Payback

So last year when I was really chasing birds and especially at the end of the year where the options for something new were limited I put in a lot of time chasing Penduline Tits but to no avail. In fact most of 4th December , 9th December and 14th December were spent in the Hanson ARC hide way down at Dungeness waiting for one of these birds to come visit the reed mace, they never did. A visit to Grove Ferry a couple of weeks ago also drew a blank.

Yesterday though a couple of Penduline Tits were discovered in Cambridgeshire SW of Earith at Ouse Fen. Couldn't get up there first thing today though as the central heating man was coming to hopefully fix an intermittent fault in our heating coming on - not pleasant in this weather. Then Mrs L was busy making meringues for tonight's Jazz evening at the village hall. So a late start but at least we knew the birds had also been found today.

Access was down a very rough road. It was debatable as to whether it was worth the risk of driving down, but the lateness in the day made the saving of a mile walking too great a temptation. The Passat bottomed out a few times and needed a change of driver half way along, but made it okay. Next task, where's the footpath and where are the birds. Footpath found and a group of birders sighted about half a mile away were good enough clues, but were the birds there? You bet! Feeding on the reed mace right in front of us were two Penduline Tits. In birding vernacular, definitely showing well - Payback indeed.