Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
Wednesday 19th - Sunday 23rd September 2012
It happened last week - there's always a surprise somewhere...
Wednesday: Briefly at Blacktoft!
I went to Blacktoft in the afternoon to try out the digiscoping set-up now I had got the camera settings sorted. I checked both batteries were charged and put a nice big 8GB memory card in the camera. At Blacktoft I made a maddening discovery: the camera doesn't recognise cards that big!! So no digiscoping. I had the big Canon with me [intending to take some comparison shots] so here's a redshank and, yes I'm sorry, here's the umpteenth greenshank. I do like them!! You may have noticed. Feathered photogenics.
Friday 21st September: Dig-ressing again at Saltholme
Went on a seawatch at Hartlepool Headland first. Saw a Sabine's gull lingering off the Headland; good number of skuas. Long-tailed skuas overhead. I couldn't see them! Bloke next to me [when someone said 'Coming in to the blue now!'] 'Which bit of bloody blue?' I felt the same! Still Sabine's was excellent tick.
Digiscoping attempt. Some satisfaction as seen below. Gadwall and little egret. Both beyond the camera's range but shots like this only worth it for a rarity my DSLR can't reach I feel. Still, progress nonetheless.
These photos were also taken that afternoon at Saltholme - all at Phil Stead hide - but with the DSLR.
Something a bit different - it was quite windy.
Saturday 22nd at Spurn. Winds turning easterly.
Day's finds included goldcrest; red-breasted flycatcher; yellow-browed warbler; pied flycatcher; red-backed shrike; kestrel; garden warbler. The shrike wouldn't let me get near so photos are mega crops. Kestrel passed overhead while I was watching the shrike.
Rusting machinery has often made me want to make something interesting. Experimental shot taken at Spurn Point.
Back at the Crown & Anchor I caught up with one of the three red-breasted flycatchers in the car park.
He liked to cock his tail up and down. Quite a little twitcher himself!!
Later, at the Warren, a pair of great spotted woodpeckers were ringed and ready for release. Here they are - iphone photo.
Sunday 23rd - back to Spurn again!
Much less about after a clear night. Snipe at Canal Scrape while I waited for something to turn up. An angry swan was cross with everything - another poor swan was chased from the pool. I tried to capture the mood. Note in the final picture the irate swan is in front of the swan with his wings spread making sure he can't come back.
I spent much of the day seawatching - saw lots of arctic skuas and bonxies, plus common scoter and other usual stuff. Somehow I missed out on Cory's shearwater both in the morning and after 4pm when I was nearly home. Still...
Someone came to the seawatching hide and anounced that a yellow-browed warbler was to be released at the Crown & Anchor in 15 minutes' time. I drove down and switched to the macro lens...............
First sight as the tiny bird came out of the ringer's bag.
Later I drove down to the Point to stroll around and see if I could meet up with the shrike again. It was seen but not by me. I photographed some flowers as I went.
This pretty yellow flower was everywhere in late September, colouring the dunes and the poor soils of the peninsula.
Moving in close it has pretty flowers.
I believe it is Perennial Wall-rocket diplotaxis tenuifolia - but I may be wrong. Certainly a member of the brassicaceae.
The sea-buckthorn hippophae rhamnoides was in fruit - the fruits are said to have miraculous properties nowadays:
Sea Buckthorn: New ‘Superfruit' Helps Weight Loss And Dementia
The sea buckthorn berry – a grape-sized orange fruit grown in the Himalayas – is being touted as the latest ‘superfruit’, which aids weight loss and staves off dementia.
According to Marap UK, the supplier of organic fruits from around the world, sales of sea buckthorn have soared by 30% in the past six months after scientists discovered its powerful antioxidant value.
A study by the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and the Indian Institute of technology discovered that sea buckthorn berries contain a potent mixture of vitamin A, K, E, C, B1 and B2 vitamins. They also found high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, folic acid and flavonoids.
Experts believe its mix of fatty acids signal the body to stop storing fat, and according to leading nutritionist, Dr.Oz, the weight stays off, too.
It's also the plant those pesky caterpillars feed on. Remember the warning signs:
Poster photographed at Spurn with 400mm lens - a tribute to this lens' abilities I think.
Diplolepis rosae
The rose bedeguar gall, Robin's pincushion gall, or moss gall develops as a chemically induced distortion of an unopened leaf axillary or terminal buds, mostly on wild roses, caused by a gall wasp (Diplolepis rosae (Linnaeus, 1758)), previous synonyms are D. bedeguaris, Rhodites rosae or Cynips rosae. This one was on a plant at the point.
Finally my eye was drawn to a dark-headed gull on the beach. It turns out just to be a winter-plumaged herring gull - perhaps a bit more dusky headed than usual.
Ok. Good weekend overall. 3 ticks too. 266 UK; Yorkshire now 128.
Sunday 16th - Monday 17th September 2012
Reconnoitring Sunday!*
*English etymology:
From French reconnoître (obsolete spelling of reconnaître), from Latin recognoscere (“to recognise”).
Verb (transitive, intransitive, military) To perform a reconnaissance (of an area; an enemy position); to scout with the aim of gaining information.
Ok. Enough of that. We went to check out the tides on a day when the tidal interface would most closely resemble that of the day next year when the school [I used to work at] was planning to take a whole year group on a Geography field trip - hopefully full of loads of rigour! One thing we needed to check was whether the beach would be dry at both 11am and 3pm [did they take account of BST I wonder or perhaps they'll be back in BST by then]. Oh, mystery upon mystery. Anyway, Barry went up and down the steps to weigh things up and down. He even went into the narrow Gove, obviously now renamed the Michael Gove, to see what that was like and to check the eau levels!! I stayed at the top and watched. Being a very fit young man Barry, well, e bac very quickly! We did a bit of a seawatch and we also popped into Bridlington. I took some ipics on my phone of the tidal status.
Quite interesting to watch the changing state of the tide over the four hour period. Birding was quiet: a few sandwich terns moving north for some reason, a few wheatears on the cliffs together with a linnet flock. We went into Bridlington: that was quiet too but I watched a few gulls, icluding this herring gull who was tackling a crab.
Turning it over didn't seem to help.
A house sparrow looked well as he shouted at me from his lobster pot. 
And a redshank outside the harbour looked well in the sunshine too.
Herring gulls are often dismissed as unpleasant birds...
...as witnessed by this sign in the harbour. Immature gulls don't get a second glance but they are quite attractive really. Textures always of interest. When landing, keep your wings dry!
A barnacle goose was in the harbour - it's been there a long time - as were redshanks out on the mud.
A great black-backed gull was tugging at something buried in the mud. God knows what his mother will say when he gets home! Imagine: 'Where on earth have you been? You went out in your Sunday best! Have you seen yourself??'
Just outside the harbour wall some oystercatchers were feeding on mussels.
More came to join them.
Turnstones were feeding between the boulders - also on the mussels.
For those birders who take to the seas every autumn for the RSPB Skua and Shearwater cruises from Bridlington, here's a nice shot of the Yorkshire Belle coming back to harbour from a trip to Flamborough Head.
A dig-ression
Over the last few days I've bee messing with my old Nikon 4500 camera to try digiscoping again. I gave it up some years ago but would like to produce acceptable images of birds that are beyond the reach of my 400mm lens. Here's an early experiment taken in the garden.
Ferruginous Monday: Far Ings and somewhere in Yorkshire
I set off for Far Ings, crossed the Humber Bridge, paying my £1.50, and was soon at the LWT reserve. The ferruginous duck was on the pool next to the approach road last winter: it seems likely the same bird has come back again. Here it is.
After that I went somewhere else. I saw a swan goose...
...and this nice bird with the grey bill - when it's still in eclipse mode. The big black shadow could have been cropped out but I wanted to show the trials and tribulations of the persistent birder! It's the back end of a cow that wouldn't move out of the way!! You'll understand if I don't say where I went, I hope.
263 UK; 126 Yorkshire
Thursday 13th September 2012
Filey Dams
Has an unfinished feel to it this title, don't you think? 'Filey dams all birders!' or 'Filey dams to be blown up tomorrow!' But just Filey Dams or perhaps Filey Dams YWT, a small reserve on the periphery of a housing estate of modest bungalows in west Filey. Off the Muston road. Anyway, legend [the pager] has it that a pectoral sandpiper was lingering there. So, after doing various jobs, I set off late morning to have a look. Filey Dams is quite good for photography as you do get close to the wildlife. Usually.
Not a whisker except those of the few local birders who had all seen the bird 'earlier' that morning. I did see two pink-footed geese. I wonder if they'd come far?
At the second hide – the best for close-up photography if waders are present – there was nothing to see except this imm. herring gull.
Eventually I gave up. I drove up to Holbeck to see if there were any med. gulls and to have my lunch. Nothing showing. I then went to Morrison’s for a couple of things. What now? Brid seemed too far. I decided to give it a try and go back to Filey Dams. That’s when the day took off.
Two herons – an adult and a youngster in my opinion - were dancing on the pool near the hide. It was more a chase than a fight but it was repeated many times. In between they did some fishing as you will see. They look quite alien or prehistoric [take your pick] in some of the photos.
Introducing the youngster
Introducing the adult
It seemed at times that the youngster was coming straight at us. And too close for me to focus!
Things were interrupted somewhat by an alleged kestrel that was having a battle with a pair of crows. Eventually it [or a different bird] flew across in front of the hide. The photos show this is a sparrowhawk. Quite nice.
Back to the pool in front of me. Uncropped this one!
Oh yes, the pectoral sandpiper showed up too but refused to come close. Too many heron antics I expect. Still, you can make it out.
Finally a great spotted woodpecker showed up. This seemed to interest the locals especially – apparently an unusual sighting for Filey Dams.
Monday 10th September 2012
The Persistent Birder rides again!
Friday and Saturday last week were spent trying to track down the elusive Baird's sandpiper. Today, with encouragement from home, I decided to try once more, one final throw of the dice. The bird was reported from Seaton Snook. Now if you don't know the place it can seem a vast expanse of soft, tiring sand, long stretches of wild shoreline or, at worst, a dog walker's paradise. Still up the A19 Tiggy and I went once more.
I parked at the end of the Zinc Road and set off with scope and bins. Once through the dunes I spotted a few birders not that far away, 300m perhaps. The bird was seen well through the scope. We watched and chatted for a while. I decided to head back to the car and return with camera as the walk was not too bad and the sand firm.
On my way a young swallow was sitting on the sand in front of me. Note the grains of sand on his head!
I soon spotted the birders. The sandpiper was obviously still around although I couldn't make it out yet.
Who was Baird?
Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823–1887) was an American naturalist. See Wikipedia for more.
My first photo of a Baird's sandpiper. The rest follow caption free...well, almost!
I did something I've never done before. I lay down on the sand completely flat, the camera pointing in front of me. Pectoral band showing nicely on this bird too. Might trying the lying down technique again some time!
Great bird.
Time to move on. I called at Newburn Bridge as I knew the tide would be high. The usual suspects were present including the med gull.
I photographed this turnstone.
At Saltholme in the Phil Stead hide I settled down to have my lunch. The lapwing was still near the hide.
A female garganey was pointed out to me - not that obvious is it?
Through the blur of the reeds but a little clearer.
This gadwall on the other hand looked really smart. We often overlook the complexities of gadwall patterning.
I spotted a hare off left. No-one else had seen it until I pointed it out.
A couple of egrets dropped in.
One of the black-tailed godwits was calling.
Finally I couldn't help capturing this sequence with a greenshank who decided to have a good bathe. Now you see him, now you don't!
261 UK. My second Baird's sandpiper.
Logging off for now.
Friday 7th September - Saturday 8th September 2012
Two Days in Cleveland
- or a ride on the birding rollercoaster!
Friday
There was, so it was told on the old pager thing, a Baird's sandpiper at Hartlepool, at Newburn Bridge to be precise. I like Newburn Bridge because at high tide the waders can be excitingly close to you. They were. But no sign of the target bird. In fact there was no sign all day.
Not to worry, there'll be other things to see. Like gulls for instance. I spotted this bird on the rocks.
I seem to have a thing about Mediterranean Gulls. I kept an eye on this one. But there were other gulls too. Like this smart black-headed gull.
Or herring gulls.
My eye was drawn back to the medgull.
At low tide there were few waders.
After a while I drove up to Saltholme - there's usually something of interest at the Phil Stead hide. Here's what I saw... [= ellipsis: only 3 dots allowed, you know!]
This magpie has just been wading in the pool. He starts to shake the water droplets off!
And even more droplets fly!
Now for a godwit-fest. Over 20 godwits were present and there were a few altercations. Light was poor so photos not top quality but they convey the situation well, I think.
Godwit 1: Have you seen my leaning over trick?
Godwit 2: Well, I bet you can't do the splits like this!
How about a fight, then?
I spotted a new species of godwit: the long-necked godwit!
A lapwing came very close. With antennae like those he must get very good reception!!
Unless you get your wires crossed!
There were snipe...
...and even greenshanks. Just in case anyone thought they'd seen the back of them. Trouble is, I can't resist photographing them!
Last picture of the day shows a godwit in calmer mode. Black-tailed by the way.
Saturday
Back to Newburn Bridge bright and early to catch the wader roost at high tide. With equally high hopes of a Baird's sandpiper.
A turnstone was on the concrete ramp behind me.
The roost of sanderlings produced a very black and white image, so I changed it to black & white to see how it looked!
There was for several hours no sign of the Baird's sandpiper. Excitement spread among the asembled birders when someone spotted something different.
'There it is!' went the shout.
Pretty little bird. Unfortunately it's a dunlin. Always eliminate the most likely first. One birder had obviously lost his bottle.
To compensate for our disappointment someone piped up: 'Yellow-legged gull. On the rocks!'
Attention switched to this bird.
Yes, it's a lesser black-backed gull. Double dipping on the birding rollercoaster!!
I fled to Saltholme again for something different, I hoped.
They do a good line in weasels at Saltholme. I've seen a few over the years.
I bet those teeth can really hurt!
There were birds too. Including the surprise of the week! I nearly had to settle for one of my cuckoo type record shots of this bird until, happily, it decided to come over my way...
What is it? It's a pec. Pectoral sandpiper. Bit camera shy at first.
Pectoral band showing nicely! Dead technical.
To end the day I went back to Newburn Bridge. Just in case. Stupid really as the tide was now low. Still, one bird was waiting for me. I don't mean this group of sandwich terns.
Or this mixed group: sanderlings, oystercatcher, black-headed gulls and sandwich terns.
As you can see, the beach at Newburn Bridge at low tide is quite black with sea-coal dust. In sunlight and shade it can look very different. Wet it can look sky blue. In shade it can look jet black. Like this - with my favourite gull.
I waited a long time, camera settings all set for flight shots using the Canon 'ring of fire' focus points. Eventually something put the few other gulls up. The med followed suit and I was ready. So just for me: Mediterranean gull in flight.
Shadow on the sand below.
It's as if he's trying to shake off his shadow.
Farewell larus melanocephalus - which, just to confuse us all means black-headed gull!! To make matters even dafter, black-headed gull has the latin name larus ridibundus which means laughing gull. I wonder what the latin name of laughing gull means?
Editor: this must stop now!