13th May ff 2021
Two Faces of Coot
[and other tall tales]
Thursday 13th May
An afternoon trip out to North Duffield to hopefully pick up a tick or two and, more important, continue getting back into the swing of things. From Geoff Smith hide a coot was on its nest: a picture of domestic harmony. The other adult chased off a pair of tufted ducks for coming too close to the nest.
A lone whooper swan lingered on the bund down at Garganey hide. Apparently it can fly but maybe not the long distances needed for migration. A black swan was very distant as was a curlew. Sedge warbler and hirundines were seen too. Here's the whooper: spot the wigeon!
Nothing much happened all afternoon until 4 coots decided to have a real good fight. I think its just a coot pastime as afterwards they drifted away as if it had never happened. Here are a few stills. It was fun to watch!
Back to serenity: a smart drake mallard floated past...
Sunday 16th May
Local birding at York University for a Savi's warbler. seen and heard quite easily but I couldn't manage a photo unfortunately. Reed warblers too. Here's one!
Monday 17th May
After a long gap I finally made it back to Saltholme and Hartlepool. Things were pretty quiet and around the lifeboat station I could only find the kittiwakes on the lifeboat station girders, a solitary turnstone and a few distant eiders.
I drove back towards North Gare and the Zinc Works Road. To my delight I found some wheatears - 3 of them.
Plus what I took to be a juvenile stonechat.
Tuesday 18th May
A new day a new destination: as recommended by birding friends, I headed south to Langford Lowfields RSPB near Newark. Cetti's heard in the car park, sedge warblers and numerous invisible willow warblers and some chiffchaffs too. I liked the sign in the car park.
It's a long walk [0.75 miles to the 360 degree viewpoint] through woodland and along the edge of an old quarry [largely hidden by the scrub] until the scene opens out onto a large and stlll expanding reserve.
Robin in the woods...
...and a wren a bit further on...
A view on the walk and a view from the 'Beach Hut' visitor centre.
I was hoping to see hobbies and indeed I did!
I knew that a glossy ibis had been seen nearby and a local birder sent me off to Besthorpe Notts WT and to Mons Pool where I eventually located the bird on the second section of the pool. On the first section a cormorant nest site dominated the area.
So, here's the ibis on the far side of the pool from the viewscreen.
Thursday 20th May
A miserable, cold morning visit to St. Aidan's to not see the Franklin's gull. I admit the cold and then rain drove me to abandon the search. It was found, of course, shortly after I left. Still here's the alternative menu!
Crow eating Canada goose gosling.
GCGs displaying still - perhaps they don't think it's quite spring yet!
