Hogging the Limelight!

You may have previously seen some video clips of foxes taken with our trail camera. Now that the hedgehogs have come out of hibernation they have been quite active in and out of our feeder station. Last night things turned a bit ugly!!

3-way fight. Mr. Paleback takes on all-comers and, eventually, chases the other two away!

Dipping!

A trip to Swillington Ings with Sheila [April 1st] in search of black-necked grebes and hirundines drew a blank. Most exciting bit was crossing the flooded causeway from Methley Bridge. It was even deeper on the way back! I only took a couple of photos - of a great crested grebe. Repeat performance: a trip into deepest, wildest Lincolnshire at East Halton on the Humber saw me watching the same corner field for several hours with Simon and Karen Spavin. I did see a bird dive into the bushes several times and it was probably the bluethroat but I never got a decent view and I didn't add it to the year list.

Someone picked up a newt off the concrete bank. We put it back in the damp grass.

Winters' Pond, where I parked, held another great crested grebe. The water was very choppy in the strengthening wind when I left.

A Compendium of Grebes

- or: Intimate encounter 2018 #6

Another trip to Swillington Ings and a long walk from Oddball down to the reedbed as the causeway was now well under water. However I virtually doubled my life list of black-necked grebes. I saw 11 different birds that day. [18 were reported!] I saw yet another great crested grebe too! But here they are - a real star turn. Black-necked grebes!

We'll let them float away now...

I called at Fairburn Ings, Village Bay end, on the way home. Soon had over a hundred sand martins in the sky. My first of the year. At Charlie's hide I watched a couple of gulls over the water. I suddenly realised one of the gulls wasn't a gull at all. The scope soon confirmed it was a tern. Another 2018 first. I counted it as a common tern but would appreciate any views on this. Photographed at some distance and considerably cropped.

My most recent sortie was yesterday [9th April] to North Cave where I spent a long time searching for little ringed plovers. It was after 2pm when I eventually found a pair distantly on Cell A. Scope views only but a good tick. Early morning fog/mist hadn't helped the search. Although it was well into the afternoon, I drove on the M62 and M18 to Adwick-on-Dearne to see a pair of garganey. I had pretty precise directions as to where the birds were located [it's a pretty big area] and after a 15 minute-walk I saw them immediately. They never came right out into open water but I thought I got some nice images of this lovely bird. Walking back at the end of a great day's birding, a song thrush was singing by the car park.

173 UK 2018

A Spring in my step?

Maybe not just yet but we're getting there!

29th March

Scout Dike reservoir reported a pair of garganey. No sign when I got there. No cetti's warbler, bearded tit or sand martins at Old Moor - it was cold, breezy and damp. Coltsfeet [?!] a sign of spring? Bullfinches showing nicely. Journey back north to Swillington Ings: jay my only year tick of the day seen as I drove along. Swillington Ings quiet too. Catkins and pussy willow.

30th March: An afternoon at Blacktoft Sands

I must admit I was amused by the new tarmacadam car park - you get out of the car, set off into the second half of the car park only to trample through coffee coloured mud all the way to the flood bank. After that the paths were pretty solid and in good order. So the new car park surface keeps you clean for about a minute! Yesterday the section as far as the toilets was appalling.

However Blacktoft does deliver the goods. Cetti's warbler between the floodbank and reception in the reeds. Lots of harrier action and a nice group of barnacle geese.

Barnacles first. There were eight birds - after a while they flew off.

Marsh harriers. Funny how the old brain works... As a child on caravan holidays in the Rain, sorry Lake District, we used to play a game called Pik-A-Stik. This photo brought those days back to me. I can't imagine why!

165 UK 2018

You never know, you just never know...

...what might happen next. Even when you plan your day it can so often turn out completely differently.

Two Yorkshire Days

March 25th

Sheila and I went to Flamborough and then on to Bempton. Razorbill and shag from Flamborough.

At Bempton we watched the gannets and auks, including a few puffins on the cliffs. We walked to Staple Newk and saw a few more puffins.

March 26th

I went to North Cave first. I had a plan or a list of 'hoped-fors' but they all came to nothing. North Cave was quiet but I did enjoy watching a stoat down the far end of Dryham Lane. Unfortunately although I had four sightings it was always on the far side of the hedge and I was just able to glimpse it each time as it ran along a large plastic blue pipe.

On then to Alkborough where I sat in the hide with Carl Dutton and watched the avian world go by.

You could be forgiven for thinking the centre of this photo shows some white birds [avocets] on a sandbank. But you'd be wrong! The 'sandbank' is a mass of black-tailed godwits [plus a few dunlin and redshanks]. Spot the interloper! Everything was very calm and as nothing much was happening I said my goodbyes and headed for Blacktoft - no bearded tit or spoonbill. A tick free day.

Like I said at the head of this posting you never know what is going to happen. That's the thrill of it. I arrived at Blacktoft thinking cetti's warbler, sand martin. I saw nothing new. A little grebe caught a fish!

I walked back along the path my scope, camera and bins were somehow heavier with the disappointment. Suddenly...

Intimate encounter 2018 #5 - a mustelid blast!

...a weasel appeared and, bless me, it began to run towards me. It ran a few feet, stopped then ran on again. The camera clicked away. Eventually, too close to focus my 500mm lens it turned off into the grass and disappeared. Enjoy!

163 UK 2018