Patch Mega - 16th Feb

A brief spell on the patch today was really productive. The footpath that runs west from Malthouse farm is mostly within my patch and affords good views to the north over the Straits enclosure, part of Alice Holt Forest and the surrounding farmland. It is also possible to stand in my patch here and scope Sleaford reservoir. By doing this I had already found a drake Goosander last month. Once in position I started to scan the area, really with a bonus raptor in mind and concentrated on the sky. There were plenty of Buzzards around but the hoped for Red Kite has yet to be seen. After a while I scanned the reservoir and picked up a drake Goosander straight away but another bird slipped out of view before I could id it, though it later appeared and proved to be a female, nice a pair! Before long another drake slipped into view, and by the time I had left I had managed to see six Goosander here which included 4 drakes, there may be more. Goosander is a scarce bird locally though perhaps not anymore!

There were at least 100 Skylark in the stubble here 30+ Linnet and a few hundred winter thrushes too. As I had arrived I had noticed a flock of Lapwing south of the reservoir but not paid them too much attention, they were occasionally getting up in the air and flying around, I stuck my bins on them and noticed a smaller wader among them, initially I took it for a Golden Plover but as I watched it spiral round with the flock at some distance something didn’t fit. 

I noticed the birds feet extended beyond its tail and as it descended the white tail sides were obvious, it landed and quickly started feeding actively quite unlike the Lapwings and everything fell into place, a Ruff, an almost unheard of bird locally and another patch mega!!!