10 March 2022 - Hollingworth Lake

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Water Rail, Little Grebe, Goosanders, Goldeneye, Tree Sparrows (garden)

Met with Andrew this morning at 7am hoping for a glimpse of the Water Rail, and after about 10 minutes we spotted it slightly further along the ditch than he'd seen it recently.  Over the next 45 minutes or so we saw it again 3 or 4 times, but always quite elusive, and sometimes popping up further along the ditch after apparently disappearing into thin air.  Decent views through the bins though didn't get it on camera. Andrew got a few snatched shots though. 

On the reserve the Little Grebe was again present, and the female Goldeneye was knocking about nearby.  After Andrew left I sat in the hide for 10 mins or so and at one point a drake Goosander came down the channel in front, but I realised too late that I had the camera underexposing by a couple of stops.  

Afternoon was bright and sunny but breezy and relatively uneventful; the Goldeneye was out in the middle of the reserve pool, and a couple of drake Teal were in the edges of the bushes from the path, but that was about it.

In the garden, both Tree Sparrows were back on the feeder this afternoon, after being a little bit less frequent of late. No sign of them prospecting the nest boxes yet though.

Goosander , 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640, 220 mm

Goosander, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 220 mm

Tree Sparrow , 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1000, 220 mm

Tree Sparrow, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1250, 220 mm

Tree Sparrows, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 640, 220 mm

Goldeneye, 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 220 mm