Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
7th May 2016 ff
It's Bumper Bundle time!
Starting on May 5th with a double walk in the Bolton Abbey area. I soon met up with the birds I expected to see on the river...
Common sandpiper
Grey wagtail
Grey heron - looking almost like a plastic replica!
Up into the woods I came across a puzzled song thrush who just sat and stared at me.
Target bird number one: pied flycatchers in good number.
I came upon a friendly female pied flycatcher.
I saw a few redstarts but they were not posing for me. This is a smart male but it was taken into the sunlight.
Although others had wood warbler that day I failed to find any. No-one else had seen spotted flycatcher - I was even told it was too early yet by one self-confessed expert. So here's the early bird.
Mandarins came very close.
The females are subtly attractive.
The male retreated to the trees.
One grey wagtail perched in a tree next to me...
...another was on a rock in mid-stream.
I frightened a foraging squirrel.
Mrs Mallard took her ducklings for a bubble bath!
Butterburs were flowering on the west bank...[they get rid of migraine apparently]
...along with bluebells.
I had a go at photographing the sand martins. Here's one I was quite pleased with.
Later that day I dropped in to Crimdon Beach to see if the little terns were back. A sea fret meant it seemed very cold and dismal. Sanderlings were out for a jog.
Little terns - first of several visits.
Sunday May 8th just an hour free to go to Swillington Ings. Black necked grebes looked well in the sunlight.
A female orange tip [no orange tips on the female so it's often overlooked] was on the cuckoo flower - its normal food plant.
A reed bunting was singing merrily competing with a reed warbler about ten feet away. Here are both of them.
The warbler kept diving back into a gorse bush but soon reappeared to sing.
I was reminded how suddenly spring arrives and how quickly it can be over...
May 9th: whiskered terns at Saltholme were the excuse to head up to the Hartlepool area. Not easy to photograph - note the dark underparts...
...and in this shot the short tail shows fairly clearly.
At Phil Stead hide a tree sparrow was sunning itself...
...and a garganey showed briefly before disappearing in the weeds...
...a common tern was taking a break.
At Dorman's I can never resist the sedge warblers.
Seaton Common was quiet apart from some distant curlews. They used to keep linnets as cage birds - this one's just on a fence!
Then back to Crimdon Dene!
May 11th I began the day at North Cave where I saw a wood sandpiper. Then I went to Filey as a stop-off on my way to Scaling Dam. Carr Naze was busy with sand martins. I lay in the grass near a fence they favoured...
Eventually they flew off and a meadow pipit took over.
Scaling Dam's new hide afforded views of a common sandpiper among the gulls. How small is that!!
I decided to walk up the glen from the wonderfully-named Boghouse Lane. Stonechats, three cuckoo sightings and my target: green hairstreak.
Thursday 12th May Barry and I headed for Saltholme. Whiskered tern, black tern for starters and then on to Crimdon so Barry could see the little terns. Cowslips were in flower...
...and skylarks singing overhead.
Ringed plover on Crimdon Beach
Summer sanderlings still jogging. Nice light!
Rare flight shot of Barry's cap blowing away in the wind. Barry hotfooting after it!
Obligatory little terns again!
A pied wagtail explored the dried up beck...
...and a [buff-breasted] meadow pipit watched us from the grassy bank.
As we left Crimdon we spotted a few early purple orchids.
In the afternoon we went on a walk somewhere not far from the Bilsdale transmitter which was visible above the clouds. Crossing the moors Barry spotted some golden plover in a field of sheep. Stopping to take a quick photo the sheep all came running excitedly towards us. Result: golden plover exit stage left!
A wheatear brightened our stroll.
We were on our walk to a Duke of Burgundy site. Barry spotted our first of the year. More followed in the sheltered ride.
A couple of dingy skippers were seen too.
On the way home we called briefly to see if turtle doves had been seen this year up Sutton Bank. We were told no, nothing definite. This was follwed 10 minutes later by this email...
Hi Chris,
You must be something of a lucky charm – confirmed turtle dove sighting about 10 minutes ago! Nice to see you again!
Chris
Visitor Centre Assistant Sutton Bank National Park Centre Sutton Bank Thirsk YO7 2EH
...and then by this...
I also saw my photos in the 2016 North York Moors guide...
Friday 13th a quick trip to Danby Beacon for dotterel. They were a long way from the road - others had better views on other days but I was content to see them in the damp misty conditions. Record shot - not quite what I call a cuckoo shot!
Monday 16th May - a drive down the A1 to Twyford Wood in Lincolnshire to hunt the grizzled skipper. Hunt the Butterfly Conservation area was the main problem. No signs or clues. Eventually after wandering along roads and runways [the woods hide an old WWII airfield] I met a man with bins and a camera and so I got there in the end.
The only sign is when you actually are already there!!
I found the 'Sanctuary' and a dingy skipper...
...and then my lifer butterfly - grizzled skippers. They're tiny chaps. Some pose very nicely.
A trip to Gait Barrows NNR proved disappointing with regard to pearl-bordered fritillaries but interesting nonetheless. The limestone pavement is amazing.
I saw some early purple orchids and a speckled yellow moth.
Lily of the Valley grow wild too.
Yesterday I finished up at Bempton and went back to my roots: it all started for me with a desire to photograph birds in flight. Bifs, some call them. Well, here's a nice set to finish this posting.
But before that a few snaps from around the visitor centre: swallows, tree sparrows and a charming jackdaw. I like jackdaws!
Oh yes, and a pied wag. Never easy to photograph well, this one really pleased me!
And now the finale. A fistful of gannets!
215 UK 2016
30th April ff
It all happens so quickly...
The weather shifts into a better frame of mind and everything takes off. Problem is being in the right place at the right time and not being able to be in two places at once!!
Blacktoft Sands 30th April. Sedge warbler.
The cloud moved on...
Frampton Marsh, 4th May - Black-winged stilt and a garganey. [Garganey photographed through a hawthorn bush!]
Called at Whisby on way home and watched a nightingale then saw the female Monty's at Blacktoft.
A walk with Barry on Strensall Common on Thursday 5th May...common lizard.
We heard cuckoo, green woodpecker and saw tree pipit too.
Plus a few lambs!
Willow warblers competed for the airwaves with chaffinches. This chaffinch posed in the sunshine.
UK 204 2016
08.04.16 ff
Bring on the migrants! [please!]
A couple of trips to Blacktoft since my return from the Scotland trip. Marsh harriers and shovelers looking good.
Afraid the long-eared owl was just hiding in too much undergrowth to get a decent shot.
The chiffchaff and robin posed nicely.
Later on the 11th at North Cave I snapped this ruff.
And here's a North Cave chiffchaff! [16.04]
I couldn't find any ring ouzels at Kildale - just wheatears and red grouse.
There were various other short afternoon sorties which led nowhere including another visit to North Cave and a long walk round Heslington East where only wheatears and hirundines were the birds of interest.
Which brings me to April 24th. A trip to a very bleak Spurn produced very little other than the surprise find of a common redstart at Canal Scrape. Lots of chiffchaffs at Sammy's Point but it was so cold I headed for Old Moor where it was 4 degrees warmer. A few snapshots from there...
A wren sang his heart out...
...then had a rest!
A redshank pottered past Crosslands hide.
Monday 25th April: early morning at Dorman's Pool. Gropper seen fleetingly as it flew away after we had listened to it just in front of us. Plenty of sedge and whitethroat. We hoped for lesser whitethroat and knew the favoured spot but the rain/hail came, the wind went a bit wild and I headed home for lunch.
A spring sedge warbler - but where's spring gone?
Better view.
And whitethroat portraits.
My favourite:-
196 UK 2016
23.03.16 to 03.04.16
Rolling down the road
This posting covers quite a lot of miles and days - hence the title. We begin at Old Moor on March 23rd when things were pretty quiet and anything of interest was a long way away - like these four common scoters that were on a short inland break.
Next stop was at Saltholme on March 25th when I thought I'd have another look at the penduline tits as they were reported from the Watchpoint. The place was crowded but all I could see was a very tame little egret just outside the hide.
To my surprise the penduline appeared too!
The 313th British bird I have photographed.
I decided to have another look at the shore larks too - so I drove up to the old cemetery area on the Headland.
On the 26th March I set off for a week's birding in Scotland. I saw a skittish crested tit on arrival at Loch Garten but couldn't get a shot. The next morning was little better: overhead crossbills and a distant great spotted woodpecker.
We called briefly at Loch Pityoulish if my memory serves me well. Oiks against the pine forest background.
We finished our first day on the shores of Loch Morlich near Aviemore. A pied wagtail caught my eye.
Having failed to locate any capercaillies we left next morning for Mull, travelling via the Corran and then Lochaline ferries. En route to Lochaline we passed some slavonian grebes. Nice group of about seven in total.
Crossing on the Corran ferry.
Loch Fyne approaching Lochaline before taking us to Mull.
Once safely on Mull we passed hooded crows...
...and red deer...
...and some more everyday sights too...
There are many narrow roads with passing places on Mull. Some offer extra facilities.
At Loch na Keal we stopped to look for eagles. General panorama of the area.
Excitement ebbed as we watched what turned out to be a common buzzard.
Then something else was spotted.
Golden eagle.
Eventually I nearly fell backwards as it came overhead and crossed a blue sky hole in the cloud cover.
White-tailed eagles showed as well but were really too distant for my camera - a scope job but I tried. Best effort: at least the white tail showed clearly.
We stopped for lunch and saw some shags on a rock - adult and juvenile.
Great northern divers were quite common.
Different light.
A raven flew in front of the cliffs alongside us. I tried a panning burst. One seemed to come out all right.
One of the last sightings of the day was of stonechats.
29th March - second day on Mull. We went to Grasspoint. Immediately we came across a male hen harrier...
...and a raven carrying food or nesting material?
It began to rain heavily. What's this out on the water? Shark?
No: otter's tail. Here's more.
Otter on the rocks.
In the rain I spotted a seal hauled up on the rocks. Bit of a con[crete!]
Good to see more hoodies.
Returning to the mainland at the Corran ferry we watched amazed as a white-tailed eagle took a kid goat [telescope only] and I photoed a reasonably close black guillemot.
Wednesday 30th March was back into the Abernethy forest. A pause on the bridge in Nethy Bridge for a quick dipper.
The forest is festooned everywhere with lichens.
We found some crested tits - well one in particular put on a good show.
A good day for crossbills too.
Thursday 31st March began as usual with a pre-breakfast capercaillie walk but of our 6 walks at different times and different places 5 failed. We went up Cairngorm - well part way on foot looking for and finding 'scopable' ptarmigans. I found some red grouse not far from the path and then the big moment: an afternoon caper in the woods. This time we got them: two male capercaillies - UK lifer 422. Never took my eyes off them as each one [separate sightings] flew off. They're big! Thank goodness it wasn't April 1st [quite] as no-one might have ever believed me!
Somewhere above: Grey seal at Port Gordon. Bit of a glitch in the program so couldn't put some of these captions where I wanted...
Great views of flocks of long-tailed ducks at sea near Spey Bay. Later near Hopeman we met a sub-adult iceland gull and, a bit further on, a few grey partridge: quite tricky to spot in a ploughed field!
I set off southbound on April 2nd. A final view of the Cairngorms from Broomhill Station on the Strathspey Railway.
I called at Loch Garten feeders.
A pair of goldeneye were on the Loch...
...and the ospreys were both on the nest.
A little later I passed Ruthven Barracks built in 1719 and destroyed by retreating Jacobites after Culloden in 1746.
Someone told me that Loch of the Lowes was a good place to see osprey so I called in as it was on my route near Dunkeld. Pretty good indeed I thought!
They have reds too! Recommended - it's Scottish Wildlife Trust. £4 per adult; 2 hides; small car park and squirrels to watch!
April 3rd on journey home after an overnight stop in Dunbar I decided to call at Cresswell just in case the long-billed dowitcher was near the hide. Well it wasn't on its normal distant spit but it was still some way off to the right of the hide by the reedbeds.
I sat and waited hoping it would come close. Two whoopers departed.
The dowitcher flew off down towards the causeway. i drove down. Birders there hadn't seen it come but a local accompanied me stealthily towards the causeway. He said it could be quite confiding sometimes. We kept very quiet. 'Well done,' he said. 'You were right. Look.'
Dowitcher cracked!!
That's it for now!
187 UK 2016
17th-19th March 2016
A long tail with a black start and a curly finish!
17th March
A long-tailed tit somehow got into one of our greenhouses. My attempts to coax it out having failed I thought that maybe one look at a camera and it would scarper. It soon did - but I got these first!
19th March
Plan A: Sheila and I headed for Filey but ridiculous amounts of traffic made me cut across country east of York through Haxby to pick up the A19 and head for Hartlepool Headland. Plan B: photograph a black redstart in the Memorial Garden and find the great northern diver in the harbour. Where's the blackstart hiding?
In the bushes!
Here!
Lilies left tied to a bench to remember someone... A birder perhaps?
Onwards along the harbour walls towards the fish dock. Eiders displaying and making eerie, moaning noises. Rather impressive.
Is it love?
I tried a quick video with my phone but the show was over.
There were purple sandpipers roosting on the breakwater...
...making for a very boring photo! Oyks flew in too...
A few curlews came in with the 150 or so oystercatchers. So here's the curly end!
Keep on birding!
P.S. We saw the GN diver through the railings well inside the fish dock - so mission accomplished!