Birding from the comfort of your car

The general agreement with my very lovely wife is that I get to go out birding at the weekend provided I take our 18 month old son out with me. This does tend to limit where I can go to the more push-chair friendly locations. I've recently discovered a good outing which is child-friendly and doesn't even require my son to leave the comfort of the car. It involves driving out to Dix pit, a well known Oxon spot for gulls and then on to Chimney Meadows where there's been a Bewick's swam reported for some time now. In both places one can just step out of the car, set up the scope and you're away - very toddler-friendly so long as you have some snacks to keep him occupied as he sits in the car while you are scanning.

The last time that I did this trip I failed miserably to see anything of interest and it was in fact this failure to pick out the Bewick's swan that lead me to the conclusion that I had to get myself a scope. This then was the return match, armed with my new scope.

I started off at Dix pit, scanning the gulls with an eagerness to apply myself to the vexing Herring Gull/Yellow-Legged Gull/Caspian Gull identification issue. Since all the gulls were in the water there weren't any yellow legs to be used as clues but I reckon I found myself a first winter Caspian which seems to have the right paleness to the head, the right head-shape and looked suitably "snouty" as I had read marked out a Caspian. I also saw 10 drake Red-Crested Pochards which is another speciality of Dix pit.

Next onwards and upwards to Chimney Meadows, getting there just as the light was starting to go. The swans were further down this time near the nature reserve car park. I pulled off the road into a layby, walked a couple of yards and set up. There were about 100 swans there in the field as well as a rather large deer who seemed unperturbed by my presence. After a while of scanning I managed to find the Bewick's swan and very nice it looked too. I'd not seen one since I was a teenager in my earlier birding incarnation so it was good to see. I also heard a bullfinch which I'd seen last time but I couldn't locate it - a slight disappointment as I need it for this year still. Nevertheless and all in all a triumph for scoping and revenge for the failure of last time.

My year list seems to be moving on rather slowly compared to more seasoned birders but the new additions are
055 Greater Spotted Woodpecker
056 Mistle Thrush
057 Sky lark
058 Sparrowhawk
059 Wren
060 Grey Heron
061 Common Gull
062 Red-crested Pochard
063 Caspian Gull (LIFER)
064 Bewick's Swan