12 February 2023 - Hollingworth Lake

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Pink-footed Goose, Fieldfares & Redwings, Stonechat, Oystercatchers

A good walk around this morning in very dull, overcast conditions. It was pretty quiet apart from a single Pink-footed Goose on the water, at some distance, but then two Oystercatchers flew around, calling, before disappearing towards Littleborough.  First ones of the year. 

Passerines were hard to come by until I reached the top of Bib Knowl, when I heard a Fieldfare.  I found it in the top of a tree halfway down Bib Knowl Plantation, then realised there were several more behind me.  I walked back up the hill and looked over the stone wall and there were dozens each of Redwing and Fieldfare in the field, but of course as soon as I got my camera out, they moved away out of sight.  I managed a couple of poor record shots and that's about all.

A female Stonechat was at Shaw Moss, in its usual field, another one for the year.

Pink-footed Goose, 1/160 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 400

Fieldfare , 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1600 (view full size image)

Fieldfare, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1000