Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
27.03.15
High Gloss Gonalston
A fairly quiet week. A trip to Alkborough Flats was ill-judged as an extremely high tide had dispersed all the birds. A cold wind added to the unlikelihood of seeing the smaller target birds, the beardies.
I moved on to North Cave where ringed plover were in evidence but no sign of little ringed plover which had been reported or misreported...
Grey wagtails and a couple of white wagtails were spotted among large numbers of piedwags.
Friday 27th tempted me on a nicer day down to Gonalston in Nottinghamshire for a long-staying glossy ibis. En route I called at Rufford CP but no sign of hawfinch.
I found the ibis with no difficulty as a few birders were in situ. The bird was fairly distant in a rather wet horse paddock.
Just to prove the point...through the horse's legs!!
The locals said the bird sometimes ''flies across the road and lands on these wet patches.'' This would mean the bird would be about 10 feet away just over a very low hedge. Seemed most unlikely to me. I was in the car looking at my maps when the bird did as prophesied. So here goes: dead close, great light, low ISO, almost luminous when it caught the sunlight. Brilliant!
However overall things are a bit too quiet for me. Time for a mega!!
176 UK 2015
12th March ff
Coltsfoot, skylark and petrosus v littoralis!
Thursday 12th March
A visit to Potteric Carr in search of bittern but I called at Broomhill Flash first to see a reported egyptian goose. When I arrived I was told it was still present but hiding in a dip on the far side of the flash. After about 20 minutes it appeared. Back to the bittern hunt at Potteric - which was not seen. In fact, not a lot was seen. I don't know why - perhaps it's me - but Potteric Carr always disappoints. A long walk for very little. But it was a pleasant afternoon. The coltsfoot [should it be coltsfeet?] were in bloom...
...the grebes were a-courting...
...and that was about it.
Saturday 14th March
Saltholme to try to find my first wheatears of the year. As I drove past Saltholme I spotted the snow goose on the grass not far from the roadside! Scopes were up on the bank in the car park watching...
Interesting to note that it has now moved out on to the marshes and is with the pinkfeet...
North Gare had lapwings...
...and thousands of gulls. Much as I love my rare gulls, I haven't the larophilic patience to spend hours looking through fields of gulls. But a glaucous gull had been reported so I thought a quick look wouldn't do any harm...
Always a pretty bird!
The wheatears were located in the car park area but were very nervous and quite distant. I sat in the car, put seed down near the top end of the car park and watched the skylarks.
Crest up!
I called at Saltholme before heading home. I've photographed this old lady before - she has a bad limp but has survived the winter ok.
Setting off homeward bound I went to see if the newly refurbished transporter bridge was operating. It was, so this video is just for you, Barry! Note the new cradle design.
Since then, on Sunday 15/3 I saw a great white egret near Saltmarshe Delph and then met up with Barry at North Cave where we saw our first sand martin and chiffchaff of the year.
Tuesday 17th March
A trip to Flamborough to see if I could find the scandinavian rock pipits among the ordinary ones. Apparently our resident birds are subspecies petrosus whilst the scandinavians are littoralis. These birds are more obviously coloured with greys, even almost pink flushes [allegedly] and an obvious supercilium...
This is an earlier photo of a local rock pipit:-
Here's some more scandinavians. I think the difference is clear enough.
Wednesday 18th March
Barry had the afternoon off so we went to Flamborough South Landing to look for a black redstart which we didn't see, alas, but which is still there this morning as I type this!
The scandinavian rock pipits were still present...along with lots of turnstones.
Here are a few more shots of the pipits.
The turnstones were quite flighty at times but after a quick sortie round the bay soon returned to a spot close by.
We moved on to the Lighthouse zone. The foghorn was deafening, blocking out the kittiwakes on the cliff.
Barry commented on this plant in flower near the cliff top. ''Smyrnium, I think'' I hazarded. It is indeed smyrnium olusatrum or common name Alexanders - introduced by the Romans. Interestingly I read the other day that the flora and fauna of the British Isles are relatively poor and rely heavily on introductions by people, birds, the wind etc compared with those countries not ravaged by the last ice age.
Lots of groups of gannets headed north.
UK 2015 174
10th March ff
Black tum, little ears and other tails...
Tuesday, March 10th. I took Tiggy to VW Knaresborough for an MOT. A stroll up the River Nidd from the caravan site by Grimbald Bridge soon brought a pair of grey wagtails - the first of 2015.
Soon done I headed home to pick up my lunch and then made for the east coast. The light was good so I thought I'd call at Harpham for the black-bellied dipper. My second visit but I fancied another go at photographing the bird. To my surprise a group of birders had it staked out only a few yards from the wooden footbridge!
Now what? A drive along the Wold lanes round Fimber to look for grey partridge only brought me red-legs. Time was passing so I headed for Buckton. The plan was to approach the cliffs up Hoddy Cows Lane to see if the walk was as hard a slog as some say it is.
Skylarks were in the furrows of the winter barley.
It's probably less interesting than the path from Bempton Cliffs but I did discover the other dell where the owls clearly hang out. After watching the main field and the Heligoland screen for a while I headed back towards the Buckton dell which is about 400m inland from the set-aside field. I was immediately rewarded. First of all the support acts: The Roe Deer, a new age sextet!
Then a quartet: The Yellowhammers.
The main act soon followed.
I edged closer on boggy ground. Wear wellies by the way - they should call it Muddy Cows Lane.
There were 2 birds. Both headed south-west but soon perched up. I didn't follow.
168 UK 2015
28-02-15
Duff photos!
February 28th at North Duffield
Barry and I went to Blacktoft in the afternoon but moved to North Duffield for the last hour to see if the barn owls would show. They did but in increasing gloom. Working with very high ISO numbers the pictures are not perfect as shutter speeds were still poor but they are still quite a nice result!
A sparrowhawk joined in the action and came and perched in the scrub beside the hide. For once I used manual focus to lock on to the bird.
There were two barn owls. I lost track of which was which!
Wednesday March 4th
A trip north began at Middlesbrough Morrisons by the Old River Tees in search of a grey wagtail. No sign. Plenty of redshanks.
The resident green sandpiper is very timid and won't let me anywhere near it! It flies off when redshanks are happily on the mud near to me. Here it goes in a blur as I tried to catch it.
I moved on to Greatham Creek hoping to find the resident whimbrel. I hadn't realised the tide was so big and high so few waders to be seen. A seal was curious.
A few eider came close.
Thursday 5th March
Another trip to Greatham Creek was more successful. Avocets and, at last, the whimbrel. There was sand too for the seals to bask on!
The first avocets of the year on a pool off the creek.
Finally a poor quality photo, much cropped but of interest [to me at least!] because it shows a whimbrel with a curlew. The size differential is quite striking. I spotted three curlew type birds flying up the estuary and realised one bird was smaller than the other two. I tracked it hoping it would land. It did. In the wind I rested the camera on the scope and fired a few shots.
As for other recent sightings, I picked up red crested pochard at Tophill Low on D reservoir, white-fronted goose at Scaling, kittiwake and puffin at Bempton and the much reported red-necked grebe at Sewerby.
Current UK total 2015: 167
25-28 Feb 2015
Guess who's coming to dinner?
Wednesday 25th February -very close to home!
Initially in the shade and badly exposed but the silhouette gives the game away...
You guessed!
Choosing the right cotoneaster berry requires reflection...
Grip carefully with the tips of your bill...
Let it roll back into your throat.
Nearly gone!
Anyone watching me!!?
The same day at Askham Bog YWT I hand fed this robin. A nervous marsh tit proved tricky to photograph.
I continued south to Old Moor RSPB. The February lull was in full swing. A pair of bullfinches had had a row and were ignoring each other.
Friday 27th February
Sheila and I returned to Old Moor hoping for bittern or green woodpecker or just some fresh air. We got the latter. Redwings were showing well. Here are some nice photos of these nicely marked winter visitors.
Reed buntings abounded too.
