Foot It - Reckoning

 

90 species - 75 miles - 156k steps

A leisurely, borderline idle, start to proceedings really. Not leaving the house till 06:45… this got me to my first target location for 08:45. Sadly, the hoped for Tree Sparrow didn’t perform… 

Sun-up in Suffolk town

I left Ampton, making the short walk towards Livermere pretty dejected. Wondering what I was playing at. What kind of mental patient walks out into inky darkness over black ice to try and see Tree Sparrows? Do I need to calm down? What’s the point? Am I walking miles for no reason?

I thought about these thoughts, pondering the futility of life and existence as I haemorrhaged steps in the bitter westerly, thinking I wasn’t going to add any ticks today… 

About the same time I pulled myself together and realised it was too early in the day for a pity party, six squillion Mallard flew up off the fields. In amongst them was a small goose - I initially saw it silhouetted and going away from me into the sun. We’ve had single straggler/ feral Pink-footed Geese in West Suffolk before and assumed that was what I was seeing… I continued down the track and there on the frozen mere amongst the Greylags was an orange legged, orange billed - f’ off beauty of a Tundra Bean Goose. I corrected the news and revelled in my epicness.  I called all three of my friends for a sanity check and to gently brag, none of them answered - pricks. Still, makes this year’s Christmas card list a bit simpler. 

Livermere - looking almost pleasant in the sun. You cannot make it out - but the Bean Goose is in front of the church 

Anyway, as well as a Foot It tick - Tundra Bean is a self found tick. Hoping one of the other West Suffolk birders gets a photo - which I can get printed massive on a banner for the front of the house:

Also on the mere was my first Barnacle Goose of the year, as well as a Stonechat feeding on the shoreline. 

Walking away from Livermere I was a different man. All buoyant and elegant, skipping over ice patches. Basically prancing with self-confidence. Jonny hasn’t called to tell me I am the best birder he knows - but I am sure he will. 

I decided to cut west, through Ingham and towards Culford. There is a relatively new farm reservoir there - which proved MAGNIFICENT providing a first winter drake Goldeneye, as well as the second Barnacle Goose of the day. Nearby was also a pair of Stonechat - only my second record this year. 

The return mileage to home* (*the public house I am typing this from) didn’t deliver any further ticks - but it did provide a record West Suffolk count of Ring-necked Parakeet. With two birds perched I had at least eight, and probably more, birds in flight. 

Ring-necked Parakeets

Ring-necked Parakeets