and whirled around my head. I was feeling guilty about my lack of field craft then had to take evasive action as a meadow pipit flew straight at me. Followed very quickly by shock as a female sparrowhawk swooshed by so intent on catching that pipit she very nearly had my cap off. It's only after moments like that you realise you should have grabbed your camera…

Twenty swallows and four house martins were feeding closely over the water.

Nice that the little gull was still around, lolling around with black-headed gulls in the murk.

First-Winter scaup

Fourteen dabchicks were dotted about the reservoir, a flock of tufted ducks hung around at the end near the entrance. A first-Winter scaup kept itself aloof from all these, spending more time diving underwater than being up top.

Distance and bad weather precluded any decent shots of either the scaup or the little gull, sadly. After a very damp hour I called it a day and went for the first of my buses home.