The Lincolnshire Bird Club

What would be the chances of another white billed diver turning up on the River Witham at Kirkstead bridge.
Well according to a photo that I have just been sent - there is one !! – a juv

Take he path along the river towards Lincoln from the bridge and it is near the 'iron sheep' statue.

Kev

Added 22/01/2017

Many thanks to local angler David Curtis for kindly informing us of the bird (first seen on Friday 20th Jan 2017) - he had already identified it as a yellow billed loon and sent the image to Kev Wilson on Saturday morning! The original image is shown below;

Reported:

Re-found by Jack Dawson at dusk on the Witham at TF156651 - link to the video can be seen here - https://twitter.com/JDBirding/status/822860243654811648

Remarkably, the last bird was at Tattershall Bridge in 1996 from Feb 29th to Mar 2nd...

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

I parked at Stixwould Railway Station and walked 3 and half miles to Kirkstead bridge. Then drove from Kirkstead to Tattershall without luck. Looks like I should have walked the other way. There is parking at Stixwould Railway station and also at Southery if walking back down the cycle track. Hopefully there tomorrow.

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http://birdmanbirds.blogspot.com/

The bird is still present this morning showing very well on the Witham between Kirkstead Bridge and Stixwould. It doesn't look to have any fishing line around its bill, just a strand or two of greenish aquatic vegetation. Otherwise, looking pretty healthy I'd say. It was roughly 2km N of Kirkstead Bridge when I left, having walked up from the Kirkstead end (where the parking is good)

Phil

The WBD showing superbly this morning but generally mobile covering quite a stretch of river between Kirkstead Bridge and the old railway station at Stixwould. Seems unbelievable it is 21 years ago that I was watching a White billed Diver at the same location. A remarkable occurrence.

The bird information services were reporting it as still present until at least 3:40pm today.

Showed well in the area around the metal sheep between 13.30 and 14.30. As this was a lifer for me was surprised at just how big the bird was.

At Kirkstead Bridge moorings at 09.40.

John

What an interesting bird... a couple of observations...

If you watch the bird closely, just before it dives the bird first appears to slowly sink into the water... as it breaths out it becomes less buoyant and can therefore stay underwater longer? (Yet if I go swimming underwater, I breath in so I can hold my breath longer!)

If you look at the original twitter video footage by Jack Dawson (https://twitter.com/JDBirding/status/822860243654811648) the bird clearly has a broken bill (an affect of the video footage in poor light) but no matter how many times I look at the video the bill is clearly damaged... yet in good light the bill is okay... (a two bird theory )

How many WBD and GND have turned up on the Witham between Boston and Bardney - yet I can't recall a single RTD ever being recorded (yet they are far commoner in the Wash)? Do the big divers fly into the WASH at such speed that they can't stop themselves and continue to fly up the Witham?

If you go an see the bird in good light, try and concentrate on the pattern on the back of the neck, it's very subtle but worth looking out for...

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

...yet in good light the bill is okay... (a two bird theory )
How many WBD and GND have turned up on the Witham between Boston and Bardney - yet I can't recall a single RTD ever being recorded (yet they are far commoner in the Wash)? Do the big divers fly into the WASH at such speed that they can't stop themselves and continue to fly up the Witham?

Or is there a previously overlooked breeding group of WBDs in the area? Lincolnshire's version of Nessie!!

Yours quizzically,
James

A scan from the 1996 report and the original John Harriman image from the birdclub archive....

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

I think, Andrew, the damage evident in the video is illusory and caused by some filamentous material temporarily adhering to the bird's bill. I have been back today to view it in bright sunlight and the bill appears undamaged. I followed your advice regarding the neck pattern which is a shadowy impression of the adult summer plumage. I also noticed a russet tinge atthe back of the base of the neck.
At 11.45 today the bird was mid-way between Stixwould and Southery stations and still heading north.

John

Hi. I'm hoping to get out to see the diver at the weekend. Can anyone update me please on its location and where is the best place to park? Thank you

The diver wanders extensively and sometimes rapidly up and down the river from Kirkstead Bridge to Bardney Bridge apparently. I parked at Stixwould Station (TF 15905 64823) when I have been. You can then get information from other birders as whether to walk north or south along the cycle track. Good luck

Thanks very much for the heads up Chris, it's much appreciated. A wander up and down the river bank followed by a bite to eat at the Petwood sounds like a plan.

Looking at the photos I took it seems to have fishing line dangling from behind the base of the bill. Surely this bird is not destined to meet the same end as it's predecessor?

Ian