Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
5th July 2016 part 2
My new hat!!
Part Two: Inner Farne
We returned to our Glad Tidings IV to cross the Staple Sound back to Inner Farne where visitors are only permitted in the afternoon. Whilst on board photography was difficult as I struggled to hold the big lens steady. I persevered in hope and the following shots were quite pleasing.
On the pebble beach by the jetty a young ringed plover could be spotted.
I'll zoom in!
The arctic terns were ready to greet us.
Tern chicks at very different stages of maturity were seen - from eggs to newly hatched to fledged.
Note the ostrich egg in the background. The ostriches weren't seen that day unsurprisingly!
Here are a few more arctic terns.
Contortionist by the old chapel.
..and some sandwich terns...
Monochrome shot.
Some juvenile gannets flew past.
A sailing ship passed the island too.
A fulmar was up on the rocky cliff at the top of the island.
Puffins again!
Now what's this? A common tern with a fly flying by!
The arctic terns could be quite aggressive. Barry's bobble on his hat was clearly under attack!
In fact if he'd stood there long enough they'd have gradually pulled it to pieces. One strand at a time...nesting material perhaps!
More than one bird wanted a go!
I didn't get off lightly - which brings me at last to my new hat.
A proper birder wouldn't just have an RSPB metal badge on his hat, he'd surely have a full-sized bird. So here's my new hat especially adapted, as I said previously, for arctic conditions!!
Photos thanks to Barry Bishop of course. Read his version of events on http://barryjohnbishop.blogspot.co.uk/
The day drew to a close and we took an early boat back to Seahouses. Our not quite annual pilgrimage was very enjoyable. Near the harbour a young eider was seen with its mother.
Farewell to the Farnes. I hope to visit you again one day....................................................
Postscript
Since our visit a white-winged black tern has been in Yorkshire. Barry and I missed it at Fairburn; it escaped me by leaving Orgreave Lagoons before I arrived but eventually I caught up with it at Rother Valley CP. A few distant views.
231 UK 2016
Six months gone so a brief update on this year's targets as at 1st July
1: See 40 species in/from the garden. 35
2: See 281 or more species UK. 230
3: 10 lifers in UK in any combination of birds and butterflies. 7
4: Website hits to reach 30,000. 25.4k
5: Go on 2 more birding adventures. 1 achieved
6: Fastest hundred [8th Jan target to beat]. Achieved 6th Jan!
5th July 2016
My new hat!!
Part One: Staple Island
I was going to tell you about my new hat. It's especially designed for Arctic conditions. However that'll have to wait as I need to relate my trip with Barry to the Farne Islands on Tuesday 5/7. Weather was rubbish as we headed north into rain and then mist. Beyond the Tyne Tunnel and an approaching occlusion the sky brightened and once at Seahouses all was full of promise.
It would be Barry's first time on Staple Island if we could land safely. Well, landing was a bit of a scramble in the swell but we made it. First views...of the principal characters! Starring:
Puffins
I caught a sand eel this long!!
Shags...and razorbills
Guillemots
Lesser black-backed gulls
Bamburgh Castle from Staple Island
My interest in bird photography was sparked by a desire to catch birds in flight or bifs to the more obsessive! Here's a few bifs.
And a few more on the rocks...
The eyes have it!
Oystercatcher and young
Dinosaur with young!
Guillemots
...and so we left Staple Island. Not easy taking photos from the boat due to the swell. Here's a reasonable shot of a razorbill.
Part Two follows in a few days! See you on Inner Farne for Part Two and the conclusion of My New Hat!!
22.06.16 ff
The Day that I Forgot.....
.....................and other tales...
On June 22nd, before the most recent blog post, I went to Tophill Low. Apart from a brief flying visit by a male kingfisher I had to settle for reed warbler and blackcap...
Blackcap - well, browncap!
Four-spotted chaser - so-called because of its eight spots!
Reed warbler with juvenile
Kingfisher - male
Great Scott!! It's a great knot!
June 28th - finally found a weather window to get down to Titchwell for a night to see the great knot. I left home in the afternoon having booked an overnight on-line. The bird appeared early next day at Titchwell on the fresh marsh after a spell at Gore Point. Always distant but a lifer for me and a challenge to locate among 2,000 knot! On the photos the white dots will help.
It's the darker bird at the back - only marginally bigger then a knot if like me you sort of expected a significant size differential.
The most difficult shot to understand. The bird is back to us looking left. The head looking right is another bird. Often the darker head was all you could see!
One of the rare moments when I could see most of the bird. Others have had closer and much better views but I was quite happy. You probably can spot it now without a white dot to help you!
Generally darker and reminiscent of turnstone summer plumage...
...until the whole lot take off and you lose it completely!
Crowle Moor South - June 30th
En route I called at North Cave to see a wood sandpiper distantly as it turned out...
I carried on to Crowle.
Turn left at the Crowle Moors little car park and carry on down track for about 400 yards to SE75529 13739 past a small corn field on the RIGHT to a wooded entry with space for a couple of cars. This is Crowle Moors south. My second visit this year - the first must have been just a little too early. This time I got lucky.
The first large heath was about twenty feet away across open deep bog. I tried to get close and a better angle but it seemed too dangerous. Wellies required even for the nice bits! Sheep kept an eye on me.
Later I followed two others until this one perched so wonderfully for me!
23.06.16
Prees Higher Heath
Shropshire isn't a place I know well but I did see the red-footed falcon there last year. This time I was fulfilling a long-held plan to go to see the silver-studded blues at Prees Heath. It's a pretty long drive and I was glad to find space in the small car park which meant no long walk to the reserve. [The reserve website suggests you park at a truck stop and walk. It looked a very long slog to me!]
Anyway, here's the reserve.
I never noticed the man on the right when I took the shot! I wonder what he's doing?!
A lot of local dog walkers were about but, as ordained on various signs, all were on leads and people seemed pleased I'd come to see 'their' butterflies.
Here they are: a lifer butterfly for me, the silver-studded blues. The silver studs are pretty difficult to spot in the field but the butterflies are an intense blue, very low flying and a smidgin smaller than common blues.
I had put my 400mm lens down on dry grass and was using the 100mm macro. Eventually I walked back to pick up the lens. I didn't need to wander very far: the butterflies were numerous. Even posing on my lens!
Also spotted: a nice stand of strong-growing pyramidal orchids.
Possible orchard ermine moth.
A buzzard soared overhead.
Back over the pennines, I called at Crowle Moors south for large heath but saw none although the conditions seemed perfect and it was the same date as when I saw plenty last year. Final call at Blacktoft en route home: heron and dusky maidens.
19.06.16
Not so much a diesel fest...
...as a whinchat extravaganza!
I split the morning between Fen Bog and Ellerburn Bank. It was soon obvious there was a ''diesels in the 70s'' event on the NYMR.
I had come for something else however. So far this spring I hadn't encountered any whinchats - a bird for which I feel a special affinity. Fen Bog usually has a few nesters and in fact I photographed 3 pairs on Sunday and soon knew roughly where 2 of the nests were. I think no more comment on whinchats is needed: here they come!
I also saw my first small heath of the year at Fen Bog...
...whilst at Ellerburn Bank I saw a rabbit protected butterfly orchid...
...chimney sweep moth and common blue butterfly. The latter two were away too quickly for me but I did manage to swap to the macro lens to photograph this argus butterfly.
