Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
24th-27th January 2016
Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!
When I was a child in deepest Lancashire, in a place called Penwortham, we had a neighbour called Nellie Ashcroft and if she heard anything that really shocked her she would say: ''Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!'' Another of her sayings was, of someone who'd been a bit cheeky in pushing to get his own way: ''He were as hard-faced as a barn rat.''
Well, I've had a ''foot of our stairs week'' culminating in a short trip this afternoon - of which more shortly...
Tuesday January 24th
I'd never been to Ossett. In fact apart from being in West Yorkshire I wasn't exactly sure where it was. Or is. It's still there. I managed an afternoon drive out to Holy Trinity church, Ossett to look for a black redstart. Finding it was instant. Getting it to sit still was entirely another matter!
On the church roof.
Wednesday 25th
I headed up north to Druridge Bay country park to look at the pacific diver. I saw the first at Farnham near Knaresborough in 2007 after leaving school and looking through another birder's scope wearing my suit surrounded by all the birders in their grunge apparel. This time I was appropriately grunged. The bird was easily seen from the visitor centre but it was a very long way away.
I walked round to the other side of Ladyburn Lake where I knew the light would be challenging but I hoped to be a good bit closer to the bird [if it stayed where it was!]. The effect on the light was dramatic as I shot into the sun. All the pictures have been heavily cropped but I am still impressed with what the camera and lens can achieve. Here's a full frame uncropped view first.
Same photo cropped.
Walking back I spotted a birder waiting patiently for the bird to come closer.
Thursday 26th
Sheila and I went to Cleethorpes to see a slavonian grebe at Cleethorpes country park. It was unbelievably cold! The bird was soon located. Say no more!
Today [Friday 27th]
Coming back from a quick visit to Tesco Sheila said I'd better look at the pager. Pine bunting from footpath off Kerver Lane, Dunnington. And so I went. I didn't need to be as hard faced as a barn rat to push through the throng of scopes and overweight birders. Only Chris Gomersall was there. As I drew level he said: ''Look in there!'' Pine bunting top of trees. Shortly after digiscoped by CG and now on twitter. Teacosybobcap [me] included in the tweets. A privileged moment for me. Two lifers in six days and one so close to home!
It soon flew off. Birds do that.
145 UK 2017
9th January ff
Getting tired of the wind...!
January 9th: Teesside & Redcar
I started out at the back of Morrisons, Teesside Shopping Park, Thornaby walking along the Old River Tees at low tide. Plenty of redshanks but eventually located my target bird: green sandpiper.
Next I planned to go to Redcar and seawatch from the boating lake, hoping the velvet scoters were still offshore. The wind did not encourage me to linger once I had found the birds. I went down to the water's edge to try to get some sort of record shot.
I had always wondered exactly where Fox Covert is at Marske. Planning and research located it at NZ 63108 23133 across the road from the first beach car park leaving Marske heading for Redcar. It was full of little birds - some fieldfare, scores of goldfinch and reed buntings. In the adjacent stubble field skylarks were evident but in the swirling wind I was unable to isolate the corn bunting although from the many reports it is probably still there. Is there just one? I don't know.
Calling at Saltholme to get away from the rain which had set in, it was blue skies to the north. Several pintail were on the main lake from the VC.
January 10th: birthday birding at North Cave, Fairburn and Poppleton
Tiggy took me to North Cave via the back roads round Weighton Common [she knows the way now!]. There I stopped to look at a field full of birds - producing redwing, fieldfare, mistle thrush and good numbers of red-legged partridges. The two latter birds were year ticks. North Cave held a noisy but unseen green woodpecker, a couple of ruff, dunlin and a kingfisher - another year first.
The day still had some life in it but I didn't want to be late home so I headed for Fairburn for a quick look round. I found water rail at the kingfisher screen immediately as some birders were already watching it. It's very tame! A few willow tits were seen at the feeding stations and redpoll in the alders along the canal walking back from the screen. Finally I picked Sheila up from home and we headed down a lane in Poppleton to see if the barn owl would show. She did at 4.15 flew low out of sight, came back round the field and flew along the hedge towards us. We were thrilled as it flew low over Tiggy and disappeared since when we turned our heads we had no idea where it had gone. Just slipped away...
January 12th: GARDEN MEGA
Single waxwing for 5 minutes spotted in the garden at the top of a very tall old wild cherry
By chance I looked out of the back bedroom window late afternoon and spotted our local waxwings [9 seen] in a tree. I grabbed the camera and took this record shot through glass in fading light.
January 14th: NSFQ as it mystifyingly says on twitter.
I'd been before to see a Sabine's gull - some years ago. North Shields fish quay. Iceland gull, glaucous gulls [2 birds feature in the photos] and eider. All in pictures...
Iceland in the foreground, glaucous brooding behind.
Later I walked Greatham Creek. Few waders about but I was still well rewarded for my efforts. Shelduck, grey plover, greenshank, shovelers and mergansers: you'll know which is which!
On the walk back I spotted a distant roe deer out on the marsh.
It was getting quite dark as I headed back and this last picture of a male merganser was taken in real twilight and given a bit of a boost in photoshop.
January 15th: North Cave and Adwick
Sheila and I headed for North Cave hoping we might catch up with the returning [probably] green-winged teal. We did, after spending a long time watching what we were led to believe was it and waiting for 'it' to wake up. When it did it was 'it' if you know what I mean! We also saw mandarin duck and along the road a jay from the car.
However a report of a black-throated thrush pushed us to leave for Adwick-upon-Dearne. After chasing around a bit suddenly the lemming-like crowd set off on a route march not dissimilar to an army cross-country training course. After completing an enormous loop we ended up by the Manvers Arms in the village peering over a hedge into a rape field. Mercifully through someone else's scope I saw the thrush. My second black-throated thrush having seen one in Newholm [Whitby] in January 2010.
January 17th: Scarborough, Flamborough and Bempton.
Old camera as the 5DSR battery died and I'd forgotten to charge the spare. The 1D saved the day but it doesn't work like the 5D on high ISO settings. Scarborough harbour: feral pigeon, great northern, shag and black-necked.
I was particularly pleased to see a friendly rock pipit.
No sign of any black redstarts at the fog station, Flamborough, after a good scout round. Fulmars in residence; a kestrel had found a spot out of the cold wind.
So final call at Bempton as I knew short-eared owls were around. In fact as I drove in I saw one, drove to the nearest parking space, grabbed camera...
January 20th: Saltholme
We walked out to see the long-eared owl which was a good walk for our two-year old grand-daughter. Rather distant hidden low down in the scrub.
We saw stonechats too.
Getting a clean bill of health.
January 21st: Blacktoft.
After wasting several hours at Dunnington watching yellowhammers. No sign of a pine bunting.
Smew, scaup and marsh harrier.
January 22nd: Tale of the White Dagger!
Trip to Stixwould on the River Witham. Parked at the old Stixwould station and walked along the old trackbed [now a country path]. The white-billed diver was about 1.5 miles downstream and I was much relieved when the birders came into view. Here is my first lifer of 2017 - a bird I have wanted to see for a long time!
Reminds me of last time I had Tiggy serviced: what a bill!!!
Walking back I saw fieldfares and goldfinches.
Before I went home I called again in the afternoon at Dunnington. Some things are just not meant to be! And I'll tell you what: after the diver I really didn't care a hoot or even two hoots!
A tawny owl would have been nice though!
More soon I hope. Problem is finding time to do the blog!
Current UK 2017 total: 141
26.12.16 - 08.01.17
Playing catch-up!
And all the news up to Nelson!!
This has happened before. Don't know how but there it is. Somehow I missed out an afternoon with Barry at North Duffield from the last blog of 2016. So I'll begin by putting that right.
December 26th 2016
We'd only been there a day or two earlier but I didn't take the camera the first time. This time I did expressly hoping to get some flight shots of the whooper swans.
Plenty of greylags about...
...and wigeon too.
Eventually the whoopers obliged and flew around before returning to the ings.
They were clearly overdoing the spray tan!
Ok. That's got 2016 out of the way.
January 1st 2017
Set off very early and saw the eastern black redstart in the half light at Skinningrove followed by scoping the bean geese along Kilton Lane. All part of my attempt to beat my first one hundred birds tally achieved on January 6th last year - itself a two day improvement on my previous pb. Next stop looking from Redcar in a howling gale for scoter. Only managed to see common scoter but could hardly keep the scope still. A man came past and said he thought there was a snow bunting a bit further along on the shingle just below the path. I went to see, found the bird, went back to get my camera. Bird hadn't moved far but again I struggled to hold the camera. One sharp image below!
It was a pretty horrible day weather-wise and it didn't lend itself to taking photos. Without Barry's eyes to boost my tally I was nonetheless not dissatisfied with my day total of 59 although that left a lot to do! Here's a few shots.
As the day wore to an end I paid my respects to the med gull at Newburn. Would have been rude not to!
January 2nd: Scarborough and Filey
I began at Forge Valley and picked up the usual suspects, adding 5 more birds. Ten more that day in and around Scarborough and Filey bringing my total to 74.
BNG
GND
Could almost have been a white-billed diver - but I know it isn't!!
The ubiquitous turnstone.
...and even, off the car park at Carr Naze, a RNG!
January 3rd
Roe deer and a magpie from our house first thing in the morning.
Sheila and I spent the day round Hartlepool but I didn't use the camera. Windy again. Highlights were shore lark, red-throated diver, twite, purple sandpiper, scaup concluding with a last gasp dash to Dorman's Pool for a glaucous gull.
Total now was 89
January 4th
Afternoon outing to Lemon Royd sewage works produced water pipit and grey wagtail. Then I tried to walk from Woodlesford to Skelton Lake but found it hard to get decent views of the lake. Picked up some goosanders. Later I was shown the long-eared owl roost near Woodlesford - a new site for me. One owl out in the sunshine. Looked good; I must go back soon.
Total 94. Could I get 6 birds on the 5th of January?
January 5th
Early start at Bank Island produced peregrine, whooper swan [single] and my first rook!
On to North Cave, picking up buzzard en route. Siskin at North Cave , west path, and at 10.53 a.m. a great crested grebe took the honours as bird number 100. By the time I left North Cave I was on 102 and heading for Blacktoft for the roost.
The moon was up already.
Shelduck flew past Singleton hide.
A marsh harrier lingered in a bush but none flew close.
No hen harriers but I like this shot, albeit distant, of a male merlin. Atmospheric in the late sunlight... [if you can spot it!]
I ended the day on 107 for 2017.
January 7th
Afternoon at Swillington again. One water pipit at the sewage works but lots of meadow pipits. I went primarily for a long-tailed duck on Lemonroyd Lake.
Next I drove to Fairburn after a tip-off that the great white egret was very near the road. It was indeed.
Day over at somewhere else for a ruddy duck
Year so far: 111, Horatio!
Targets 2017
1: See 40 species in/from the garden.
2: See 100 or more species within the modern York boundary.
3: 10 lifers in UK in any combination of birds and butterflies.
4: Website hits to reach 35,000.
5: Go on 2 more birding adventures.
6: BirdGuides Iris photo total to 7,000
7. Fastest hundred: achieved 10.53 a.m. on January 5th
For the reader who remembers my targets for the year [they exist solely to motivate me as I can be dilatory at times!] here's an end of year update...
2016 targets updated 31.12.16
1: See 40 species in/from the garden. 39 so close!
2: See 281 or more species UK. 273 oh well....
3: 10 lifers in UK in any combination of birds and butterflies= 13 [10+3] Achieved 4.10.16
4: Website hits to reach 30,000. 29,265 so close!
5: Go on 2 more birding adventures. 2 achieved by 16.08.16 [Highlands and Shetland]
6: Fastest hundred [8th Jan target to beat]. Achieved 6th Jan!
27th-28th December 2016
Cold Snaps!
Tuesday 27th December
I'd forgotten what really cold weather was like but in the last few days the biting wind made it feel especially bitter. So, these are probably the last 'cold snaps' of the year. I begin on a day out with Sheila at Hartlepool. We diverted to Saltholme when the pager announced a couple of waxwings in the car park. By the time we arrived we were told they were at the Wildlife Watchpoint. They weren't. We headed back. Sheila spotted a kestrel over the Visitor Centre. I took a few fairly distant shots.
For some reason the camera refused to focus after that. I switched it off and on again and all was well. Meanwhile the bird headed off only to swing back round and pass over us. Here are just a few of the results. Kesfest 2016!
Returning to the car park I spotted a flight of waxwings coming in. Probably about 40. Most perched among the twigs of the big tree by the entrance bridge. This one was on the very top.
Phil Stead hide pool held enormous amounts of water. Pintail looked well in the sunshine [and pretty close too!]...
...and a black swan was almost too close just outside the hide.
Next we went to Newburn Bridge for lunch. Med gull was present. Purple sandpiper on the Headland a little later.
Walking the Town Wall I espied this pied wagtail. For anyone unable to get to Pembrokeshire for the masked wagtail, this is the lesser known black-bibbed wagtail from Cleveland!!
Eider from the Wall.
Wednesday 28th December
Barry and I headed for Bridlington and Flamborough. A stonechat by the lighthouse. Three shots all of the same bird. Striking how different combinations of the photographer, the sun direction and the bird make the bird look quite different. All photos processed identically - just a bit of cropping and sharpening.
We ended up at Bridlington Harbour before heading home. Before that we called at South Landing. Lots of not particularly easy to photograph rock pipits...
Hope to see you in 2017!
The Best of 2016 part 2
The Best of 2016
Part Two: July to December
Not necessarily the best pictures photographically but those that gave me the most satisfaction...
...no words but looking back through the year's blog will provide more info if you need/want it!
This is just meant to be a picture album to round off my birding year.
August
September
October
November
December
