Saturday 17 October 2009

Manoa Valley

A trip to the Manoa Valley proved rewarding for such a short visit.
After again photographing the *Manoa White Horse* I stopped alongside a tree where I had noticed some activity... a little while earlier.
Using my bins I found a Blue Tit followed by a Great Tit and what I at first thought was a Coal Tit. The bird again came back into sight and I had a good view...there was no white patch on the back of the head...out went Coal Tit. That now left me with Marsh or Willow and I made a note the head was thickish like a Bullfinch and the top of the head was a dull black which I intended to I.D when I returned to the car.
Further activity revealed a Tree Creeper disappearing around the blind side of the tree and a movement in an adjacent Holly Tree caught my eye and I managed to see a pair of birds with one giving me a perfect head on view of the orange line on the top of the head....my first reaction was Firecrest then I started to have my doubts.
After looking in the Bird Guide I realised I had seen a Willow Tit which was a Life and Patch Tick .
The small birds were in fact Goldcrests.

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