Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
20th February ff
October flashback!
I spent a week in Scotland last October and featured the photos on my return in my blog. However, I mentioned at the time that one 32GB memory card had failed and although the photos were there they wouldn't download. Sometimes I was able to download one or two photos before the error messages began to flow. Recently I tried again. So far I've downloaded about a dozen images, concentrating on getting a couple at a time from each time I took a few shots.
Later I discovered I could download easily as long as I only downloaded 1 image at a time. Eventually it [whatever it is!] catches on and happily tells me there are no files on this card. You get back in by re-starting the computer. Removing and reinserting the memory card doesn't wash!
They date from 24th-26th October 2017.
First off: drake eider showing off on the Ythan estuary.
Next Findhorn seafront. Hooded crow trying to break a cockle by dropping it onto the shingle beach. I tried to catch the bird dropping the cockle but I never succeeded in getting bird and cockle. Here's the result.
The carrion crows don't like the hooded crows but in the end there's a broad spectrum of in-between hybrids. This shot exemplifies this.
Offshore were rafts of birds. What are these? Very distant I'm afraid. Answer at the end of the posting.
On to the Black Isle and to Udale Bay [an RSPB roadside reserve]. Here were pinkfeet...
...and as the light failed, a raft of scaup. I'd never seen scaup in this number before and the photo only shows a fraction of the birds present.
February 21st. Working in the garden I heard a clucking noise sort of above and behind me. Our pheasant had dropped in and was lecturing me from atop the fence. He eventually came down when I went indoors. He lingered quite a while and was happy to be photographed by Sheila and myself.
A cat shadowed the pheasant but didn't dare get close.
Trying to get a better view of our pheasant from the vegetable garden I spotted movement in the conifer that I instantly recognized. [Strange sentence! I don't mean I instantly recognized the conifer but I recognized the movement - I suppose you'd call it jizz...] Always a thrill to espy a goldcrest in our garden - first one this year.
February 22nd. Sheila fancied a trip to the seaside so we eventually chose Hartlepool. We began with a stop to check what was at Saltholme but decided to leave for a walk from the Zinc Works Road into the dunes and out to Seaton Snook. I was looking for snow buntings. They flew off towards North Gare and I was left with this skulking bird in the dune grass.
Assuming it's a skylark. Little else seen. A curlew was out on the mud. Shooting into the sun produced this contrast image. We headed back short-cutting across the sand.
We also walked along the Headland watching the eider ducks and drakes and had lunch at the Black Redstart site where we saw.... a blackbird!
Finally a quick walk round Ward Jackson Park: the parakeets were not seen. It was quite calm and we had a very pleasant day.
Answer: raft of drake long-tailed ducks.
13th February 2014 ff
Softly, softly catchee birdee...
February 13th
Early morning our roe deer were very close to the field edge across from our house. I dressed quickly, grabbed the camera and went out. The deer are used to people walking along so were not disturbed. They get more wary if you stop and look their way. I stood beneath a small tree.
Later that day I went out with Barry to Broomhill and Old Moor. I didn't take the camera. It was a wet and very cold day but we had nice views of the perched peregrine at Old Moor and I was pleased to be first to spot the hawfinch at Broomhill. See http://barryjohnbishop.blogspot.co.uk/ for his photos. Meanwhile...I tried to snap her [it's a female] with my iphone!!
That is a hawfinch, honest! It didn't really work, did it?!
Here's one I took earlier! [Castle Howard Arboretum last year]
Today, February 14th, we saw 3 tree sparrows in our garden together, so we now know there's more than just the one. I know they're fairly common in Yorkshire but it's still a thrill to see them here in York. These were taken through the glass of a bedroom window.
Then on Friday, February 16th, I was having breakfast when I spotted this smart chap from the kitchen window!
I tried to creep up on him on the premise that all pheasants are stupid! Stupid me; he flew off!
Later I headed north to Washington to look for the wild ferruginous duck at the WWT reserve. It's been dropping in there for a long time. Not sure what it's provenance is however...
I do think ferruginous ducks are very handsome in a slightly understated kind of way.
Not understated at all are the smews. Afraid I can't resist spending a bit of time with a few of the captive birds. Smew in courtship mode were very exciting.
My favourite shot
Cranes too!
There are lots of other super birds to see but none have quite the attraction for me that these 3 species have [except perhaps the southern shovelers]. Captive they may be but they're still beautiful birds and lovely to spend a bit of time with.
En route home I called at Greatham Creek Salterns determined to try again for the overwintering spotted redshank. Near to giving up as usual I walked north along the embankment for about 300m. Boom! There it was next to an ordinary so the differences stood out really well. Scope views only I'm afraid.
148 UK 2018
Still 11 behind last year!
7th February 2018 ff
Chris goes white water kayaking!
Well, not really. I wanted [7/2/18] to have another go at travelling south to Holme Pierrepont in Notts to try to see the spotted sandpiper. My previous encounter with a spotted sandpiper involved an exhaustingly long walk in pre-camera days. This one sounded rather more accessible.
This time the motorways were kind. I broke my journey and photographed a couple of thrushes under a beech tree.
Song thrush
Mistle thrush
On arrival at Holme Pierrepont, the National Watersports Centre, I learnt that kayakers had frightened the bird off towards the River Trent.
'Bloody kayakers!' someone said. I dared to point out that the white water rapids that the bird seems to prefer had been built for kayaking not for rare waders. 'Spose so!' he answered with a grin. There were a few other birds about...
Kingfisher on the wires that hold the navigation poles in place.
Grey wagtails - one had been taken by a sparrowhawk I was told.
Still no sign of the sandpiper. I thought I'd try my hand at action photography!
I explored the site which also caters for rowing events. On the Regatta Lake a long-tailed duck had been found.
Eventually the spotted sandpiper came back - by the bridge towards the far end of the rapids.
It might not like the fast moving kayaks but people didn't seem to bother it at all and you could get quite close.
Better keep an eye open for that sparrowhawk!
Black Velvet
Velvet scoter seen in South Bay, Scarborough close to the harbour. That was Thursday. Friday, late morning, Sheila and I set off in rain/sleet for Scarborough to have a look. We parked on the south side of the harbour. As we drew up Sheila announced: 'I can see it.'
Not having much faith in her identification skills I assumed it would be a cormorant. She's much more sharp-eyed than I am, however. And I had to eat humble pie: with the scope I confirmed she was right. It all makes for an interesting test of the power of a 52 megapixels camera combined with 700mm [equivalent] lens pulling power.
Here's an uncropped view of the bird well out in the bay...
...and here are the best of the crops
It dived a lot and it was anybody's guess where it would surface.
Unfortunately it never came close but the images give a good idea of a drake velvet scoter, I think.
About 50 turnstones were busying round our feet, running along in front of us like clockwork toys. Sheila asked me to include them too!
Bling!
144 UK 2018
4th-5th February 2018
Intimate encounters...
The name I shall use from now on for those special meetings with wonderful birds. There have been 3 so far this year: kingfisher, desert wheatear and the black grouse - four is amazing for the first 35 days of the new year. Did I say 4? Read on...
February 4th
Hornsea Mere: no sign of long-tailed duck. Tophill Low next: glaucous gull still pleasing the crowds.
In the woods I spotted a woodpecker...
Conditions at Bempton bordered on the unbearable down by the clifftop although in the car park seemed a different world. Clifftop shots first. It was hard work!
Fulmar
Gannet
Jet propelled guillemots were nigh on impossible to track...
I gave up. Packed up and set off out of the reserve. I had just reached the end of the car park loop as the road rises when I saw, to my left, the unmistakable flight of an owl. Shortie? No, barn. Grab camera from the boot, cross fingers that it'll come back into view. Aim, shoot!
I said my goodbyes. Thankful for an amazing few minutes. It looked straight at me and carried straight on!
I never saw it again.
Decided to call at Brompton by Sawdon to see if the hawfinch might pose in the sun. No sign. Saw the ouzel once more.
February 5th
Going south with Barry for a spotted sandpiper when motorway problems made us turn back north. Not a day for photographs but we did see bittern, long-tailed duck and great northern divers. No sign of a shrike at Prestwick Carr. Just a couple of buzzards and a kestrel by the parking area.
The buzzard was a very long way off. I'm amazed this image works at all after such a heavy crop.
Kestrel in the gloom.
142 UK 2018
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.
