Friday 2nd January 2025: Staines Reservoir

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 We had more family visits this week, as we headed to Bicester for a couple of days. I managed to convince Tim to stop on the way up at Staines Reservoir in search of a Lesser Scaup. Fortunately there were other birders present, who helpfully described where the bird was, and we managed to locate it pretty quickly in the scope. The bird was resting with its head tucked sideways, so the views were not ideal, and the bright sun didn’t help either. However, we could clearly see the diagnostic peaked head, so felt happy to tick it. 

Staines is a great site for Black-necked Grebes, and several of these were swimming in the same area, showing black and white plumage and very fluffy tails. Flocks of Tufted Ducks and Pochard were here too, and together with a Great-crested Grebe, it proved a worthwhile stopover, despite the brevity.

Black-necked Grebe


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