Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
20th October 2018 ff
October in the North of England!
No trip to Cornwall for a catbird for me! That was a bird too far. I could say this autumn has been on the quiet side but I'm certainly not complaining with great birds like the bee-eater and photo-opportunities like the shore larks. Last weekend [20/10/18] took me north on Saturday into Northumberland again to not that far from where I saw the bee-eater at Haltwhistle. This time north of Hexham for two gull-billed terns that had settled on a gravel pit at Haughton Strother. Great name but dangerous road to park by and walk along. Still I made it ok.
When I arrived the birds had flown off as, I was told, they often do but they usually come back! Fingers crossed then! While we [about 8 birders present] scanned the fields a group of 5 whoopers dropped in.
Good to see the 2 youngsters. I wondered if they had cygnet rings...
The terns dropped in unseen and were suddenly there on the island with all the gulls and cormorants. A long way off so photos record shots at best. Still glad to record my 335th British bird that I have photographed. Here they are. [The third bird is a black-headed gull]
Heavy, wetting drizzle made me decide to get back to Tiggy for a coffee. I headed south-east to Hartlepool to see if anything was happening on the Headland. Apparently not but before heading home I paused at Newburn Bridge. Lots of gulls on the water - it was high tide. I scanned them...
Medusa's back again for the winter by the look of things.
Sunday [21/10]: in the afternoon Sheila and I headed to Sprotbrough in the sunshine to see if the popular bittern was performing. No luck there: we were told to come in the morning. Might try that later in the week. What do you make of this bird near the top of a 30 foot oak tree? Centre of the image.
I saw it fly in. It's a hen pheasant with a head for heights.
A buzzard and a kestrel entertained us.
Same post - different bird!
October 28th: Shakespeare warbler!
Don't be ridiculous - of course there's no such thing. But whenever anyone mentions ''barred warbler'' I can't help thinking of Mr. Shakespeare. One was showing at Bempton Cliffs ''in the car park.'' Now my experience of barred warblers is that they are elusive, shy creatures appearing for a few seconds and disappearing again for a few hours. This one was different and even qualifies for the accolade of an Intimate Encounter. Must have been nearly ten of them this year - intimate encounters I mean, not Bard warblers.
Often hiding deep in the undergrowth I hoped the bird would come out to see us...
The bird showed wonderfully and in varying degrees of shade and sunshine.
Eventually it flew from the roadside where coaches park to the dell. Here it was more distant and was hassled by a chaffinch who clearly disapproved...
A redwing was also seen.
Hartlepool delivers!
1: 29th October
I began inside the fish dock where a great northern diver had been reported. It came close enough for some great views.
Hartlepool Headland: the Town Wall looking towards the fish dock.
I found a couple of little auks just outside the fish dock but they obligingly swam into the area where I was standing! First view from some way off.
That's better! Submerging!
Surfacing!
Nice views of a bird we don't often get to see so well.
Next stop, Seaton Common for the short-eared owls. A kestrel was waiting for something to happen. So was I!
Finally I heard a red-breasted flycatcher had been seen in the Zinc Works Road bushes. A very tricky bird to isolate from the undergrowth, I gave it my
best shot...
2: 31st October
A trip with Barry up to Hartlepool for a day's general birding. No great rarities but some quality birding in good weather. We began down the Zinc Works road hoping for the red-breasted flycatcher for Barry's year list. We parked and saw some curlews in the field. A large green mechanical machine of unknown purpose trundled off down the track disturbing the curlews.
I think this photo shows a male and female as males [according to the books I study] have longer bills and are more likely to be mistaken for whimbrel. Quite a clear difference in the photo below.
No sign of the flycatcher but a few people looking. We decided to return later and try again. Photos now from the Headland - a bit of everything...
Juvenile dunlin, Mediterranean gull, ringed plover, redshank...
...also seen: rock pipit, distant purple sandpiper and a turnstone.
Nearer the fish dock we saw an eider duck and a young great crested grebe.
Seaton Common to see if the owls were out and about nice and early. We parked part way along the North Gare access road. The owls were seen but not terribly close to us. The resident kestrel was hovering over a mound to our right...
Shorties...
Back then to the red-breasted flycatcher site where we both had reasonable views of the target bird but I failed to improve on the photos from my visit earlier in the week.
Saltholme for a comfort break and a bit of shopping. We called at the Watchpoint and at Phil Stead hide. Shoveler in the sunshine...
...and a black-tailed godwit too.
To end the day [and this rather long post] we returned to Seaton Common for a bit more owl input. Can't resist!!
At one point one owl dropped into the grass where I was able to pick it out. Can you?
Let's zoom in a little.
Time to say farewell to the owls and to you all. I hope to be back soon!
257 UK 2018
11th October ff
Travels round Hartlepool and other bits and pieces...
Thursday 11th October
I went first to the Jewish cemetery where, by chance, I immediately met Peter Garbutt. People were looking for yellow-broweds. I had come to see if the shore lark was still about. We set off to look for it. After some time and walking north to the far end of the new housing area we found it. Saw it a few times. I'd left the camera in the car feeling it was unlikely we'd find anything.
Then went to the Croft. What an amazing hour we had! During that time with 5 or 6 birders present we saw lesser redpoll, mealy redpoll, brambling, fieldfare, redwings, ring ouzel, spotted flycatcher and yellow-browed warbler. Here's some of them...
Also, a few short-eared owl photos from the previous post but not included there.
October 15th - back again to Hartlepool to look for the shore larks that I saw last time. Sheila came too so we made an afternoon of it finishing up at Seaton Common. Of which more later. Firstly my best ever shore lark photos thanks to some fairly confiding birds just north of the Jewish cemetery on waste ground...
Not had two at once before!
After that we went to Borough Hall near the Croft on the Headland proper where groups of birders were yellow-browed watching. Always a very tricky bird [for me at least] to photograph but I tried...one or two successes...
Completely circular YBW!
Finally to Seaton Common. Sheila was hoping to see the owls but, on past experience, she always seems to put a jinx on owl encounters. We waited until, thinking about when we'd get home and get our meal, we decided to give up. I was just putting my bins away when a voice called: 'Over there, far side!'
The rest you can see for yourselves...
We headed home after a very successful afternoon.
Since then we've had a couple of shield bugs in the house - brought in, I suspect, on our clothes after we'd been out gardening. One was well-know to us. Hawthorn shield bugs [acanthosoma haemorrhoidale] are very often found as we have quite a lot of hawthorn in our hedgerows.
We hadn't seen this close relative before - a forest bug [pentatoma rufipes]
252 UK 2018
27/28th-September & 7th October
A Tale of Three Birds
Three very special birds.
Number 1
I went to Scotland hoping to see various birds again. The first bird to feature in this blog was not on my ''hoped for'' list. It wasn't a bird I expected to see and it wasn't even a year tick. But I had never seen one fly before. Previously they had always been deeply hidden in undergrowth. Often I had only seen bits of them! This experience made my Scottish week so memorable. That is the wonder of birds: always be ready for the unexpected...
...like a long-eared owl flying at dusk in a field next to your hotel...
Can you spot it? Right-hand side on a tree trunk. It liked to fly down to the roadside and watch the traffic...'ears' up!
This first set were taken in near darkness at 1600 ISO mainly at about 250-300th of a second so sharpness isn't perfect...but I think the photos are great given the light available.
The following evening the bird performed again. It was a little later. I pushed the ISO up to 5000, a level unprecedented for me. Here's the best of them. Again the bird started with a look at the road...
...and finally I found this one when the bird came quite close.
Number 2
Fast forward to October 7th when I decided that instead of going to Flamborough as planned I'd go to Haltwhistle in Northumberland to see a bee-eater. It was further than I realised and when I got there the reported location was deserted. However after about ten minutes a group of birders were seen on a footbridge. I headed over...
Number 3
Thursday October 11th: late afternoon on Seaton Common. Second attempt to catch the short-eared owls hunting...
ISO 2500 in fading light.
Well, that's it. I suppose you could call it the long and the short of it. Till the bee-eater came along.
252 UK 2018
22nd-29th September part 2
Scottish Adventure 2018
Part Two: Harris and Lewis and then back to the Highlands
[Photo taken on MV Loch Seaforth on crossing Stornoway to Ullapool]
Tuesday September 25th: we headed north to the Butt of Lewis - the island's northern tip. En route eagles were spotted. a golden sparring with a white-tailed.
At the Butt of Lewis we sheltered near Stevenson's lighthouse [grandfather of the writer Robert Louis]. The weather was quite wild.
Ringed plovers and turnstones were seen on the grass nearby.
Lots of shags were clinging to the rocks. Many flew past the headland.
In nearby Eoropie at the local community centre I was grateful for a carton of soup - very good price if you're up that way!! A buzzard was quartering the nearby meadow...
...black rabbits in the warren...
...and at the local nature reserve of Loch Stiaphat gulls were also sheltering.
In driving rain we called at the Carloway Broch where a few swallows were cruising the car park for insects - if there were any. It was pretty miserable!
Final call was at the Callanish Stones - an arrangement of standing stones set in a cruciform pattern with a central stone circle. They were erected in the late neolithic era.
We returned to Stornoway by the Peat Road, pausing near the town dump where many gulls and ravens eke out a living.
Wednesday 26th September: early morning walk down to the harbour in Stornoway.
Then, after breakfast, back along the Peat Road. Peat is still cut here for fuel as these stacks demonstrate.
A white-tailed eagle up on rocks along the Peat Road.
Our time on Lewis was drawing to an end. We headed for the Eye Peninsula near Stornoway and stopped by a lochan shortly before reaching Tiumpan Head. A group of recently arrived whooper swans were resting up.
Tiumpan Head: breeding ground for gannets and site of another Stevenson lighthouse - this one built by Robert's son David. Now automated the buildings house a kennels and cattery!
Bonxies seen from Tiumpan Head.
Great trip back to Ullapool - 12 storm petrels seen by me [more seen in toto], plus great, arctic and long-tailed skuas.
Thursday 27th September: another blustery day as we headed for the Moray coast. But first of all I was up early and took this image at 7.18 a.m.
Loch Spynie RSPB held a range of duck, red squirrel plus a surprise slavonian grebe. Little grebe gave me a photo I really like.
Spey Bay was quiet photographically but lots of goosanders with mergansers in the mix. Lossiemouth proved interesting. Goosanders on the river.
Incoming oyks!
Cormorant by the harbour mouth. Red-throated diver and diving gannets out in the bay.
RTD as the pager often abbreviates...
...and sandwich terns...
Plunge-diving gannets...
...and turnstones on Burghead harbour wall.
Findhorn Bay - driving out to the seafront some golden plover were seen among the shingle dunes - incredibly well camouflaged.
Friday 28th September: crested tit on the hotel feeders and then into the forest again. No capercaillie or ptarmigan this year alas but we had some great crossbill encounters at Badaguish near Loch Morlich.
Badaguish spider in the spruces.
A robin watched us having our lunch.
Back at our hotel roe deer ran across the field in the increasing twilight.
Then it was homeward bound on the Saturday 29th September. I called at Musselburgh hoping for the american white-winged scoter but no sign and there were plenty of birders looking. Lots of velvet scoter however...
...and a few guillemots.
I have excluded one rather special encounter from this posting. I hadn't even dreamt I'd see this bird on my trip and it forms half of my next blog, ''A Tale of Two Birds'' which I intend to post in a few days' time.
248 UK 2018
22nd-29th September 2018
Scottish Adventure 2018
Part One - Highlands and Skye
Saturday September 22nd: I pulled the car over near Broomhill Station near Nethy Bridge to photograph these fungi. Fly agaric - they are somewhat toxic and, apparently, hallucinogenic. First photo shows initial stage in its development.
Sunday September 23rd: I found more the following day on a woodland walk.
First crossbills in the forest.
Up the Findhorn valley
Red kite silhouette
Red deer climbing up over the ridge.
The weather can change extraordinarily quickly up the valley. Bright sunshine gave way first to rainbows...
...and then to this!
Red grouse at Lochindorb - merlin seen also perched distantly on a rock at the roadside.
Monday September 24th: Driving to Skye and ultimately on to Uig to take the ferry to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris & Lewis. First things first however... We pressed on as roadworks on the road to Kyle of Lochalsh were likely to delay us. View from one brief stop.
At Kyle of Lochalsh I saw guillemots and black guillemots near the harbour.
A stop near Breakish on the Isle of Skye where we saw a good selection of waders plus twite...
...and a grey wagtail jumped over the wall...
...some hooded crows flew in quite close...
...and a distant Brent goose.
We drove on until eagles were seen near Sligachan. White-tailed eagles.
Golden eagle at the same location - but more distant.
One bird put on a fine display diving down behind a ridge then zooming back up into the sky. As if it wanted us to see how wonderful it is to be a golden eagle!
As we headed north-west we saw more hooded crows.
Crossing the Little Minch to Tarbert was generally quiet. I was lucky to see 2 storm petrels during the crossing but they were away before I even blinked! A gannet's progress was more leisurely!
