Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
3rd-4th March 2017
Two days in my life!
Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late...
Day 1: Family Fun Day
...just managed to get to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on time where Sheila and I had been invited to help celebrate my son's and my elder granddaughter's birthdays: one born on March 2nd and the other on March 3rd but some years apart!!
Obviously I took a camera so, slightly different to my normal fare, here are a few zoo snaps. I was impressed by the sense of space - very large enclosures - but not by the weather it was cold and wet. Still, we all had a good time.
Meerkat above; painted dog below.
Best of all for me were the tigers - and they stuck it out in the rain for us!
Day 2: Back to the day job!
Headed north again to my beloved Hartlepool region and in particular to Redcar beach. First of all I parked up near the beach cinema to go look for velvet scoter. I could soon see eider but the scoter were diving and coming up somewhere else or disappearing in the waves...
That's better!
Walking back to the promenade I noticed a few common gulls among the herrings. Two allowed a close approach.
A mile or so further brought me to Foxglove Covert yet again, Marske, hoping for either corn bunting or lapland. Ready for disapppointment I bumped into Martyn Sidwell and we homed in on the preferred 'lump' in the middle of the stubble field.
Foxglove Covert delivers!
Double vision!
I then headed back to Redcar Stray to call on the snow buntings. Three were present and seemed well used to the people, dogs and ice-cream throwing children. The conditions were brighter and calmer than previously and it shows!
I finished my day in the life with a walk along Greatham Creek just with my bins. I hoped to find my first avocets of the year out on Seal Sands and I wasn't disappointed. Five seen but there are more present as I write this.
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made it to Tiggy in seconds flat
Found my way inside and had a coke,
Somebody spoke and I went into a dream....
166 UK 2017
21.02.17 ff
Rats! Is that the best you can do?!!
21st February
Roving along the clifftop at Flamborough east of South Landing looking for lapland buntings that were no longer there!! Made do with yellowhammers, tree sparrows at Bempton and my first kittiwakes of the year on the cliffs...
The bird station at Bempton has a healthy scattering of rat traps. Not quite sure what they are going to achieve... The rats seem unconcerned...
26th February
A blustery day, it felt very cold even though the temperature was about 11 degrees. Sheila and I completed the North Cave circuit. Little of especial note: just my first 2017 chiffchaff. Kestrel, red kite, sparrowhawk and buzzard all seen either on site or during the drive.
28th February - I can do better!
Part One: Gosh!!!!!
After reading Nigel Stewart's latest blog with confirmed sightings of goshawk in Troutsdale I decided to go see as things were pretty quiet otherwise. [See Clifton birding if you don't know it].
I drove down into Troutsdale. A kestrel flew along a stone wall beside me before Tiggy dropped down into the valley itself.
A short iphone video of the valley taken from the raptor watchpoint later that morning. It takes a few seconds to load.
A buzzard was soon seen in the sky. I carried on, stopping from time to time to scan the area. At SE 934 899 I saw this in the distance.
What a beast. A first for me: my previous goshawk encounters had either been fleeting or very distant. What a treat. 5 sightings all told and at least 2 birds as I saw 2 at once. Let the pictures take over!
Treecreeper seen too: first of 2017.
Part Two: despatching a few decapods!
I headed down to Scarborough for a stroll round the harbour before heading home. The black-necks were hiding - under the pontoons I expect - but the great northern was feeding constantly. This sequence features one bird [obviously] but about 4 different crabs!
In the next photo a crab is in the bird's throat just left of the lower mandible: you can see the lump. It went down in one!
That's it for February. March should be interesting........
Postscript from the useless information department!
As a linguist and former latin student [grade C 'O' level!] I was fascinated to learn that the word Volvo means 'I roll or tumble.'
It's not Swedish for anything!
164 UK 2017
17th-19th February 2017
Three days worth!
Day 1: Notts and Lincs
Rufford CP for hawfinch drew a blank but I carried on to Hoveringham sailing club lake and walked from the village [no car access for non-members - coded gate] but the bird was soon spotted. Friendly members let me use their scope and within a minute, literally, I had seen a curlew, a glaucous gull, a black-necked grebe and my target, a black-throated diver. All were a long way off seen in a powerful Swarovski scope. I decided to wait and hope the diver would approach.
Great crested grebes were friendly.
The diver was out by some rescue craft.
Eventually it came a bit nearer before heading way out again.
I returned home via Clumber Park where I saw 2 hawfinches, each briefly, from the car park.
Day 2: We went to Bempton!
Sheila loves to see the sea and to see owls so what better than Bempton! I got an easy year tick with my first razorbills of the year - just seven on the cliffs with hundreds of guillemots. Here are the owls - followed by a skylark singing for Yorkshire and the world!
Day 3: Wintersett and Ibbotsons Yard!
Walking the old railway line near Wintersett looking for a firecrest was a complete failure - although the roving tit flock did appear after I'd left along with the crest and a load of redpolls. A song thrush sang beautifully all the time I was there - reminiscent of a nightingale briefly at times. I wondered if it had heard one once and was mimicking a memory....
Not to worry - I had left for Acaster Selby or thereabouts to see the local great grey shrike. Lots of people near Ebor Trucks. I decided to look nearer Ibbotsons and found the bird. I waved to the others who came at a pace. I began to worry as the bird disappeared before anyone else saw it. Happily after ten minutes the bird was seen again just beyond the trailers. Eventually it came quite close.
160 UK 2017
8th February 2017 ff
Swans for starters!
February 7th: Thorn Bank road near Wroot
A field south of the road held lots of mute swans, a lonesome whooper and, separate from the rest, a group of 5 Bewick's swans...
February 10th: dismal weather...
...left me shooting sparrows and starlings from a bedroom window!
Main course!
February 13th: Lincolnshire again
This time it was down to Willow Tree Fen LWT near Spalding to see if I could encounter a friendly bluethroat.
Valentine's Day: Scorton and Greatham Creek
Report from Scorton gravel pits claimed an early or overwintering little ringed plover. I may have missed it but all I could find was a single ringed plover.
I carried on to walk the Salterns and Greatham Creek at Hartlepool. No sign of spotshank but quite a few [5] greenshank and the predictable rest.
Along the Creek I was shooting into the sun so the light was tricky.
Redshanks, brown feet!
Oyk! Bathtime!
Greenshanks.
Dead carline thistles always seem attractive...
...but there were a few signs that spring isn't far away.
Dessert at Phil Stead's place!
A set of images from Phil Stead hide. Nice light!
Best not leave this fella out. Last call at Ward Jackson's.
157 UK 2017
3rd-4th February 2017
East, West and a little bit in between!
February 4th: Redcar-Hartlepool
I started at Redcar beach looking for waders. No godwits but lots of sanderling and they were feeding energetically.
Ringed plover
On to Fox Covert where I tried again for those elusive corn buntings. Tree sparrows and yellowhammers.
Bar-tailed godwits seen at South Gare from car park area. I was contemplating going down onto the beach to get a bit closer but a dog decided for me and made everything fly off. Later at Tilery Wood I added goldcrest to the day's bag. Not the most productive day as I think I wasted a lot of time but it was pleasant and good to be out.
February 4th: Bolton Abbey and the North Fylde
En route a brief stop at Bolton Abbey. Dipper seen immediately but for second time in two days an idiot scottie dog disturbed it [not the same dog as yeaterday!] and the bird flew off upstream. The owner came over. 'Sorry about that,' he said.
I tried to be pleasant. 'What's her name?' I asked.
'It's a he,' he replied. 'We call him Donald.'
'I'm not surprised', I said with a smile and walked on. Soon spotted a grey wagtail.
Some mandarins were on the bank.
Quite belligerent!
Mrs Mandarin posed. I wonder if she likes having grass up her nostrils?
I drove on as my main target was a bit of a goose fest near Pilling not that far from where I was brought up. In particular I hoped to see a red-breasted goose along with lots of pink-feet.
Pilling Lane Ends. Along with over a hundred pinkfeet and 21 whitefronts I was reliably informed.
They were a long way off. Note the white-fronted just right of the red-breasted.
This pinkfoot was exceptionally dark.
The lesser snow goose was more elusive but eventually tracked down on a large building site pool in a country park outside the village of Nateby.
Calling David Armitage!
Sorry about the non-existent pinebunt pic. I did go 3 times! Anyway regards from Tiggy and me. Good birding wishes to you!!