Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
7th-13th February 2019
Fur and Feather
An ambition fulfilled
February 7th
South Gare and then Saltholme - a day out with Sheila. We started at a fairly windy South Gare in the naive belief that we might find the elusive lapland bunting. You guessed: we didn't. However I did manage a couple of nice shots of snow buntings hiding in the marram grass.
We moved on to Saltholme to escape the wind. Much calmer there and we set off for the Wildlife Watchpoint with the promise of a friendly water vole. It eventually appeared once the noisy birders in the hide had left. Only problem: it was too close for my 500mm lens and so I had to step away from the window further into the hide to get a focus. Not easy when the vole's appearances were so fleeting. Anyway, here's my best efforts. I think they capture it quite well...
Water voles do have orange teeth.
February 11th
Langdon Beck and Fishburn. I didn't find any black grouse close enough for really detailed photos but this group, whilst not strictly a lek, were displaying in one of the fields close to the Langdon Beck hotel.
I drove on to Fishburn for a second visit to try to see the Pallas's warbler. Success this time as I saw the bird well once and briefly a second time but it was always moving too quickly for me to grab any photos. Had to settle for this wintering chiffchaff. The back lighting makes the legs look unusually pale.
February 13th
In the Peak District. Having never been lucky enough to see mountain hare in Scotland I decided to try the Peak District with a local photographer as my guide.
We set off along the Pennine Way...
An exhausting day with a success story at the end. We saw and were able to get close to golden plover and then, from mid-afternoon, we spent time lying in the heather and whinberry [aka bilberry] in the company of one particular hare whilst two others were active on the hillside behind us.
Grouse were widespread and they were actively in courtship mode.
Golden plover. Photographically probably the star turn of the day. We spotted this head sticking up over a ridge. Eventually we worked round to approach from the other side so the lighting would be better. Just a bit!!
In this final plover photo you might just detect that the bird was not alone. There's another in the top left corner!
As the hares are largely nocturnal they become more active in the afternoon. I saw 5 in the end plus one recently dead hare that was minus one leg and its head, so presumably it had been predated by a raptor. Here goes: mountain hare photos - 3 different hares in these shots.
Feeding
Dozing
Alert. This one was about to run for it.
The friendly one. We spent an hour sitting close to this hare whilst it groomed and nibbled.
Feeling pretty tired [we walked about 6 miles on very difficult terrain at times] but the weather was very good and I stretched out in the heather for a rest.
145 UK 2019 plus a lifer mountain hare!
February 4th-5th 2019
Beware the Mexican Bandidos!!
Bandits a little later.
On February 4th Sheila and I headed to Swillington Ings [or St. Aidan's RSPB as we're now supposed to call it] to try out the new zoom lens on Sheila's camera. We had no particular target bird in mind although a kingfisher would have been nice. Our best encounter was with a pair of displaying kestrels. My camera refused to lock on to anything in the air but Sheila took these...
I was lucky to seize the moment when the female landed on a post in front of me. She didn't stay long - I think she heard the camera shutter.
It was very muddy and so when the following day we went back to a different part of the reserve I wore more suitable wellingtons. We'd heard there were some co-operative bearded tits about so we went to the centre to ask for directions.
'Follow me,' said a volunteer. Out on the decking of the centre he pointed down the hill to a group of birders about 300m away. My second close encounter of the year after the treecreepers at Lockwood Beck. Here goes! Bandits in the reedbed!
You've probably seen enough but I was very pleased with Sheila's photos too as it wasn't easy to follow the bird as it moved rapidly in the reeds...
143 UK 2019
28th January 2019 ff
Slowly working my way northwards...
I began with a plan on Monday 28/1/19. Obviously it could evolve as I went along. I'd heard of a ruddy shelduck on a lake ''just south of Nunnington Hall.'' I couldn't find either the lake or the shelduck! So I headed west along the A170 towards Sutton Bank and Thirsk to pick up the A19. As I drove along I saw a pair of grey partridges. At the Sutton Bank centre I was pleased to see siskin and my first brambling of the year. The brambling disappeared when it saw my camera. This yellowhammer hung around for me.
The pager announced that a Russian white-fronted goose was in a field by Hurworth Burn reservoir near Trimdon west of Hartlepool. I decided to give it a go. Found easily with loads of pinkfeet and some greylags. Scope views only. I headed for Hartlepool Headland just to see what was around. No sign of any white gulls in the fish dock although birders were looking for a glaucous gull. I saw some nice bright looking eider drakes in the sunshine and cloudless sky.
Mediterranean gull at Newburn Bridge - I passed my personal med gull spotting test!
Saltholme hoping for a nice water rail tick and photo. Well satisfied with the results!
There were waxwings in the trees as I left the centre at Saltholme.
In the hide at Saltholme someone was extolling the virtues of Hawthorn Wood hide at Washington. A quick calculation and I decided I had time to go to the original Washington. I spent an hour in the hide at Hawthorn Wood along with bullfinches, siskins, redpolls, and bramblings. Great stuff!
139 UK 2019
20th-26th January 2019
Steady as we go!
January 20th: Pugney's Country Park near Wakefield
We were looking for a female smew: a birder told us it had flown off 10 minutes earlier ''but I expect it's still around.'' It wasn't! I was lucky to see this fellow coming towards me and quick reactions got me some shots of what I'm pretty sure is the Kumlien's Iceland gull.
Making the most of our continued 'smewlessness' I snapped a couple more gulls: lesser black-backed and common gulls.
Wigeon were grazing on the grass just in front of us.
We finished the day at Lemon Royd sewage works where I picked up my first grey wagtail of the year and spent some time trying to photograph the water pipits through the wire mesh fencing. Very tricky as the birds weren't close. Here's one example.
January 21st: Moon and decent birding at Lockwood Beck and Greatham Creek
Wolf blood super moon [or rearrange in any order e.g. Super blood wolf moon] got me up early. Exposure was a problem - I should have used a tripod. Best effort: it's a bit of a wobbly jelly! 7.07 a.m.
By 8.47 the moon was very bright and back to normal
Later that morning I headed north towards Lockwood Beck reservoir and sat at the feeder station with a mug of coffee. Siskins entertained.
Treecreepers gave me my first close encounter of 2019. Very nice.
On to Greatham Creek to scan for the spotted redshank in its pale grey winter plumage. Picked up straightaway - it stands out like the proverbial sore thumb.
Imperfect photo but it shows the differences: no white wing-bar on spotted and the common has a white triangle up its back whilst spotted has a longer narrow white oval; bills are different too.
Further on down the left bank of Greatham Creek I found my first grey plover of 2019. In fact I found three. Here's one of them.
A pair of shovelers flew off as I walked back to the road.
January 25th: another Smew Hunt
We went to Kirkholme Point, Hornsea Mere. Pretty windy I almost gave up but a group of birders arrived so I decided to have another go. Thrilled to be the one to find it. I ran back to Tiggy to get the big lens and left Sheila keeping an eye on it in the scope. Diving continuously as you might expect.
Later we saw fulmars on the cliffs at Bempton - other than that there were few birds to be seen.
January 26th: Alkborough Flats and Kilnsea
I decided to go to Alkborough and scan Read's Island too for avocets. None seen. Hundreds of golden plover on the mud.
Alkborough held many more waders and lots of waterfowl - mainly teal. Hen harrier seen from hide doorway as I left thanks to a birder who had found it quartering a distant hedgeline. Photo shows a marsh harrier.
Later at Kilnsea I saw Brent geese. Also a brand new hide - much bigger then the old one and only installed last week. However it's made of MDF which seems strange. Will it survive everything the wind and tides can throw at it?
134 UK 2019
13th-15th January 2019
From Saltholme to North Lincolnshire to Scarborough
January 13th: a quiet day bird-wise due to the aggressive wind. Highlight for me was the pale Spotted Redshank seen next to a group of common redshanks in a howling gale - I could barely hold the scope still on the Salterns.
Only photo of any merit was a single waxwing at Saltholme visitor centre, just right of the main door!
January 14th: Westwoodside for very distant Bewick's swans. These whoopers were in a nearby field.
From there we headed to Pugney's CP near Wakefield. A glaucous gull was on the reserve lake.
As was this lesser black-backed gull.
We hung around in case the reported Iceland gull dropped in as it tends to do late afternoon. It did and I can understand how a Kumlien's type has also been reported. Were there two birds or was the same bird being reported by some as Iceland and by others as Kumlien's? I don't know. A bit dark for Iceland but by then the light was poor. Record shots of the gull as it was in the middle of the main lake.
January 15th: 3 birds in Scarborough
A very good day.
I began by walking along Marine Drive [free parking till 28/2] looking for fulmars. Any white blobs were checked. Never saw one but whilst looking I found these two by pure chance.
They put on a great flying display landing in various places. I tried to get some flight shots but no luck. However one or two of the perched shots are really pleasing.
Harbour next. I soon found the great northern diver just outside the harbour. Whereupon it swam in giving nice close views.
It caught something tasty!
The morsel is half way down its throat!
I spotted what I thought was a cormorant by the marina access ramp near the Luna Park. Looking more closely I realised it was a young shag! And it was happy to be the centre of attention!
Favourite shot!
124 UK 2019