Teal

Lochore Meadows Country Park Nature Reserve 12:14

A report of two Mealy Redpolls in a flock of Lesser Redpolls at a nearby site in Fife that we'd not been to before seemed a good plan for today. Turning up at the park's visitor centre seemed like a good plan too until we discovered that the area we were interested in was at the far end of the park a good mile and a half away, and frustratingly there was a car park at that end, but to get there by road was a six mile drive.

We decided that the six miles was actually worth doing as it took us four miles closer to home and would let us meander round the Nature Reserve part of the park knowing that we didn't have a long walk out. Must say I was impressed with the reserve, lots of stuff that'd make it interesting for Redpolls and other finches and a small hide overlooking a secluded pond. Found today's Teal on the pond and found Siskin and Long-tailed Tits in the woods, but no Redpolls. We did meet a couple of birders that'd briefly seen the Redpoll flock, but hadn't been able to say that any of them were Meallys. Never mind it's always nice to find a new location that'll definitely get a future visit.