Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
29th May - 1st June 2012
Tuesday 29/5 - a lifer!
8am. Tea in bed, pager in hand. How sad is that? Oh well, Hartleppol Headland: 'Western Orphean Warbler trapped and ringed. Will be released at bowling green at 8.45am.' Humming and hawing. Eventually after doing a tiny bit of pointing on the side of the house [where I removed a satellite dish yesterday] I set off. To cut a long and very tedious story short I kept seeing bits of this bird in its sycamore tree. Eventually I saw most of it! The chap who got a photo is a miracle worker!
Decided to head home after a couple of hours. Saw a roller was at Spurn. 'Go for it!' came the text from home. So I went, I arrived and I didn't see it! Saw great views, unbelievably good views of a pair of golden orioles. Went home. Still happy.
One of what I might call my 'cuckoo category' photos. Distant view; rubbish photo but there on the top of that bush is... yes, a golden oriole! Honest!!
Wednesday 30/5
In the afternoon we went to Blacktoft as I had mentioned that a marsh warbler was, allegedly, 'showing well.' Not something really that marsh warblers do. Anyway we went. We saw the bird briefly from time to time. We heard it initially quite well, then silence. And that was about it. Even the marsh harriers were quiet - just one lone male seen. We tried for the grasshopper down by Marshland but no sound. By the reception building I photographed a young rabbit. Someone said: 'Have you seen the young leveret?' I went back. Not rabbit, hare. In the long grass nearby I spotted an adult. Never photographed a hare before. They make really nice pictures.
In the words of the song: 'If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hare.'
Thursday 31/5: Black to Backtoft!!
Marsh warbler showing well, allegedly, at Blacktoft. Ever get that sense of déjà vu? [Can now do accents! I've learnt how to paste from Word using Ctrl + V!!] Anyway, I went back. It rained and rained. I don't think I've ever been so wet whilst out birding. This marsh harrier female sat through it all.
A bedraggled whitethroat was still feedinng its young with nice juicy spiders.
I sat in Singleton hide and watched the rain. There wasn't much else to watch. A few shelduck splashed down.
Somethings enjoy the rain. I expect the reeds enjoy it. Magic growth from magic rain. Probably at least a foot per week.
A dirty little toad was out on the path having a shower.
Eventually I headed back to Tiggy for a drink and to warm up. I left her engine running to warm myself up and to enable contact with the outside world as my phone had died. Text from home promised weather would improve. By 2pm the light seemed better. It looked warmer if you know what I mean. Experts with great eyesight had arrived. They were onto the marsh warbler. I wish Barry had been there: someone mentioned subsong! I could hear it [the subsong!!!!]. Then, I could see it [the bird not the subsong], perched up.
As ever, let the pictures tell the story. Notice it is ringed: we were looking for an upright ringed bird with a different song to reed warbler as they look extremely similar. Apparently marsh are a bit more upright in stance and sit higher in the reeds for longer. Have a look. Photographic first for me.
By now the whitethroat had dried out a lot and was looking brighter. Still taking food back for its young.
On the way back to the car I met the leveret again. He looked pretty soaked too.
He scampered off. Great image this, thanks pal!
Later I saw him round the back end of the car next to Tiggy.
Friday 1st June: I'm on a roll!
No I haven't sat on my lunch, Barry. But on Thursday night the Spurn roller was reported 'outside Aldbrough by the B1242 still on wires over ploughed field just north of the village.' Still!! As if it's been there for days and I haven't been paying attention. So decision taken to go early. Very early left at 5.30am. Arrived at ploughed field with 3 parked cars at 6.50. Saw bird 6.52. Just like that. Lifer 379. 21 to go to reach that magic number...
The light was poor and the bird not especially close.
On wires it looked a bit bedraggled but it was finding worms.
The light was poor and it was still cold. I decided to wander down to Spurn for an hour. It wasn't too far. There was a tree pipit at the Warren. Reception information was barren again.
Apparently the long wing projection and pale area round the eye are diagnostic. A bit of supercilium present. And they'd ringed it.
I went back to Aldbrough. Three birders had become a major twitch of course. The roller was getting twitchy too. But the light was better:
This flight picture from behind shows how colourful a roller is in flight. Blues, brown, black, and white.
Whatever next?
Yorks 108; UK 231
Thursday 24th May & Friday 25th May 2012
A Quality Bird and then Grim at Grimsby, Failure at Flamborough
I was spending Thursday at home when Saltholme announced via my pager that a long-billed dowitcher was present visible from the bus stop on the A178. I decided to go for it as a quality year tick. I had seen a pair several times in Cheshire on different reserves [same pair? I don't know] and I had seen an individual at close quarters at Freiston Shore RSPB in October 2011. The bird at Saltholme had moved by the time I arrived and to see it I had to walk down to Saltholme Pools hide where I had good views [with a bit of heat haze 'wobble'] through the scope. Too far however for a photograph. You may wonder why I don't digiscope. I have tried to but I couldn't achieve the image quality I wanted and am happy where I am now with my Canon big lens. Could always fancy a bigger lens but it might end up too heavy for me over some of the distances I currently carry the 400mm.
Anyway, the l-bd was a nice bird and here's a photo just to remind us all of the Freiston Shore bird.
Some time remained that afternoon so I decided to try Dorman's Pool area for warblers. The walk along the railway line from the lower car park can be quite productive. There were no whinchats [my secret hope] nor real specialities. Sedge warblers posed along with whitethroats. A little grebe was seen from the main road near the bus stop.
For some reason there's always a twig just where you don't want it!!
225 UK; 103 Yorkshire
Friday May 25th
On the Thursday evening a bee-eater was reported at Scartho near Grimsby. This is the one bird I should most like to see. So I set off early. The location was a residential street with an alleyway through to a pleasant park with some fine trees. But, no sign of any bee-eaters. A greenish warbler was then reported at the bottom of Old Fall steps [the triple height style I fell down a couple of years ago!]. So I drove there, back over the now cheap Humber Bridge to Flamborough. A few birders were present but no sign of the bird. After an hour [only bird seen was a sedge warbler] I gave up. The bird was reported asgain after 3pm. I had long gone. I decided to improve the day - I don't believe in bad days - and go to Bempton again.
Bempton was busy. I took a picture of the people colony nesting noisily on the cliff top at Grandstand.
I also took a long-distance shot of the gannets on Staple Newk. It's a view I haven't seen before.
Gulls were following a fishing boat in the sunshine. Feral pigeons were flying about along with the fulmars. A nice bif of a guillemot to reward me for all the deleted blurred images I have consigned to the rubbish bin!
A skylark was singing overhead.
I shall end this post with a gallery of images of the gannets, a rock dove that seems to have all the features a real rock dove should show and some auks. I especially like the cheeky razorbill peering at me over the tufts of grass. Let's not forget the striking pose of the kittiwake who wasn't angry, he just heard some other kittiwakes making a racket so decided to join in!!
A great day - and no ticks. It doesn't matter in the slightest!!
Sunday 27th May 2012
Barry and Chris go to Spurn
Sounds like an Enid Blyton adventure, doesn't it? The weather was fine and I had it all planned. What's more it nearly all worked out as I hoped. First of all we went to North Cave where I hoped Barry might encounter a corn bunting. I found one in the very same little tree where I had seen one a few weeks ago. Perhaps there is just the one bird! We tried to find the woodsand on the reedbed but no sign. However as we got back to the car we saw some wader activity - a few views of redshank, so we persisted. By now we weren't far from the Wild Bird cafe. And we saw the woodsand creeping about in the vegetation on the south side of Dryham Lane. Here's a photo from Blacktoft a couple of years ago.
Next we went to Patrington Haven to show Barry a tiny reedbed along the Winestead Drain where you can easily see reed warblers. That was soon accomplished. We could hear a cuckoo. Soon we were treated to several long sightings of a pair of cuckoos chasing over the fields. Best views I've ever had. Camera was in the car!!!
On arrival at Kilnsea we set off on foot for Beacon Ponds. The hide was fairly busy and we soon had views of ringed plover and little terns. A few sandwich terns flew past too. They were my first tick of the day.
The little tern pictures were especially pleasing as in previous years I had never got them close enough to produce anything acceptable.
Having walked there along the shore [or as near as we could get to the shore as the tide was quite high] we walked back down Beacon Lane. That proved to be an excellent idea. I saw several orange tip butterflies and my first ever Wall Butterfly which, unlike the orange tips, agreed to be photographed.
We stopped to listen to a whitethroat chiding us from within a bramble. After a while the range of unusual sounds started us wondering if it was a marsh warbler. The longer we listened the more certain I became, especially when a very rufous bird flew off into another nearby bush. Marsh warbler had been reported at Spurn that weekend. In the car we listened to a recording I had on a cd of marsh warbler. This confirmed the sighting and it was further enhanced on the Monday by the capture and ringing at the Warren of a marsh warbler.
Two ticks for me. Barry was well ahead of me on 9, I think.
Next we drove down to the point having asked the girl at the hut what was where. I'm afraid she was as much use as a dead frog so we decided to press on. At the point we saw little. I photographed the dreaded brown-tail moth caterpillar [Euproctis chrysorrhoea].
Deep in the scrub we met a roe deer. I spoke to it which seemed to mesmerise it rather than frighten it off. I had time to point camera and shoot too.
At the end of our walk I found a spotted flycatcher. If you don't like spotted flycatchers please leave now as I am going to bombard you with my photos of this obliging bird. Cheerio! There's more to come!
228; Yorks 106
Sunday May 20th 2012
I went to see Dangerous Cliff and then on to the Waterworks!
A round trip of a day with no especial agenda. I was not expecting any year ticks other than perhaps a garden warbler at Tophill Low. First call, however, at Bempton Cliffs RSPB for a photographic extravaganza. Not that I realised how much the wind conditions that day would make for an unforgettable experience.
Driving down into Bempton village I braked sharply to a stop when I saw some large birds in a field. A flock of six emus!! Not a tick but nice to see. Most were normal grey colour but one, as you can see, was pure white.
Onwards. When I got to the reserve I wondered what was going on. A national event? A celebrity guillemot roast? No. Nothing special at all . Just a nice day on the coast. I just, only just, found a space in the overflow car park!
In the dell a dunnock was singing happily and a goldfinch posed for me. Common fare but still nice birds. Dunnock, when closely examined, are very subtly coloured and, I gather, lead very interesting sex lives...
The warden's pied flycatcher remained hidden from view. Down to the dangerous cliffs then. On the way across the field a group of jackdaws were finding something to eat among the red campion flowers:
Atop the cliffs the wind was blowing in such a way that birds were virtually hanging in the air. Gannets were coming in to land like vertical take off planes [confusingly called harriers!] and some gulls were struggling to land at all faced with the prospect of being dashed against the cliff-face by the wind. Dangerous cliff signs were needed for the poor birds. But it did provide some photographic opportunities and I'm certainly a photopportunitist!
A sea fret was slowly burning off. I had wanted to try to get some bifs [birds in flight photos - bifs to keen amateurs apparently] of auks. This guillemot in the mist pleased me if no-one else!
As the mist cleared a little more this immature gannet looked really well.
Quite quickly the sea fret simply faded away. I watched a herring gull try to land next to its mate. In the end it gave up and flew off. I presume it tried again later. I moved on slowly. Watching for the unexpected. A few shots - I took many great shots - of gannets manoeuvring to land. Gannets are too easy! And the light was nice too...
Razorbills and guillemots were my next focus of attention. I found this egg on the path. Well, if the truth were told it was only half an egg. Stolen by a gull? I turned it so it looks like a whole egg. Research suggest razorbill but I'm not certain.
The next two pictures are of razorbills in flight at close range. Many were not pin sharp but I liked these.
The guillemots seemed more static and stayed on the cliff.
Kittiwakes were raucous and again were struggling in the wind quite close to. Funnily enough, the photographs have a calming effect and fail to convey the desperate efforts birds were making to land.
I had hoped to find some puffins but they were deep in the shade. Eventually at the northern viewpoint I found a few that were reasonably close and well lit. The pictures say it all, I think.
'Goodnight.'
'Goodnight darling. Sleep well.'
'You too. Hope the razorbills don't bite!'
Finally as far as our little brothers are concerned, I love this bif. 'Me and my shadow'
Puffins' latin name is fratercula, meaning little brother. Ian Hebden told me that years ago.
My final picture from Bempton Cliffs is of a catepillar. Not positively identified. It might be a Drinker Euthrix potatoria. This is apparently common and found in coarse grasses. Sounds right to me.
Part 2: Tophill Low
TL has a lot to offer. Different habitats and the new Hempholme scrape which I went to see. It was quiet and looks rather raw but as it settles in and vegetation returns it will do well. I think we'll get some goodies there. On the walk back past the marsh frog pools I saw my garden warbler out in the open. Not quick enough with the camera however. Bins first.
The whitethroat wanted to be seen. I headed for the North Marsh hide - it's good for intimate views of reed warbler. Although getting the bird in full without a piece of reed stem spoiling the view can be tricky:
A great spotted wood pecker entertained me as I sat near the feeding station in the middle of the wood listening to the blackcaps. He wanted to feed but I think he was conscious of my presence as he edged nearer...
That's all for this trip. I hope you liked some of the pictures. Next trip is to Saltholme and back to Bempton...
Saturday 19th May - Sunday 20th May
Funny Old Weekend
I hadn't been out for a couple of days and stayed in again on Saturday. The gull roost across from the house was quite large. Could see herring, lesser black-backed and greater black-backed gulls. Saw a crow on a garage roof across from us playing with something. Photographed through glass it had obviously stolen a fat ball in a net and had taken it to the roof to disassemble. Determination was the key!
Meanwhile in the back garden a song thrush was singing away and seemed happy to continue with me nearby.
I had gone out with the camera hoping to catch the busy blue tits as they were clearly feeding young in the nest box on the old larch. This proved easier said than done. However the successes certainly brought a smile to my face.
Inward
Outwards!
That evening when we were watching the hedgehogs again I suddenly realised a fox was there too in the darkness just a few metres from the kitchen window. It's obviously been a great week for live mammals here in York.
The really pleasing news was that I have a photo in the June edition of BirdWatching. My firecrest from South Gare, Cleveland.
Nothing like that this weekend however. I tried hard to make a disaster of Sunday. I had decided to go to Tophill Low to try to photograph garden warblers. En route I saw from the pager that the citrine wagtail reported from Flamborough was still knocking about. I love that phrase. Knocking about. What's knocking about next week? Wouldn't we like to know!! So I diverted to the fishing lake and Thornwick Pool. On arrival I discovered that I had packed everything except a coat and hat. It was cold and breezy; I walked around trying to tell myself it was bearable. No-one could locate the bird - last seen 8.38am. I went home. Didn't want another cold like the last one.
Every pager has its day I suppose. As I neared York pager said Temminck's stints York University. I knew just where to go. It was much milder inland [and I nipped home for a hat and coat] and the two birds were showing nicely. A bit distant for detail but quite nice 'in their element' photos. A few below:
After that I went home and built a new bird table to replace the one that just recently fell to bits. I sometimes say you can see lots of birds from our house. Here's just a few from my study window this afternoon.
That's all folks. Weather's getting warmer next week. TTFN!
Still 223.