Photo taken the following day by Patrick Earith
Black-throated Thrush
Black-throated Thrush
Quite a crowd
Black-throated Thrush
Different angle
Wallaby
Red Kite
Red Kite
Hovering above me
The species Black-throated Thrush holds some bed memories for me after dipping one twice in North Wales in very cold conditions and a very long way away. Drives home always appear longer when you carry the disappointment.
I didn't take much notice of a reported Black-throated Thrush reported at Whipsnade Zoo midweek as the locals were unsure whether it was a genuine report. Negative news followed the previous day yet on Friday amazing photos & multiple sightings were reported. With daylight against me on Friday I decided to make the unusual decision to go on Saturday without news and try and see the bird early as I knew as soon as news did emerge there would be alot of interest which could then push the bird out of sight.
The last hour of the jouney the rain got worse and I did think to myself what am I doing! However once parked up I was focused on task in hand. About twenty other birders had the same idea, all parting with the entrance fee before walking towards the favoured area around 600 yards away.
As soon as we walked around the corner the Thrush was there sitting in it's favoured tree. Much easier than expected. Despite the light being very poor and it raining it allowed some super close views but taking photos was impossible. The rain then picked up pace again making everyone take cover in the indoor soft play centre. As news hit the birdlines more and more birders arrived, it looked like a few tight arses waiting on the car park for news before parting with their cash.
There was the normal one photographer who was talking that loud about every foreign trip they had every been on made the time go even slower. The bird returned to that tree another once before flying slighter higher towards the elephant enclosure.
Most people stood staring at the tree but a few of the birders headed off in different directions. There was a sighting on the back car park but I stuck with following the Redwings. This proved fruitful as I picked the bird up by the miniture railway where it was feeding well on the berries, occasionally dropping on the ground to feed. In the scope it look seriously smart and definatley a contender for my bird of the year.
Black-throated Thrushes breed in eastern euorpe & siberian pine forests. This male bird was very distinctive with solid black from it's neck to it's breast with a greyish black tail. The bird was fantastic to observe in flight.
After two hours of watching the bird on and off I decided to head for home to make the most of the day and be ready for the double header of watching Southampton lose on the TV & of course the Strictly Final.
Heading through a village about 45 mins from the Zoo I picked up a flock of Red Kites so I diverted and parked up. It looked like they were being fed from a garden, there was up to 50 Kites all in the air together swooping down to feed.
An excellent day especially to record a lifer in December it was a genuine Christmas bonus.
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