Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
25th March 2019
Weather tales...
1: Wet,wet,wet!
Monday March 25th tempted me to pop to Blacktoft for reported garganey. I already knew about the need for wellingtons as some of the paths were flooded to four or five inches in a few places. Access down the hedge path to Ousefleet was fine and it was from the gate at the end of the hedge that I spotted the garganey [2 ducks, 1 drake] out on the grazing marsh which still held a lot of water. Ousefleet hide had a strong collection of wildfowl and waders. I took no pictures however as nothing was really close. Heading back and turning left for Marshland hide I had to paddle through the deepest section of water...
2: Sunny skies!
Kildale for ring ouzel and wheatear [29/3] but no sign. Just mipits, red grouse and a mistle thrush. Here are some red grouse shots.
All taken from the car. I moved on to Skinningrove still hoping for my first wheatear of the year. Skinningrove delivered. I spotted a stonechat on the rock armour so raised my camera and, looking down the lens, I saw a wheatear. The stonechat was just a metre further on. Here's both of them.
A motley crew of eiders off Skinningrove beach.
Finally at North Gare thinking about a possible white wagtail but took these photos instead. Kestrel and skylarks.
Saturday 30/3: I followed up on a report of little gull at Fairburn. Managed to scope the gull from the visitor centre boardwalk looking down Main Bay. Then met a birder I know by sight who told me where to go to see the spoonbill. So, mission accomplished: 2 ticks in a morning.
3: Cold!
To Tophill Low for the day. Hoping for kingfisher but that hope never materialised. Blackcaps, cetti's and chiffies all singing but only chiffchaff actually seen.
It was cold and this bird looks like it would like something warmer! Meanwhile in the visitor centre a little gull was showing rather well. Two seen: here's one of them. At first hiding on the reservoir wall. Then took flight.
A few wrens were noted. Here are 2 different ones from different parts of the reserve.
From North Marsh, some little grebe photos.
O reservoir had a few goldeneyes still around.
South Marsh also had a little gull present. Nice size comparison with black-headed gull.
A marsh harrier drifted across North Marsh before dropping into the reedbed. Some unusual angles as it banked before diving down!
160 UK 2019
20th March ff
I'm still standing!
1: Bempton
Just in case any of my regular readers are wondering whether I've popped my proverbial clogs, I'm fine: just been looking after a new kitten, I've hated the windy weather [putting things right round the garden after the storms took its time] and there hasn't been much to go out for recently in our part of the world. So yesterday [20/3] I went to Bempton to get my annual auk fix. Also saw kittiwakes, gannets, fulmars, mipits and a chesty greenfinch. Here's the photos.
2:March 22nd - Skinningrove, Lockwood Beck reservoir and Scaling Dam
Main target was a female black redstart at Skinningrove...
"What's this grey job then?" My friend Chris King asked.
"Dunno CK," I replied.
Dunnock. Often overlooked and took a nice photo.
This wasn't my target either!
Then I spotted it on the far side of Kilton Beck [the stream that runs down to the sea at Skinningrove]. Female black redstart - perfectly coloured to be almost invisible at times as she wandered in and out of the rock armour.
Next stop: Lockwood Beck bird feeder station. First 20 minutes were completely devoid of any bird life. Then a couple of chaffinches appeared. Shortly after that it was raining birds. And what a super selection too!
Lesser redpolls...
A super male brambling...
...and this fellow. Mealy redpoll
There were 2 mealy type redpolls and you probably spotted a siskin in there too. Supporting cast of robin, blackbird, treecreeper, chaffinch, goldfinch, dunnock and a few tits.
Finally a brief call at Scaling Dam for a LRP.
155 UK 2019
27th February 2019
Great grey!
February 27th - took me down the A1 to Clumber Park near Worksop and to a county I don't visit that often, Nottinghamshire. It was a long walk from the car park to South Lawn on the other side of the lake, followed by a long wait for the bird to reappear. I sat on a bench in the sunshine and chatted to a local birder. Ron Marshall came over to chat too. Eventually the bird was spotted in a tree some way behind us and looking into the sun.
Luckily it flew over us and landed in a sequence of shrubs and small trees in front of us. Not too close but near enough for some good photographic possibilities.
The shrike was not concerned by all the folk about on such a nice day and most of the folk were blissfully unaware of the bird's presence!
You had to be quick to get a focus lock before it changed sapling!
149 UK 2019
23rd February 2019
Lockwood Beckons
February 23rd
Sheila and I headed off mid-morning to spend a couple of hours sitting on a bench behind the fishermen's hut at Lockwood Beck hoping for a mealy redpoll - sometimes called common redpoll although I can't think for the life of me why! However we chatted to the other birders and we had fabulous views of treecreeper plus nuthatch, marsh tit, siskin and a supporting cast of more common tits and finches. Here are a few views of what we saw.
Siskin
Nuthatch
Lesser redpoll only seen once and only briefly on the feeder.
Marsh tit
Treecreeper
We moved on heading for a walk out on Greatham Creek. Cool breeze but pretty pleasant in this spell of warmer weather. Avocets x8 eventually seen on the third pool plus lots of shelduck and shoveler.
Final photo as walked back to the car park over the bridge - redshank!
148 UK 2019
14th-21st February 2019
That damn beardie again!
Before that, a few other bits.
In the garden on February 14th I spotted an early butterfly in excellent condition...
At the same time I took a photo of the mimosa which has done well this spring and avoided too much frost damage to its flowers.
February 16th Sheila and I spent a few hours at the Wykeham Forest raptor watchpoint. No sign of any goshawks just buzzards. However we did see some crossbills and photographed this female.
And so on to February 19th - when we went to Blacktoft for the afternoon. The most noteworthy thing was that Sheila got talking to a couple who had come to see the Farewell to the Tornados flypast. They knew somehow that the planes would come over the reserve. And boy did they! Everything scattered but soon returned. The noise of the three aircraft was horrendous as they screamed over Singleton hide. No pictures - they were so fast and almost straight overhead of us.
A few more prosaic photos...greylags not tornados if you're confused!!
Marsh harrier
Little egret
St. Aidan's, February 21st. I went because I was keen to see the black-necked grebes on the eastern reedbed. They were soon found although not particularly close in.
A pair of mute swans were flying noisily towards me. I assumed they were a pair but one landed close by and the other flew off way over the trees and out of sight.
I gathered the bearded tit was still about. Two people with tiny point and shoot cameras were bending over the reeds along Bowers Lake shore some 400 metres from where I last saw the bird. I went to have a look. The bird was crawling, hopping about at the base of the reeds checking the dead stems for food. I can't say it was confiding as I don't think it was aware of the people so close to it. He [it's a male] just plodded on pottering in the reeds undisturbed by the proximity of the spectators. I stepped well back [I had to to get a focus] and tried to catch some images. He's a quick mover!
About half of these shots are uncropped.
Spring coltsfoot.
