31-1-09 & 1-2-09 Rothley/Fontburn, Icelands

Saturday I wanted to have another run inland and check some of the waters, so first stop Rothley Lake pulled onto the side but realised it was soft so tried to pull back but too late stuck fast and it took nearly an hour to get back out using bits of stick etc. ,under the wheels to get back onto the road , what an idiot. As it happens not much on the water about 12 Tufted ,no RND ( you never know )8 Mallard, 2 Wigeon and 2 Teal a Woodcock flushed along one of the paths, surprisingly no small stuff at all , so no hope of a wintering Firecrest, from here we went to Fontburn drove in the gates and along to the carpark to find it locked and no where to park , a scan of the water revealed no surprises to those that have looked on here before ,nothing not a thing, I find any birds that will be on here are likely at be the west end , I presume it is shallower there, so what a waste of time that was, headed home early again only a huge flock of Fieldfare on the way home.
Sunday February the 1st, nothing planned so I ended up putting some new tyres on the bike , got them on no problem till I realised I had the back tyre on the wrong way around , with the direction of drive going the wrong way, so if your bike is hard to pedal check your tyres are not on back to front, I kid you not !!!
Anyway test drove the bike down to harbour to have a look at the 2 Icelands reported, the hope was to try and get them together but no luck one was nearby and as the second dropped down the first skipped off, anyway got some shots ,three of each bird here, one was slightly whiter but with darker head and more rounded primary tips, while the other was slightly darker and sharp points to the tips, both are first year birds. No sign of the 2nd year bird or reported adult Glaucous for me

Although it is not obvious in the photo this bird was slightly darker overall but with cleaner head and sharp pointed primaries

This bird looked lighter overall but with a darker head and the primary tips are more worn rounded, so this is probably the older bird , but both are first year birds , for me anyway .

v

light not so good in the afternoon , both birds later dropped in with roosting herring and Great Black Backs sitting on the open water in the shelter of the harbour.

Glaucous ,Iceland Gull,Snipe, Jack Snipe, Willow, Blue, Great,Long Tailed Tit, Barn Owl, Scaup, Red Breasted Merganser,Goosander, Teal ,Wigeon, Tufted, Mallard, Shoveller,Gadwall,Shellduck Goldeneye, Eider,Pinkfeet , Greylag ,Canada, Stonechat, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Heron, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Redshank, Sanderling,Bar Tailed Godwit, Grey Plover Mute Swan, Shellduck, Black- Headed , Common , Herring Gull ,Curlew, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Coot, Purple Sandpiper,Grey Partridge, Water Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone, Brent , Redshank, Rock Pipit, Waxwing (s), Kittiwake, Tree Sparrow, Bullfinch , Raven, Dipper, Bean Goose,Woodcock, .....................................101 for January

Gannet, Fulmar, Guillimot, C Scoter,Velvet S, RTD,