Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
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!
13th-14th March 2015
Old friends...
Sometimes we forget or neglect our old friends. Thinking only of those great rarities and lifers and so-called quality birds. But old friends are still attractive, can still be seen doing interesting things and so this blog is dedicated to old friends. I think you'll see what I mean.
March 13th: as I have to go birding on my own these days, Sheila said she'd come for once and I could go wherever I liked. We set off for Bempton thinking I could see some bread and butter birds to boost my year list a little after over two weeks of not being at my best shall we say. I soon saw my old friends the kittiwakes on the cliffs.
Sheila has very good eyesight - much better than mine. 'I think I can see some puffins!' she said. 'They'll be guillemots,' I thought. I couldn't even see them never mind identify them. Eventually I found them in the scope: 5 puffins - much to the delight of the adjacent RSPB guide who got on his radio to announce the sighting. Later I found a group of 6 razorbills. Walking back to the car park a skylark rose ever higher above us. Four bread and butter ticks. Tree sparrow old friend in the car park.
It was still very misty so we abandoned the plan to go to Wykeham to look for goshawks and headed north to Saltholme. A long way I know but the penduline tits were showing well across the road from the fire station. It was good to meet Karen and Simon Spavin and after a bit of South American chat I settled down to try to find the pendulines. Sheila and I had brilliant 10-minute long views of 2 birds, often on the same reed. Scope job I'm afraid but fabulous nonetheless. Not a tick however as I saw the Gloucester pair earlier in the year.
Parakeets have always amused me and our northern gang in Hartlepool were our next stop. Say no more!
We finished up at Newburn Bridge for one of my favourite old friends. Unlike some,
Medusa rarely lets you down!
March 14th: I began with visits to Ellerton and Aughton churchyards in the Lower Derwent Valley complex. Disturbed some grey partridge in the moat at Aughton. Nine whoopers still present and good numbers of pintail. Moved on to Goole Fields looking for corn bunting but no sign. Ended up at Old Moor. Walking towards the reedbeds this magpie was unusually tame and tolerated me as I came closer.
I sat down at the reedbed screen hoping for bearded tit but they never showed. Another old friend entertained me. What's this I see?
After about half an hour and beginning to feel the cold, I headed for the family hide. Met another friend who is often neglected, not even given a second glance. Yet subtle colouring when you look more closely.
A lesser black-backed was standing on a rock.
Two black-headed gulls were displaying. I like this one a lot!
A snipe flew in just in front of me.
Finally another bird that people only half notice. Beautifully marked gadwall.
There's more to come!
165 UK 2016
11th March 2016
Silk & Fire
Friday 11th March
I`m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again
Well, I'm better was what I meant! Been meaning for some time to go to Silkstone Sewage Works [after success at Lemon Royd with the water pipit, sewage works work for me!] So I went. Look behind the sewage works they said. Great big wood and stream. Like looking for a needle in a proverbial haystack I thought as I wandered along. Some long-tailed tits caught my eye and I leant against a tree to steady my camera for a shot. I saw something move in the brambles lower down.... Complete and total fluke! Amazing how a stroke of luck lifts your mood and morale. What am I on about? Look!
Walking back to Tiggy two jays flew across my path - first of the year. From there I drove to Old Moor hoping for an avocet but it left almost as I entered Wath Ings hide. I settled for a nice green sandpiper.
Next stop Adwick Washlands RSPB. I had worked out how to get there from Bolton-on-Dearne village saving a long walk. A couple of avocets were present...
...and a peregrine resolutely kept its back to me up on a nearby pylon.
I had a jolly nice day!