Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
31st January 2018 ff
An Ambition Achieved
An explanation of this post's title will follow later.
January 31st
First off though, a white-fronted goose at Water lane, Flamborough.
I then went to Thornwick Pool and saw a jack snipe bobbing away at the base of the reeds - scope views only, I'm afraid. Here's a blast from the past instead.
I decided to drive south: no particular plan in mind. I sort of made it up as I went along, thinking vaguely about going to Spurn. I called at Hornsea Mere remembering a long-tailed duck was wintering there. It was very cold, very windy and the mere was very choppy. I failed to find the duck but another birder shouted to me to look above Swan Island: a peregrine was duelling with a marsh harrier. This continued for a couple of minutes until they drifted away. Great to watch and it seemed like a bit of a game: neither bird was going to hurt the other but they twisted and dived quite acrobatically. I probably had time to grab the camera: it was all ready to fire but I was too fascinated watching the birds.
At Easington I stopped at Dimlington Bungalows to see the rose-coloured starling. It showed straightaway! [for a change!] You can see it's starting to assume more adult plumage.
My next hunch was to try Kilnsea Wetlands. The little hide was occupied by a Trappist Monk [as my friend calls those birders who don't talk to you].
He listened to his radio and I realised he was a member of what many birders refer to as the Spurn Mafia: unless you're known as part of the in-crowd they are trained to be hostile and unfriendly. Pity really: Spurn should be more welcoming. I am a Friend of Spurn but I shouldn't have to tell that to the locals to get a bit of a welcome.
I digressed. Sorry.
A miserable dunlin was sheltering from the wind. When the rare breed sheep walked past him he didn't budge.
At the wetlands were about 700 brent geese. They all took off to go onto the grass in the field just across the road. I waved the camera around snapping away merrily.
These 2 were the last to fly to the grassland.
I watched them graze from Tiggy.
February 1st
At home we've been experimenting with a trail camera in order to see what's happening in our garden at night. We've known for some time that a fox visits the garden: now we know he comes every night and some nights more than once.
We have some smaller mammals. Like this one! He starts off on the black section of the long post. Then watch him go!
February 2nd: an afternoon trip to Wroot
I needed to find Idle Bank near Wroot but in the end the swans came into view quite easily. I drove on to where I could turn round, park and set up the camera. Then I headed back to the swans with my window down and the camera next to me on the passenger seat. [Safety belt in place so the warning bells don't sound] First I had to scan the 120+ swans that were there. A few mutes but mainly whooper.
Bewick Swans. The swan behind the centre swan is a whooper as is the swan doing contortions to the right!
I decided to finish the afternoon at Blacktoft. A magpie was enjoying the sunshine.
An Ambition Fulfilled
I've taken lots of photos of marsh harriers at Blacktoft over the years. Some have been quite nice but usually the birds were never quite near enough to give the image quality I craved. On this particular afternoon the light was good and one male harrier came quite close...
Once back at the car park, getting ready to set off for home, I spotted a couple of male bullfinches in the hedge. It was tricky to get an unobscured view but here's one of them.
138 UK 2018
26th-29th January 2018
Browse the Grouse - plus other goodies!
26th January
Off to Teesdale and Durham moors for some grouse - I hoped. Barely out of Middleton-in-Teesdale and well before High Force I pulled up sharp when I saw a black shape - no, 2 black shapes in a nice green field near the river.
I pressed on. I usually take the little road to Ettersgill to see what's there. I once had a nice encounter with grey partridge there. No partridge today, but more black grouse plus greyhens.
Scanning the area around Langdon Beck the black grouse were rather distant. I drove down to Cow Green reservoir.
On much higher ground I soon saw some red grouse. Black and red prefer quite different areas with black grouse being often much more lower level birds, sometimes quite near farm buildings or at the roadside.
Once back at the main road I found 2 more black grouse in a field not too far from the road. One of those special encounters that make bird photography so exciting for me.
Cheers, mate! Thanks for showing so well!
From there I drove via Bishop Auckland to Hartlepool, hoping to see an iceland gull on an abandoned warehouse roof. Rather distant and sleepy, here it is.
Plan completed I decided to call at the Headland and see what was about. Not a lot but a few nice eider views from the Pilot Pier...
...and a splendid looking oystercatcher. I don't usually find oyk-pics very pleasing, but I rather like this one. A stunner!
29th January
Another day, another warehouse roof and, indeed, another bird.
And then another encounter with the iceland gull.
It was a day on Teesside with Barry. We got away early and headed for the pleasant sounding Windermere Road, Hartlepool. It's not pleasant! We spent a long time scanning the dereliction that surrounded us. Eventually Barry saw the iceland gull on a roof. Before I could set up the camera it flew off.
Meanwhile another birder pointed out a glaucous way over on the wasteland.
Eventually this dark form glaucous showed well on a different warehouse roof.
I found the iceland some way off on yet another warehouse. Tricky to photograph through the bars of a gateway but it's very easy to see.
I'll crop in a little [different photo]
Next Barry saw it on yet another warehouse roof. Game over!
We called at Ward Jackson Park for parakeets then moved to the Headland. I hoped for knot. I got knot!
[Plus a purple sandpiper!]
The salterns drew a blank for spotted redshank [although someone saw it 35 minutes later] and no greenshanks on Greatham Creek. I suspect it was the same birder who then reported one after we'd left!
I snapped a shoveler. It was birds in flight that first attracted me to photographing the birds. This is a nice shot from Greatham Creek.
Lockwood Beck reservoir gave us redpoll and a treecreeper. Scaling Dam had no sign of any white-fronted geese. They dropped in after we left!! An excellent day's birding even though we dipped a couple of good birds. That, as they say, is birding. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
January 30th Song thrush singing away this morning in the garden.
131 UK 2018
18th January ff
Recent sightings!
Since the last report I went to Rother Valley Country Park on Thursday 18/1 to look for a black-necked grebe on Meadowgate Lake in torrential rain. Bird seen distantly with a pair of little grebes.
On 19/1 Friday Sheila and I went to North Cave. We met Baz a birder I had met on holiday in Scotland. He was looking for a mandarin duck but hadn't found it. Later I found it out in the middle of Carp Lake. Also seen was the single pink-foot - easily picked out among the 80+ greylags by its dark head and very different bill.
A run-up to the north-east on Saturday 20th saw me at South Gare bright and early. Large flock of twite and linnet, but the two species were easy to separate on the ground in front of me. Afraid I can't split them when the flock is whirling around in the air. Also there were some bar-tailed godwits. I moved on to Hardwick Hall country park near Sedgefield.
Conditions were dangerous in places, especially on a narrow bridge you had to cross to get down to the lake. Rather than end up breaking the lens or breaking an arm trying to protect the camera I left it in the car. The above is an iphone photo. A shame really as the red-crested pochard showed really well in good light and fairly close so would have made for some super photos. However better to lose one set of photos than to face the alternative had I fallen.
As it was I stayed upright holding on at times to the stone parapet of the bridge. Once out in the open and walking on the snow there was no problem although the final slope down to the lakeside looked so bad I didn't venture further. I called at Bishop Middleham for hawfinch but no sign: watched a goldcrest in the yew trees.
I returned south and to the coast. Walking out on Greatham Creek it was another world. Only 14 miles from Sedgefield but no sign of snow other than tiny remnants in deep shadow. Little wind so even at 2.5 degrees it wasn't unpleasant. Pair of greenshank and a few grey plover. Camera left in car again but probably unnecessarily this time!
This morning I dressed quickly, grabbed the camera and hid by the hedge across from my house to photograph a pair of roe deer. Here's a few photos of them.
I've not been out much the last few days - partly due to the weather and also Tiggy has been in the garage for a service and a new spring on her suspension. This took 2 days. Coming home with him this morning a low flying red kite near Allerton Castle was my first outing for 5 days.
15th-16th January 2018
Two good days' birding
Monday 15th January
Sheila and I went up to Saltholme hoping for a long-eared owl. We got two - but one of them was rather hard to spot! As you will see.
At first he had his back to us but then he turned to look to the right.
Then he faced us and the sun nicely caught his 'ears'!
In the above photo you can detect a second owl on the left.
As we walked back we watched a pair of stonechats.
Fighter jets over the visitor centre.
Sheila spotted the black swan cruising the main lake.
The green-winged teal was said to be showing at Saltholme Pools hide. I'd fallen for that trick before only to find it had disappeared in the long grass: this time we struck lucky. It's like our cat: sleeps about 21 hours a day and disappears when you most need him! Well, here he is, showing a few signs of life!
Tuesday 16th January
Snap decision to go to Brompton by Sawdon church to see hawfinch and a very early ring ouzel. No sign of hawfinch but found the ouzel in the field across from the church. Photographed into the sun which explains the bright fringing round the bird.
The forecast snow hadn't materialised and Tophill Low was only about 14 miles away across country. A pleasant drive on the back roads to Driffield and I was surprised how soon I got to the waterworks. Hoping for a glaucous gull which comes to roost in the afternoon, I soon had 3 redpolls in the gloomy woods on the ramp up to the new hide.
Quite a pale bird.
If you want to see small birds, the feeders at the new hide are an excellent spot. Grab a blue chair and sit in the hide but some way from the glass. If you stand right by the window you'll see very little.
On the feeders I saw chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, siskin, blue tit, great tit, marsh tit, coal tit, robin. The only downside is the use of special 'Horrorglass' in the hide. This means photos taken from in the hide are blurred and the excellent telescopes provided are worse than useless. Some strange planning decisions going on there, Yorkshire Water!
If you want a decent view of D reservoir go to the left hand cubicle and open the window slots! What will they do when there's a really rare bird present and there's only room for 4 or 5 birders in there?
I watched the assembled waterfowl - coots, wigeon, tufties, great crested grebe, a few of the commoner gulls. Here's a pochard and a nice goldeneye.
Anyway, the glaucous turned up early at about 2.30. Looked different when the sun came out.
After a while it flew out onto the reservoir.
Time for a biggy?
10th-13th January 2018
It's just good to be out!
Words used when things don't go entirely to plan. Two such days this week. Wednesday 10th January up in Cleveland/Co. Durham I managed to see nothing new for the year list but still enjoyed my day. South Shields pier area: Mr. Crow in the car park.
Lots of waders...dunlin, sanderlings and purple sandpiper.
Dunlins followed by a sanderling huddle and purple sandpipers.
Look what turned up among the ringed plovers! A rather dull snow bunting.
No sign of a glaucous gull. This great black-back came close!
Finally a cormorant just off the car park.
An afternoon run out to Fairburn Lin Dike hide on the 11th January saw this distant drake smew. Always a thrill to see a white nun!
First photo is uncropped to give an idea how far it was even with the 700mm equivalent lens plus extender. Believe it or not, the smew is just north-west [as it were] of the left hand coot.
Same photo cropped.
Here's the best few of the crop - also much cropped!
You can only tell the pictures are in colour from the first shots with the shoveler in view.
Another afternoon run at the last minute to Scarborough on January 12th to try for a waxwing at B&Q. We'd seen them there in a previous year. Got really lucky this time! At first they [3 birds] were up in a tree and the light was tricky as was finding an unobstructed view.
Then they flew down to a low-growing cotoneaster bush for berries. The birds had already eaten all the visible ones and were now poking their heads into the bush for more!
Then head up with berry in bill!
I always think they can look quite fierce.
Next one is my favourite shot.
January 13th I went back to South Shields for the glaucous gull; to North Shields for a firecrest; to Wingate quarry for a little owl and to Saltholme for a long-eared owl. I saw none of them: another dot day for year ticks! But it was good to be out!! I think. It was very cold at Seaton Snook where I had close views of 6 snow buntings but no twite. Altogether a blank day.
I encountered a co-operative rock pipit however - so here s/he is! Even little brown jobs can make interesting images in my view.
Putting your best foot forward!
A turnstone was too cold to be bothered moving. Second photo is uncropped.
