Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
Saturday 26th-Sunday 27th January 2013
'You can't always get what you want...'
Rolling Stones: 'Let it Bleed' album 1969
Before we begin, here's a little teaser. What bird is this?
Saturday: Barry and I made a relatively late start and set off for Scarborough to see a glaucous gull in the harbour. We parked on Marine Drive and soon picked up the peregrine that a young woman birder was watching. Thanks very much for the help if you read this!!
A distant red-throated diver was out in the bay.
A cormorant came in to land nearby.
With no sign of the gull we tried Scalby Mills where it had also been seen. Barry picked up a slavonian grebe there.
Before going back to the harbour I drove up to Holbeck to see if any med gulls were about. I thought they might be pleased to see me if I shared my lunch with them.
'Did you say pilchard sandwiches?'
Back to the harbour for a longer walk round produced no white gull. A stump-footed turnstone seemed to trot around unimpeded by his handicap. I wonder what happened to him?
On the harbour wall I spotted a lone purple sandpiper.
We walked along the top of the harbour wall, overlooking the rock armour. Something disturbed some redshanks.
Then something quite unexpected happened. A large flock of purple sandpipers followed the redshanks and began to swirl around in front of us before landing back on the rock armour. Every picture tells a story...
As we walked back to Tiggy a cormorant surfaced alongside me.
Before setting off for home I decided to boost our day tally with a visit to Scarborough Mere. there was still a lot of ice. This herring gull was playing with a shell.
Here's the answer to the teaser I posed earlier:
A swan goose. Some sort of hybrid bar-headed goose was also present or at least a bird whose forbears had once met a bar-headed goose...
...and Barry very cleverly found both a red-crested pochard and a mandarin. More of the mandarin later but here's the pochard. I included the first photo to show just how big this bird is compared to the tufted ducks.
'...but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need'
Rolling Stones: 'Let it Bleed' album 1969
Sunday: on my own this time, I set off for Barmston to see a Kumlien's / iceland gull. No-one seems to have agreed which it is - Kumlien's being an iceland variant anyway. However news the night before of a white gull at York University prompted a first call at East Heslington lakes. No sign of the gull, but near the bus stop shelter by the main lake I saw multiple meadow pipits and a pair of mistle thrushes. A good start to the day!
I arrived at Barmston after driving through some impressive flood waters on a TomTom cross country short cut to avoid Bridlington. It saved time as I was keen to get there. The bird had come up on the pager!
Unsure where to go and confused by a man with a big lens photographing something down on the beach [turnstones and ringed plover] I set off along the boulder clay cliff top hoping to find a way down. A rook was on the grass nearby.
It wasn't intentional but one shot caught him blink!
I soon met some birders who told me where to go. [In a nice way, I mean.] The bird wasn't on the beach but in a dip in a field. I headed that way. Next moment the bird is in the air in front of me. Ever an opportunist photographer I checked ISO and f number in between each set of shots. Here we go.
Slightly dirtier looking than an iceland?
But still pretty white...
...especially on the ground.
I headed for Bempton to see if I could add to my 3 ticks with a gannet and/or a fulmar. They told me at the visitor centre that the fulmars were back. I couldn't find any.
First gannets of the year - albeit very distantly.
Rock doves were on the cliffs. Some look pretty well like the real thing! [esp. the one at the top]
A great black-backed gull flew slowly past.
I decided to check out the harbour in Scarborough again. No sign but the peregrines [2 of them] were more active. One was on the cliff.
The other was flying around in the same area.
It then joined the other one.
Finally I called back at the Mere in case the pochard or mandarin were any closer after the thaw. No sign of the pochard but the feisty little mandarin was battling with the big boys by the car park as a family were feeding the birds. The light was fading and was a contrasty mix of shade and late light. If you know what I mean. The results were quite nice - if you like this kind of thing!
I'm out of here. Bye-bye!!
UK 133
Tuesday 22nd January 2013
Out & About in Birdland
I had to pop down to Fairburn Ings RSPB today to get more peanuts and bird seed. It's crisis time for my garden birds if I can't top up the feeders in this weather. I started by visiting Pickup hide as the light was ok when the sun was shining which it did off and on. As someone said, the light was best when the birds weren't around. I expect his glass was half empty. Mine's full. Ordinary birds but they look nice, I think...
Long-tailed tit
Cheerio!
Great tit, greenfinch and goldfinch
Good image this one!
The bird I had hoped to see showed up too!
Willow tit
A pheasant skulked down below...
...and a shoveler looked pretty miserable on the ice near the visitor centre. I think he's about to fall over...
The Elusive Smew part two: on the trail of a White Nun.
Thursday 24th January 2013
Today I went first of all to Yeadon Tarn - it sounds very much out in the country but it's on the edge of a small town and right next to the Leeds-Bradford airport runway. However rumours of a drake manadarin were well-founded. Conditions underfoot were lethal so I left the camera and scope in the car. Pity as the drake mandarin was very close and confiding.
Next target was to be Sands Lane GP, Mirfield for the ring-billed gull. No sign but a couple of grey wagtails added a second tick of the day.
I resolved to go to Pugney's yet again as I had discovered that the white nun preferred a fishing lake north of Pugney's CP. So I walked. Signs in English and Polish warned me not to trespass... Was I near the Iron Curtain? No but I was near to my goal.
A crow loitered in my path.
As I reached the fishing lake I saw the smew immediately confidently swimming out in the middle of the ice-free lake.
Do you believe in angels?
I was distracted by birds passing behind me on the River Calder. A swan looked pretty contrasting with the black water.
This goldeneye showed just how green his head is.
Oh yes, out of devilry I've inserted this photo wrong way up! The reflection is at the top!!
The smew swam nearer into the brighter water. Black and white lines!
On the way back the black-headed gulls were gathering on the fence posts.
A shape attracted my eye near the car. I raised my bins.
123
Friday 18th January 2013 and following
The Elusive Smew and other stories
Friday 18th January
Once upon a time four redheads and a white nun were reported at Pugney's Country Park. The persistent birder couldn't find any of them, neither on the reserve lake, nor on the main lake nor on the Calder Wetlands. So in the tradition of a true quest he and Tiggy drove off to Angler's CP and Wintersett where even more smew had been reported.
On arrival some redpoll were seen in their kind of favorite tree, a young alder.
Also seen was the world's only legless, self-floating redpoll, carduelis balloonensis
Look! No legs!!
N.B. No image manipulation has been used to remove his legs. Just left of the catkin that is touching his red poll are, I believe, some of his claws.
The smew, a redhead, was somewhat distant but a year tick that proved quite difficult after seeing a few drakes in December.
Saturday 19th January
Barry and I got out in the afternoon and went along the Derwent valley for a spot of birding, the main premise being to find some Bewick's swans. We saw lots of whoopers but no Bewick's. At North Duffield a robin posed most willingly. Perhaps in hope of some feed so I felt a little guilty about this set of images as he didn't get his just reward.
Robins aren't always quite the shape you expect! This look shows the potential agressive nature hidden behind the friendly facade.
Sunday 20th January
I've come up with a new word: lens-elusive. Not just elusive but constantly being seen and then disappearing, always just as I raised my camera to frame the bird! Well the slavonian grebe in Hartlepool marina was an expert at being there one minute and then? Well, nowhere whatsoever!! After driving from the Premier Inn round to Jackson's Landing and back again I ended up over by the shops [not where I normally go] and by pure chance as I got out of the car a man to whom I had earlier pointed out the bird, albeit distantly, shouted: 'It's here!'
And so it was although it continued to dive under the pontoons and appear where we least expected. Anyway, in poor light with the ISO ridiculously high, here it is.
Next stop, Saltholme in hope of a water rail. Paths were treacherous so having ventured as far as the Wildlife Watchpoint I decided I would go no further. Fieldfares were feeding nervously in the hawthorns.
I waited an hour and a half for the water rail to appear. Someone baited it with banana assuring one and all that they go crazy for banana. Well that theory fell apart. This chap quite likes banana however!
In between times I photographed the reed buntings who were busy in their normal habitat even if, for once, it was a frozen one. These produced some rather nice images with which I was well satisfied.
South Gare produced no snow buntings and the wind was viciously cold. Cars were skidding dangerously on the access road. Common gulls flew around me. I tried for a shot.
Big-bellied in flight aren't they?
I drove along the front from Redcar to Saltburn picking up grey plover on the beach and skylarks on the broad grassy foreshore. I had calculated from the wind direction that Skinningrove might be sheltered. It was. Two Northumbria Water vans were unable to get out of the car park. Tiggy coped with ease.
I don't know how many stonechats I saw. Maybe five or six. Amazing!! Here they come.
This one looked very wretched...
...and this one looked rather better.
Smart male.
On the beach were a couple of oystercatchers and maybe a dozen or so golden plover, well scattered in singles along the beach.
Although Skinningrove was sheltered from the worst of the wind, it was still pretty bleak as seen in these views over to Hummersea.
This morning as I processed my latest photos I was called to grab my camera. Our peanut robber was at the top of the tree nearest the house and looking a bit bedraggled. But not hungry!
4 ticks on Sunday. Total 2013: 120.
Wednesday 16th January 2013
Just another day in the cold north-east!
At Fairburn Ings, Pickup Hide, a great spotted woodpecker came along to entertain me...
Heavily cropped and re-angled to cut away a plastic feeder. I don't like feeder shots so the following are preferred and show the bird's charisma, I think.
My favorite!
Funnily enough I saw my second GSW of the year later the same day at Old Moor. Back to Fairburn for now: other birds graced the Pickup hide area including a singing blue tit, who gave me a very careful examination.
And then he sang for me!
Tree sparrows looked well in the light created by the icy conditions.
En route to Old Moor and Pugney's I saw lots of partridge coveys. Otherwise I drew a blank everywhere except for linnets at Old Moor. The pugney's smew had vanished again. Typical smew behaviour!! All the partridge were red-legged.
Thursday 10th January following
A birthday at Newburn Bridge
Thursday 10th January 2013
For want of a better title...
..another may come to me later!
Sheila and I went to Hartlepool in hope of red-necked grebe and great northern diver. We failed again but the weather wasn't good. There were lots of waders for any novice birder - you can get really good views just from the promenade wall at high tide. Yesterday there were redshanks [one ringed], purple sandpipers, oystercatchers, dunlin, knot and well-hidden ringed plovers.
The mediterranean gull was present, skulking atop a lamp-post.
Foray into Lincolnshire
Saturday 12th January 2013
Barry and I set off early to find a great grey shrike near Market Weighton. No show. Then on to Far Ings where we found a party of waxwings for Barry's year list.
Next, a great northern diver at Morrisons, Scunthorpe - or more precisely on Ashby Ville lake, behind the superstore. Once we found how to get to the lake itself we soon saw the bird, albeit distantly. Rather than walk a long way while days are still short we pressed on to Worlaby where a shooting party encouraged us not to linger. On then, to Alkborough Flats for a good long bird watch. A few ticks for Barry; a very early avocet for me.
Approaching the hide, a female reed bunting posed for us. [ N.B. We were approaching the hide, not the bunting.]
Some redshank flew in accompanied, I think, by a ruff. [2nd from the left]
A group of mute swans flew over.
As the day grew old and cold, we set off on the walk back to the car park.
'Toddling whoam'
Old Lancashire folk song - 'Going home'
On the trail of the lonesome grouse!
Tuesday 15th January 2013
In spite of or maybe because of the snow I thought a drive over Blubberhouses might produce a conspicuous red grouse if there was plenty of snow up there. It didn't - at least I couldn't spot any and the snow was not as deep as I expected, so plenty of other distracting objects were visible. Some indeed quite bird shaped! I decided on plan B and went to Barden Bridge where I spotted a few mallard and a fleeing goosander. All otherwise quiet. It struck me from memory that Bolton Abbey Cavendish section might be free admission in these winter conditions. This proved correct.
A quick walk produced dippers on the River Wharfe so I retraced my steps back to Tiggy and got the camera out, being extra careful in the slippery conditions. Only slipped once. At first the dippers were at their normal distance - i.e. not quite near enough for a super shot but ok.
This chap was having a look before diving in. Or he was camera shy.
Slowly the pair came closer. Still being cautious.
I'd never had them this close before but perhaps the weather conditions and the lack of human distractions on the Cavendish Pavilion wooden bridge and riverside walk helped.
Just north of the bridge by the Cavendish restaurant I espied a sleeping goosander. Well not really asleep. She was keeping a weather eye open...
...just in case some miserable human started photographing her. I soon got the telling off I deserved...
Didn't I?!
Back near the car the mallards were resting on the snow. Ever heard of a snowbill? Well, I spotted one...
I set off for home as I had said I'd be back for lunch unless something turned up. On the off chance I stopped in the lay-by at the top of Blubberhouses [just after the sharp right-hand bend] and scanned with the bins. Nothing. I put the bins down. A shape just across from me on the other side of the road attracted my attention as I gazed around. I grabbed the bins again. Grouse watching me!
First strategy: dig with your feet to snuggle down lower.
Enlarged view
By this time I had crossed the road and was firing away. The camera didn't want to lock on the bird for some reason but kept locking on the grass much nearer to me. The fact that it was snowing may not have helped...
Not a bad morning!
112 and counting!