Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
Thursday 14th March - Saturday 16th March 2013
The Waiting Game: Part 2...
...but still enjoying myself!
Thursday 14.03.13
Cooped up at home I simply popped down to Askham Bog [3 miles away] to see if I could get some shots of the marsh tits. On the walk in from the car park area a nice drift of snowdrops caught my eye.
Always careful to make sure it's not one of the accompanying coal tits...
I soon had a marsh tit on the fence posts where seed is left.
Now before we go any further and I get neurotic about paler wing panels and bib size for all I know this might be a willow tit. But for now it's a marsh tit - or a marlow tit. It's definitely one of them. And so are these charming fellows.
Can be a dangerous place if you're a long-tailed tit. Always better to go round in twos!
There were lots of smart looking great tits too.
Friday 15.03.13 - first of 2 days in the Hartlepool area
I parked at the Seal Sands car park and walked to the new viewscreen by the Greatham Creek road bridge. Few birds present but I spotted a ringed plover nearby.
I went down to Greenabella hoping for the spotshank but the tide was out and the birds were all distant on the mud. The steelworks was putting on quite a show. Perhaps they'd just elected a new bishop - great billows of red smoke.
The black-throated diver was in the marina and two red-throated divers were in the harbour mouth.
There was quite a swell near the harbour mouth.
Some time was spent along the South Gare access road trying to photograph the curlews - they are easily disturbed so I was quite pleased with this set - including the one with all the jewellery...
6 rings!
Saturday 16.03.13 - day 2 in the North-East
Barry and I set off early to call at Shaw Farm and hopefully catch the black grouse. I knew there would be snow but I hoped for the best nonetheless. Black grouse are in the photo [2 males seen] - top left green field just near the diagonal snow line. But you can't see them!!
I was experimenting with my old Nikon Coolpix 4500 - I thought I might use it for landscape views as it easily slips in the pocket.
Here's the road to Langthwaite...
...and the road back north to the Stang.
We did eventually catch up with red grouse in the snow - all taken from the car.
In the mist this bird nestled down in the snow. They must be made of sterner stuff than I!!
We drove over Langdon Beck too but saw no more black grouse. Heading for Hartlepool for the remains of the day.
First location would be Seaton Snook where we would seek out some snow buntings. Barry took this as I watched a long-tailed duck on the creek.
It took us some time to find the snow buntings. In fact I was losing hope and had just said to Barry: 'This is where I saw them earlier in the week' when Barry said he'd spotted one. Let the pictures do the rest. Male and female present - and yet another ringed bird!
Here's the female.
Then relocated the male up on a log.
Back to the female.
Thanks to both birds for a great set of images.
As harbingers of spring, the coltsfoot were in flower.
We moved on to Greenabella hoping that as the tide came back in I might catch up with the spotted redshank. In fact we did see this bird together with a redshank and a greenshank. A sort of triple shank!!
A common scoter was by the second bridge over the creek.
On the walk back we watched a crow dropping a mussel shell onto the stony pathway. Clearly he had done this before and was soon eating the contents...
...even holding things in place with his foot. Clever birds.
Just before we reached the road a gull tried to mob a barn owl. It soon got out of the way.
A jolly good time was had by all - and it was quite a nice day too. Back to miserable winter weather for a while, I fear...
Week commencing March 10th 2013
The Waiting Game
Week commencing March 10th 2013
Sunday I went to Blacktoft to seek out some water pipits. It was very bleak there and I didn't meet up with them. Dunlin, shelduck, redshanks but nothing really special. There were a lot of dunlin and snipe about. And konik ponies looking ready for Spring: the sap definitely rising.
I decided to head for Old Moor along the motorways. Again nothing really special but the goosanders were nice and close down at the wader scrape.
Bitterns were booming too and yellowhammmers and brambling near the car park feeders.
Little owl reported at Broomhill. No sign [no surprise] but red-legged partridge and, bird of the day - a nice duck.
UK 2013 160... and waiting for the sand martins and wheatears that are dribbling into southern Britain. Snowing as I write this 11.03.2013 12.15pm.
Blog's 1st Birthday March 12th: 4368 visitors so far.
Wednesday 13th March 2013
Got up really early and got to Mirfield by 7.50am. Saw the ring-billed gull immediately through another birder's scope! At this point, before I could set up my own scope, all the birds flew off! Well at least I saw the bird. Went next to Broomhill Flash. Don't know why but just felt like going there. A birder coming out of the hide told me exactly where to look: 2 little owls through the scope. Brilliant!
Wanted some pictures too [never satisfied - is that the human condition?] so went to Fairburn to see if any 'eat-my-hat' birds were showing. [So-called because I once told my friend Barry that I'd eat my hat if we saw siskins at Fairburn on the visitor centre feeders. And we did!] Well then: here's some very pretty eat-my-hat birds.
I prefer not to take pictures of birds on feeders, so I tried to get the birds in the surrounding vegetation too. Actually this one is on the feeders but I cropped the feeder off.
Here they are in the bushes.
Some coal tits were around too. This one seemed a little drunk and had trouble balancing on landing...
A long-tailed tit seemed to be having a bit of bother too. Perhaps they're putting brandy in the seed on these cold mornings!
This greenfinch looked very smart.
The long-tailed tits were showing really well including this ringed bird.
Monday March 4th ff
Another week - last trip to Mirfield??
Monday...
...took me once more [5th time?] to the weir at Mirfield in search of the ring-billed gull. Finding the source of the Nile would be easier!! No show again so here's another shot of that splendid lesser black-backed gull - still present.
A grey wagtail lurked along the towpath very close to us but remained hidden for much of the time amongst roots and flotsam that had gathered when the water level had been higher. Even nosy canada geese failed to dislodge it. I managed a lot of close-ups many of which were obstructed by twigs etc. Here's something reasonable.
Eventually it flew to the orange floats.
Looks well I think.
Tuesday...
...was a day when there were jobs to do. The afternoon was bright but cold. A walk around Askham Bog to photograph marsh tits was a bit confusing. The robins were friendly and numerous.
Marsh tits and coal tits were tricky to separate when looking through the camera. This nice sharp picture is a coal tit - you can just see the wing bar on the right hand side.
This grey squirrel looked quite cute even though I regard them as vermin. Unfortunately we don't have any local reds - as far as I know...
It was great to catch up with a treecreeper as we headed back to the car.
By the exit gate I did eventually catch up with a marsh tit.
Wednesday...and this little piggy stayed at home!
Thursday...off I go!
Bit of a repeat actually. Decided to go back to Langthwaite to see some Yorkshire black grouse. The weather was poor: thick fog and I began to fear I was wasting my time. However as I descended from the Stang forest the skies cleared. The red grouse became visible in the remaining mist.
For some reason I missed the viewpoint and had to turn in the village and go back uphill to NZ007 052. It's easier in that direction to spot where you have the best view of the green fields above the farm. I saw 8 white-tailed males a-strutting!
Well, that was a good start. On then to Hartlepool to psych myself up for another sand-blasting at Seaton Snook.
Couldn't face it straightaway: the potential disappointment was oppressive so decided on some softer birding at Hartlepool Headland. Soon encountered a nice adult med gull - not Medusa from Newburn Bridge, a different bird.
When you are trying to track one bird among a number of black-headed gulls it is easy to think you are still on it when you're not...
Or you are...
Eventually the bird opted for a break on the rocks. I watched one birder trying to get close by venturing on to the seaweed covered rocks. I contented myself with this shot from the shore.
Something disturbed the knot and they flew past.
I set off for Seaton Snook. By the power station roundabout I saw a large murmuration of starlings being chased by a peregrine - but I was driving and couldn't stop. Along the Zinc Road many fieldfare were gathering on the edge of a huge flock of starlings. Getting ready to depart, I wondered?
[Photographed through a mesh fence]
I plucked up courage and set off.
Again I walked a long way along the shoreline. Niente, rien, nichts, nada! So, I thought, perhaps I should traipse among the dunes where they extend like a long spit into the estuary at NZ 538 267. I dislodged some crows but then saw something else move at the northern base of the dune, in a little round sheltered, gravelly spot. Eight of them - seven in this shot. Male blurred in background.
Sunday 24th February ff
Winter warblers!
On Sunday 24th February I drove to Mirfield to look for the ring-billed gull. No sign, so part two of the plan was to head further west to Middleton near Oldham where a siberian chiffchaff was holidaying on a stream in a tiny nature reserve in a well built-up area. [Location: Albany Street, Middleton SD 880 050] The satnav took us to within meters of the wooden footbridge I needed to find. Another birder was present and he introduced me to a group of goldcrests that were exploring the shrubs on the stream edge. There must have been up to 6 of them bobbing about busily, rarely still enough to fire off a shot that might be reasonably focused.
Chiffchaffs were also present and singing too. My earliest ever chiffchaff. However the pale grey-winged 'sibe' was elusive flashing by and going high in the trees - another birder identified the different calls. Here's the one I photographed...
Long-tailed tits were in the mix too.
Then I returned to Mirfield to the weir on the River Calder to look for the gull again. There must have been half a dozen disappointed birders. A local told us it doesn't come on Sundays when Biffa [a local recycling place] isn't operational. However we spotted a kingfisher hiding in tree roots and other detritus by the lock gates. The weir protects barges as they enter the river from the Calder and Hebble Navigation canal.
Male Kingfisher [all black bill]
So no ring-billed gull but smart Herring gull, black-headed gulls and common gull all on the weir in this photo.
Let's have another look at the smart bird!
Old Friends Revisited
On Thursday February 28th I went up to Hartlepool to see a red-necked grebe - the only 'regular' grebe I hadn't seen this year. I arrived at the pilot pier at about 10.15 to be told that the grebe had swum out to sea only about twenty minutes earlier and had disappeared. I spotted some drake eider inside the harbour and endeavoured to get closer.
Common scoter were outside the harbour, along with knot and a few other regular waders. I decided to go down to Jackson's Landing and see if the black-throated diver was still about. The block paving outside the abandoned building was being picked over by four pied wagtails.
And I soon spotted the diver. Although I had already seen it a number of times, this is a very good bird and I was happy to see it once more as it swam obligingly over to me! The light was amazing and although the sun was not shining directly I was getting amazing shutter speeds so I lowered the ISO to 100: these shots are the only photos I have ever taken with this camera at 100 ISO. Needless to say this freakish light didn't last.
On towards North Gare via Newburn Bridge. Two med gulls were present. One, on the beach, seemed to have a full summer hood but was very distant [it being low tide] and it flew off into the bargain. My long serving friend, good old Medusa, however, was shouting at me from her lamp-post!
I waited till she went for a fly past, swapping lamp-posts as she does...
North Gare held fields of gulls, great rafts of them which, to be honest, I didn't feel like spending the day scanning with the scope. A birder was atop a mini-dune, on a camp seat working through them. I contented myself with trying to get close to lapwings from a moving car!
All quiet at Majuba Road, Redcar, I headed for Skinningrove. Little was about there either: a wren dodged among the rock armour and refused to stay still enough for a photograph. A curious sign on the metal gates of the crumbling pier caught my eye. The German is perfect, including the fading umlaut: 'Every night I dream of you!'
Fulmars were flying noisily from the high cliffs. You don't often see the tail fanned out like this as the bird controls his flight near the cliff top.
There was no sign of stonechat or blackstart. Redshank flew off from the beach as the tide encroached.
I ended up at South Gare. Little to report but the steelworks was very active and, poking the camera between the struts of the metal fence, I managed this dramatic shot. Picture of the day - and not a bird in sight!
A Grand Tour: Barry 3 - Chris Nil
Plan was to see black grouse at any of four different sites. The sad truth is that we drew a blank even though 7 males were later reported that afternoon at Shaw Farm. Were we blind!?
However we did have a very good day. Well, I did and I hope Barry did too. He got three year ticks - grey partridge that I spotted in a field full of fieldfare and redwing en route to Langthwaite. Raven near Shaw Farm and lots of red grouse. Cue for some photos!
Different bird, different side of the road looking into the sunlight giving a misty effect that I really like.
Eventually this bird spooked itself into flight. They make quite a big, slow-moving target. Poor things don't stand a chance!
On we went, trying site after site! Eventually I headed for Saltholme and Hartlepool as our day list cruised towards 50 birds. At Newburn Bridge we paid a quick hello to Medusa.
On to Hartlepool Headland and the pilot pier. This turnstone was tossing a crab shell about.
Just offshore right in the harbour mouth a guillemot was diving.
The smart eiders I saw earlier in the week looked even better in the bright sunlight [12 degrees!].
I have said it many times before, but the thing about birding is that something good nearly always happens. Often something good and unexpected. Towards going home time Barry spotted a group of waders on the beach - not far from people, dogs and children... We went to look. We went down onto the beach. We ended up on our knees down at knot level. Knot portfolio coming up... But Barry first, photographing these friendly chaps...
This dumpy one has a ring. It amazes me how often I photograph ringed birds. There must be a lot of ringers out there...
This fellow was particularly confiding and came very close.
Final image of the day.
Weir[d] and [not so] Wonderful
Sunday 3rd March. Back to Mirfield for the fourth time to try for the ring-billed gull yet again after seeing great photos taken Saturday by Ray Scally. Total failure but a few pleasant surprises on the way to total failure!
Swan geese lurking in the undegrowth.
Biggest surprise was the appearance on the weir on the River Calder, well inland therefore, of a kittiwake.
This lesser black-backed looked smart. Notice how his back looks a different colour in different light or from another angle.
Ok. Jobs to do. Birds to see!
UK 2013 155
15th-21st February 2013
Great birding - but not a lot to see!
By which I mean that unfortunately conditions were not right for photography or the birds were too far away. But there'll be something nice before I finish!
|
16.02.13 |
Near Skipwith |
Jay |
|
20.02.13 |
Rufford CP, Notts |
Hawfinch x3+; lesser spotted woodpecker x2 |
|
20.02.13 |
Fiskerton Fen LWT |
American wigeon |
|
20.02.13 |
Frampton Marsh RSPB |
White-fronted geese x4 |
|
21.02.13 |
Tilery Wood, Wynyard |
Crossbill x2 |
|
21.02.13 |
Near Ripon |
Merlin |
Wednesday 20th February
Rufford CP merits a few notes for anyone visiting at this time of year. Firstly, be there by 7.45-8.00am. Especially at February half-term or weekends. Important to beat the dog walkers to it! Enter the park by the Western Gate off the A614, south of Ollerton. Park in the first car park on the left among the trees. Walk north about 20 yards to the original entrance avenue leading from the still visible historic Western Gateway. Work the trees as you head east along the lime trees. I had hawfinch and lesser spotted fairly soon and both again down the eastern end towards the building. Look very high up in the trees. For the other birder present with me the rarely spotted woodpecker was a lifer. The first thing he did was ring his brother to let him know. What's more he rememebered me from a pallid harrier watch near Firsby Reservoir last year.
Common Gull - Buck Beck car park, Cleethorpes
Next stop was Fiskerton Fen and a fairly long but very wet walk to the north east of what is the nominal reserve [which I explored first not knowing where to go until I saw a car parked by some flooded fields...] where I met two birders who told me how to locate the american wigeon. If it helps the bird was [quite distant] at TF088721.
Three major new birds for the year list! It was some years since I saw a lesser spotted so that was really special. On then to Frampton Marsh where I soon saw the group of white-fronted geese. Although there were no great rarities present there were thousands of birds - probably thousands of brent geese alone and golden plover, dunlin, lapwing in large numbers too. And a meadow pipit - sometimes I don't see one of those until further into spring.
Finally I headed north via Cleethorpes determined to try again for snow bunting and to find Buck Beck car park, well-known to birders but quite elusive! Find it near Meridian Park TA33170 06179, 0.77 miles north of Humberston Fitties car park.
As usual I failed to find any snow buntings. In fact there was not a lot of variety apart from the lone common gull that posed obligingly by my car. I got the camera out slowly and quietly whilst he watched me.
Thursday 21st February
Barry and I headed north-east. See also Barry's blog: http://barryjohnbishop.blogspot.co.uk/
A very good day's birding with a couple of ticks each: fulmar at Skinningrove for Barry, crossbills for both of us at Tilery Wood, Wynyard. [I'll certainly go there again] Many thanks to the birder in Phil Stead hide, Saltholme who told us how to find it. Finally merlin for me on the trip home from Nosterfield - 69 birds in total counting the last minute addition of a red-legged partridge. [Barry had seen merlin in January at Alkborough Flats but I missed it]
Friday 22nd February
From red-legs to rough legs! Well, that was the plan but plans are lovely when they work out right and also lovely sometimes when they go wrong. Let me explain. Rough-legged buzzards haven't headed north this year and the trip to Haddiscoe Island, Norfolk is a long one so I decided to set out after lunch to follow up reports of a rough-legged buzzard near Long Riston, north of Skirlaugh, NNE of Hull. I saw neither bird nor birder. So I drove around a little just in case. I headed down a track called Carr Lane TA113423. I spotted a distant barn owl quartering the fields. Pulling Tiggy over onto the grass something told me to get the camera, get back in the car, wind my window down and wait....
Here he comes..
Time for a rest.
At times he flew right over us, following the beck to and fro, diving into the grass but not catching anything whilst I watched.
Finally he came and perched next to the car to check me over. Birding really does contain a never-ending wealth of thrills!
UK 150. Can't wait for whatever's coming next!
It's quite a thrill too to report that my photos on Bird Guides have now received over 4,000 'thumbs-up' votes and that this website [not yet a year old] has now had over 4,000 hits too! I hope all visitors to the site have enjoyed my pictures as much as I have enjoyed the birding that led to their appearance.
Chris