07/01/2021-Part 2 of 2: Walk at Riverside Park, the ten pictures in this photoset are different to the ones I tweeted tonight 

Following on from my previous blog we walked at the local Riverside Park along the River Itchen during my birthday afternoon, and it another wonderful wildlife especially birdwatching and photography walk for me this week off. This began at the start of the walk when we were thrilled to spot a lovely Grey Wagtail flying around a shore type area and across the water by Woodmill a part of the area I showed in one of my photos on Twitter with water rushing from the mill which I don’t believe I have seen here before. This bright and beautiful very yellow bird was another year tick for me, and one I was delighted to get as after three consecutive years of seeing this bird further upstream beside the same river on my work lunch breaks in Winchester I am obviously not going to be going there as I am working from home as I have been since March so it was less of a bird that felt certain in the early weeks of the year this time around. So it was a relief to see this bird I love so much, my year list now sits on 95 just one behind how many bird species I saw all year in 2012 and my second highest ever amount of birds seen on this date after this time last year in which at Slimbridge where if things were different this year we would have been going again for my birthday as I said the other day my 2020 year list reached treble figures. I am thrilled especially given the circumstances this year that I have been able to get quite close to that again already! I felt we have been so lucky on our walks to exercise to see so many fantastic species. Its quite a nice thought looking at my records all bar two of my first sightings of Grey Wagtail in a year have been along the River Itchen be that here, Bishopstoke or Winchester so that was interesting and feels nice. We saw another Grey Wagtail further on in the walk too as I tweeted a picture of. 

As we moved on I as I said in my previous post about today loved trying out my new 70-300 Nikon lens. Tasked primarily with capturing landscapes and sky scenes, those beautiful views I see when out or at home which I want to capture to remember and like sharing I rather thought it seems to do very well at that. Such pictures I took with it include the first, fourth, sixth, eighth, ninth and tenth in this photoset all of which I was pleased with how they came out I think they were of a pleasing quality and this lens as I said in my last post does seem an upgrade from the previous lens I had that just simply got too old and stopped working. But as we walked on I saw signs today that this may not be a landscape only lens and for the first time in a while I may have this lens which I may term as normal meaning general could be used for other subjects. When a Robin was so nearby instead of reaching for my big zoom lens which I use for all birds and mammals usually I had a go with this one and I felt the quality was good I did tweet this picture on Dans_Pictures. When as I speak about in a minute a Redwing flew into trees a bird I don’t have an extensive record of photographing over the years in case it flew off before I could get the big lens out of my bag and on I took a picture with this one on 300 and then it did stay for me to get a different angle with the big lens and I could see little difference in quality between them. My macro lens didn’t make the bag for today’s walk with my bridge camera included too, this len’s shape especially and possibly weight could make days where I bring my DSLR and normal lens, big lens, macro lens and bridge camera instead of either/or from the latter two could increase, but this lens proved able to take pictures of flowers and berries and some at home when I was playing around earlier too that I would take with my macro lens quite well. So I think this is a great option for me on days I don’t bring many lenses or those moments where I’m just not ready with the right lens and could really alongside the landscapes do its job as a general lens. I am so happy and as I said in my last blog so thankful I was gifted this lens by my whole family today. I took the second and fifth pictures in this photoset of Mute Swan in nice light and Black-headed Gulls with my new lens. 

As we walked on I realised I had rather under-celebrated the general bird value of this place alongside the water birds I know its brilliant for on the river as I saw a variety of woodland species, Nuthatch and then whilst taking in more great Blackbirds after this morning and Robin I was thrilled to see the Redwings come through. Brilliant views of these striking, so well marked and coloured and beautiful birds, absolute stars of any winter here. It was easy to see why them and Blackbirds were around today with berries their favourite food visible too. This felt like one of the most exceptional wildlife watching moments of my week off with a bird I saw for the first time in 2021 at Blackwater in the New Forest on Sunday, and one that presented great photo opportunities that really stood out today I tweeted pictures of these birds. 

Also as we walked on we were delighted alongside probably into the hundreds of Feral Pigeons gathered beside the water a common sight here which was interesting as I tweeted photos of adding well to the varied pigeon and dove experience at home today as I mentioned in my last post to see the group of Black Swans here. Five in total we saw today, mixing with the Mute Swans and Mallards just before Cobden Bridge which is shown in the fourth picture. It was brilliant to make out their alluring colours, my favourite colour scheme of all and fantastic to watch these beautiful birds - considering this whilst ignoring the facts of whether they should be here or not - for a few minutes. They are always such elegant and entertaining ones to watch as with all swans but these are nice being a bit more petite. There is a great thrill about seeing these birds I saw them elsewhere last year after a few years of seeing this colony here so I was pleased to see them today and I took the third picture in this photoset of one. Also whilst walking we got a brilliant Common Gull view among many Black-headed, Herring and Great Black Backed seen today another real star bird of this week my fourth sighting of them in 2021 this was and this view it was nice to see their greenshank-esque greenish legs and as a bird I have become more familiar with on identification within our family with my Mum discuss with her how to tell them to the full extent of the bird instead of it just flying at a distance or swimming with its legs below water. I tweeted a picture of this gull. 

We walked the other side of Woodmill a piece of the River Itchen we very often walked when I was a child when I first started to love this river so I know it so well but had not seen the area for years, it was amazing how short a walk it now felt this area shown in the last three pictures in this photoset. Here we saw a few more star birds of the week, including many Little Grebes always a fairly different I find and great bird to see on a river a fast flowing type habitat and another New Year’s Day year tick in appropriate trees a Siskin a key moment today. 

But best of all along this stretch we encountered one of the birds of my young year when we saw a sixth in 2021 for us of one of my favourites the Kingfisher which I took the seventh picture in this photoset and another that I tweeted of it. It is just phenomenal how many of these I have seen this year a true highlight of my week off. I think this is so synonymous of my theme of my 2021 start to my birdwatching and bird year list in that instead of perhaps a usual year where its a mad dash to see species at different locations and we may not dwell once we have seen certain ones but do still enjoy everything the week has been a local one for obvious reasons and not without its star species some usual others not so much but we’ve gone onto see species again and again something I am sure will not be exclusive to our week off, which has been brilliant and really allowed us to focus on the star birds of the week off something always so key to any time off I have to build up bird year lists this was the primary purpose of this time off I have obviously done a lot else as we are in lockdown so are just seeing birds from home and on daily exercise walks. The Kingfisher has been the star and this view today was a top one. And I’ve got form for seeing it on my birthday admittedly on more notable ones my 18th in 2015 at Lower Test and 21st in 2018 at Lymington to my 24th birthday today but its still a great link to one of my favourite birds and for what birthdays should be about really doing what one loves. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Grey Wagtail of the year, one of my favourite birds the Kingfisher, Pied Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin, Blackbird, Redwing, Nuthatch, House Sparrow, Starling, Siskin, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Black Swan, Mallard and Brown Rats.