Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
Saturday 16th June 2012
Patience is the birder's virtue
I don't have bad days just frustrating experiences. Today began with one of the worst.
I set off bright and early for Nosterfield to see a buff-breasted sandpiper - or so I hoped. There was no sign after an hour and after trying both reserves. Decided to head south to Fairburn to get the bird seed we needed. Got that sorted. Just getting back in the car when the buff-breasted was reported at Nosterfield. Felt I had to go for it so scampered back up the A1 to Nosterfield. Getting out of the car. Pager: 'No sign today of buff-breasted sandpiper. Earlier report was erroneous.' Erroneous. Wrong in other words.
Now what? Saltholme or Blacktoft? Chose Blacktoft [wrong again - I missed out therefore on the roseate tern]. Once I finally arrived a roadrunner pheasant provided the day's first image.
I went into Xerox hide where the konik ponies were showing well. I had never got really nice pictures so was amazed when something quite remarkable began to happen. Two of them were getting very frisky leading to what I think are great images. So here goes...
Konik ponies
By frisky I mean almost quite violent and these images catch the moment well. I was unsure whether things might even turn nasty. I wonder if this happens often...
This final picture prompted my wife [who always says when she likes a photo] to say: 'You didn't take that!'
I think it was a compliment.
After that the black-headed gulls in Marshland seemed very tame.
So it was down to Singleton to see the harriers. They came reasonably close but I saw no food passes. So nice pictures - most of a male over the reedbeds.
Outside the hide we kept getting glimpses of little birds flying in and dropping down instantly out of the wind and out of sight. Dunnock, whitethroat, reed bunting? Probably all of those. Certainly blue tits were there as was this tree sparrow.
Finally I wandered down to Ousefleet to see the four spotted redshanks ['blackshanks' would suit them well] that were around. I knew they'd be too distant for a photo but I'm sure it's about time for one of what I call my cuckoo category pics. This one is particularly representative of that type.
If you look carefully at the upper of the two narrow bands of water you will see at both the right-hand and left-hand sides of the image a spotted redshank with his head underwater! They looked great in the scope!
And so the day closed and I went home. Sitting down to open the mail I glanced at the July edition of Bird Watching magazine.
I was thrilled to see another of my pictures published - appropriately the marsh warbler at Blacktoft on 31st May this year. Here's a reminder.
Still 234!! When will it change?
Thursday June 14th 2012
Another good day - but 234 still at the end!
Subtitle: I hope you like common tern pictures...
Determined to get out and try to see something new, I was torn between Blacktoft and Cleveland. A tip I'd heard tempted me try to find a spot frequented by little owl near Tanton. I think I found the right spot but there was no sign of any owl. So I moved on to Saltholme. There was a lot of tern activity and with water levels lowered at Phil Stead hide pool a few waders were present, including ringed and little ringed plovers. They weren't quite near enough for my camera but the redshank and lapwing were..
A lesser black-backed gull was eating an egg and two crows were desperate to get the egg from him. He was too clever and kept it underwater when the crows came near. He looked very proud of himself.
A few terns flew overhead, coming no doubt from Paddy's Pool where there are a large number. Fishing in front of the hide produced my first few common tern pictures of the day.
Fish caught!
This tern is ringed - maybe one born here a couple of years ago.
Fish number two! This one he took to the exposed mud to eat it.
Back on his perch. Heron waiting in the background. I always feel they are waiting for something to happen.
More diving practice.
The heron decides to make his move too!
I decide to move on. Other people in the Phil Stead hide suggest we go to Paddy's Pool hide. The light should be good, they say. It's a fair walk with the camera, scope and bins hanging round my neck! Still it's usually worth it - and whichever of my things I don't take I often regret it.
The hide was pretty full. The air was full of the cries of black-headed gulls mixed with some tern noise. Soon a tern landed on the 'goalposts' in front of the hide.
Time for a bit of a preen.
When another tern arrives the first one checks it is a tern and not one of those pesky gulls!
Squabbles soon arise.
Later I notice some terns down left are having a bathe near the bank. They splash around vigorously in the water.
Almost completely submerging themselves at times...
Then they fly up onto the bank which is just a metre away, have a good shake and sit a while on the bank to dry off perhaps before going about their business again.
No more tern photos this posting, I promise. I set off again to visit the Saltholme Pools hide. Things were pretty quiet there. A few shelduck and avocets were pottering about. The Shetland lambs were doing well but seemed unwilling to look my way or pose for me!
The long-billed dowitcher came up on the pager so I left the hide for my walk back. Just outside a crowd of baby blue tits were scattering everywhere.
I drove the short distance to where I would see the pool where the LBD had been reported. A fair number of birders did the same. We never saw the bird although I had seen it twice before. Whilst scanning the area with my scope I spotted some dark red flowers down the gravel causeway. Orchids immediately sprang to mind. I put my bins and scope away, swapped lenses to the 100mm macro and set off.
As you will see, my hunch was right. I think they are northern marsh orchids. One birder passed me when I was lying on the ground in front of a paricularly attractive plant.
'What are they then?' he asked.
I told him.
'At least those buggers don't fly off,' he replied.
Goodbye Cleveland! I headed back south intending to go back to Cod Beck reservoir and see if I could get a photo of the whinchats.
I got more than I bargained for. A mistle thrush was particularly active as was a family of song thrushes.
I walked around knowing that whinchats were about. I had seen one soon after getting out of the car.
Nervous birds seemed unapproachable and I feared I wasn't helping. I decided to find a rock with a view over a good area.
I sat patiently for half an hour. The mistle thrush came close again. Another bird alighted on a rock.
I photographed it although it was quite distant. The bokeh* is particularly attractive. But what bird is it? Answers please as I am not absolutely certain.
Have a look.
Ok. The books say that meadow pipits have no supercilium. Zoomed in this bird definitely does. Or is it an eye-stripe?
Well, I think it's a tree pipit but better birders than I may know better. It might just be a meadow pipit after all.
Eventually my patience was rewarded. I spotted a female whinchat on the ground not too far in front of me. I took a couple of record shots. Fortunately she hopped up onto the tips of the bracken. I'll end now with this nice set...
*bokeh = pleasantly blurred background intended to help make the subject matter of a photograph stand out. From the japanese. Of course.
234 uk still!
Tuesday 12th June
Juvs in the garden
I spent the morning working in the garden hoping something good might come up on the pager or on Bird Guides. It's very quiet unless you are a roller still entertaining folks in Aldbrough. He tried to convince everyone he'd gone this morning by hiding in the trees but in theend he went back on duty by his post [so I read].
In the afternoon I took the camera into the garden. Sparrows were on the boundary by the house.
I placed a seat about 8 metres from the bird feeder station and watched and waited. Some mealworm helped.
Soon we had a juvenile great tit.
Next a very recently fledged blue tit was learning to visit the feeders.
The starlings had an excited squabble over the mealworm. They must have spies on the rooftops as they appear within minutes of me putting fresh [dried] mealworm out. The robin liked it too.
I had seen a greenfinch nervously trying to get near but all the birds disappeared when our sparrowhawk flew over.
Soon the blackbird was singing again from the top of a conifer.
Eventually this greenfinch came back to the sunflower hearts.
Finally I got quite excited when I saw what I thought was a stock dove on a neighbour's roof. They are very shy and cautious but one does regularly visit the garden, often coming in with the collared doves. However when I looked closely through the camera I realised it was just a feral pigeon. Well they are all birds. If you count pheasants why forget the pigeons?
'Adios' says Giimoozaabi. [I bet no-one can get to the bottom of that one!]
Saturday June 9th & Sunday June 10th 2012
Dipping and dripping!
Saturday
Dipping: birders' word for failing to find a reported bird. Dripping: word that summarises the current weather conditions. Nosterfield had reported bee-eater and osprey. We saw neither. Just stair-rods of rain. Imagine what it's like to sit on your nest in weather like this.
And it got worse.
I don't suppose the redshank was too impressed either...
Sunday
More dipping, I'm afraid. Spurn boldly claimed a roseate tern at Beacon Ponds, a bee-eater near Kilnsea and a rosefinch at the Warren. In spite of my best efforts and plenty of trudging I saw none. Brief view of yet another cuckoo. Decided to linger in the hide at Beacon Ponds. Friendly chap from Manchester to natter with. Little terns with sand eels, dunlin in their summer best and ringed plover with chicks.
Once you have worked out where the chick is you realise how well camouflaged it is!
A number of common blue butterflies were on the wing - along with the usual uncatchable meadow browns and orange tips. I caught up with a common blue on Beacon Lane.
Walking back along the beach the sea wasn't especially rough but large waves were breaking on the shore and the sea was brown with the stirred up sand. It looked quite impressive.
A dunnock was singing down the lane, backlit producing a nice image.
I moved Tiggy from the Blue Bell car park to the canal scrape. Coffee in hand I settled into the hide with camera, bins and biscuits. A coot was teaching its youngster how to feed itself. Since I usually find coots madly agressive, this was a scene of domestic tranquility...
The pair of swans who usually inhabit the scrape had 5 cygnets - another tranquil scene:
I noticed that dragonflies were quite close to the hide and as I have often tried to photograph them in flight, I decided to try again. Not perfect but pretty pleasing, I think.
This female is ovipositing - egg laying, dipping her abdomen into the water every few seconds.
A swallow alighted just outside the hide. I took many pictures but all were blurred. I think the bird was a fraction closer than my minimum focus distance. But as it flew off everything went just right. One of my favourite pictures this year [so far!]
Spurn was too quiet and the day had been just slightly disappointing. Never disheartened I resolved to set off homeward but call at North Cave, put the macro lens on and see what might be about... I didn't regret it as my day ended on a high with some stunning photographs of damselflies and other things.
Photo of the new big hide at the end of Dryham Lane. The views from it are going to be spectacular when the reserve is completed.
I'll start with the other things. A white campion [silene latifolia] and an unknown insect [wasp?] on an umbellifer.
I had seen no damselflies on my walk until I turned back towards Tiggy: then they were everywhere and I wondered how I had missed them.
Common blue damselfly [enallagma cyathigerum]
I then spotted a blue-tailed damselfly [ischnura elegans]
Finally I found something I had never seen before - a red-eyed damselfly.
Absolutely finally, I often mention my travelling companion who goes with me to most places [unless my friend Barry is driving] so I thought Tiggy deserved a picture. Do come over and say hello if you see us on our travels!
That's all folks!
Still 111 Yorkshire [Nelson]; 234 UK.
Thursday 7th June
If summer ever comes.....
Part one: to Beaumontcote Farm, Bonby, Lincs
We left before 7am to get over the Humber Bridge and just into Lincolnshire. A pallid harrier was said to be frequenting a ridge in the area of this farm. The weather was initially fine but not very warm. June was proving disappointing. We saw between us buzzard, red kite, sparrowhawk, kestrel and, eventually, a harrier. It was so distant we couldn't identify it with any confidence. We drove nearer but saw nothing more. The rain set in and Barry and I decided the bird would shelter and not be seen whilst the rain continued.
Part two: back to the Roller
Barry had seen the roller on Saturday 2/6 but the weather had been bleak and the bird had sheltered by the grass bank [can't blame it] and it had never flown. So we went back to Aldbrough. And it flew and flew!
The following pictures were mainly beyond the range to produce top quality images so some are inserted small where the detail does not fall apart. Nonetheless they give a feel of the bird in flight, I think.
All photos taken 7th June 2012 even though one in particular [on the post] looks identical to one of last Friday's photos. He likes the post!!!