With the New Year underway, I found myself back at work in Essex. Finishing at lunchtime gave me the perfect opportunity to make the short drive to Abberton Reservoir, and what followed turned into a fantastic few hours of birding.
Abberton Reservoir
The current influx of scarce geese across Britain and Ireland—driven by brisk, cold north-easterly winds—has been producing some excellent records, and Abberton did not disappoint. The two headline species of this movement, Russian White-fronted Goose and Tundra Bean Goose, were both present, with three Tundra Bean Geese and seventeen White-fronted Geese recorded during the afternoon.
Russian White-fronted Goose
Tundra Bean Goose
Waterfowl highlights continued with a Long-tailed Duck and five Smew, while three Bewick’s Swans were a particularly welcome sight. Given the severe population declines this species has suffered in recent years, it was encouraging to see them, even though they remained at a distance.
SmewFurther interest came from five Black-necked Grebes and four Red-crested Pochards, rounding off an excellent visit to the reservoir.
Red-crested PochardAll in all, Abberton once again proved its value as a winter hotspot, delivering quality birds and a memorable start to the year.
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