A Raven sneaks in on the Buzzards at Gigrin
This is a very striking Buzzard! 
This Buzzard has some sort of growth in its right eye and is obviously blind on this side. It is probably a bit of an advantage here - it couldn't see the kites swooping down on that side and consequently didn't duck as much as the other Buzzards.
Juvenile Black Kite, Gigrin Farm. The gloomy conditions were matched by my DSLR malfunctioning again, hence the dodgy shots.
Red Kites at Gigrin - at least 220 birds came to feed 
Raven doing a country dance! 
A few shots of the only sunny valley in Wales! 
The salt marsh at Pilling Lane Ends, completely under water
Wigeons at HGFXXXX
Monday 1st FebXxxx
This morning was sunny and cold (-3°C) with the pool at HGF approximately 10% frozen. The wintering Redshank was present though there is little change. The Wigeon flock is around 64 birds though few Coots have returned to the pool since it was frozen echoing Jonathan’s observations with Silver Lane pools. Around 500 Woodpigeons were around, most perched in the trees beyond Myddleton Farm. By contrast the pool off Moat Lane was around 90% frozen today and I observed 31 Coots walking across the ice in single file – it reminded me somewhat of march of the Penguins! The reason for the walk was two skin-headed scrotes with an air rifle – they were taking pot shots at pretty much anything and all the other wildfowl present soon flew off. A Redwing flew over calling. In the garden early doors were 5 Reed Buntings and a single Tree Sparrow though five House Sparrows were a welcome and now rare sight!!!
Xxxxx
Tuesday 2nd Feb
Xxxx
I was working in Blackpool this morning. On the way in I spotted a couple of Whooper Swans on a flooded field – probably somewhere around the back of Marton Mere. It was grey and raining and a thoroughly miserable morning. In the early afternoon I was inspecting a property in Thornton and afterwards I took my lunch break at nearby Pilling Lane Ends. The tide was in by the time I got there and had completely flooded the marsh. Although there was a breeze, the sea was like a mill pond and was dotted around with ducks. On the top of the banking and on a few exposed islands were lots of waders while opposite I could clearly see Heysham Power Station with the south lakes peaks snow capped in the background. Approximate numbers of birds seen: Xxxx
Bar-tailed Godwit At least 20
Raven 1
Redshank At least 700
Shelduck At least 2600
Dunlin At least 800
Curlew At least 550
Oystercatcher At least 3500
Wigeon At least 1900
Great Crested Grebe 7
Pintail 6
Pink-footed Goose At least 650
Knot At least 3000
Red-breasted Merganser 4
Xxxx
Wednesday 3rd Feb
Xxxx
Little to report. A Stock Dove was with the woodies in the garden this morning. At Waterworks Lane feeding station 16 Yellowhammers but nothing else.
Xxxxx
Thursday 4th Feb
Xxxx
Overnight a blanket of snow and everything is white again this morning. The Wigeon flock at HGF has increased to 74 birds. Waterworks Lane was busy – on the wires were a stonking 36 Corn Buntings with around 30 Linnets nearby. Around 20 Tree Sparrows and 16 Grey Partridges also made their presence known. In the afternoon I had a trip to St Asaph so I diverted briefly to Pensarn (lunch break again!). When I got out of the car a chap asked me what all the birds were scattered all over the bay – really close. When I looked I could see nothing – the chap said they must have flown away! It soon became apparent that the scoter flock had been very close in shortly before I arrived. Bugger! Anyway I got the scope out and picked out a couple of Velvet Scoters in the 1500 or so Common Scoters. I then picked out another 14 birds in flight when a nearby birder tipped me off. At least 9 Red-throated Divers were also present, however everything was just too distant to spot any Surf Scoters!
Xxxxx
Friday 5th Feb
Xxxxx
At least 55 Tree Sparrows were present at the feeding station this morning. On the way in to work a flock of around 40 Fieldfares were feeding in a field off the A57 in Rixton. A visit to Moat Lane pool at lunch revealed a busy stretch of water – 88 Tufted Ducks, a few Pochard, 27 Gadwall, 3 Cormorants plus Coots etc. In a field north of Glazebrook 43 Fieldfares were joined by a couple of Mistle Thrushes. On the way home from work the Little Owl was perched in its usual tree while a Grey Partridge called from behind the bales.
Xxxx
Saturday 6th Feb
Xxxx
What a cracking day! Sunshine and blue skies after weeks of grey muck didn’t half lift the spirits. Today was technically a non-birding day though it didn’t quite turn out like that. Early am I took Bill for the usual walk around HGF. On a whim I decided to walk along the hedge running down Delph Lane – almost immediately I found two Goldcrests and followed these tiny little birds all the way down the hedge. Great to see some of the small stuff has survived the winter so far. A Song Thrush singing nearby was another sign that Spring is not too far away – or was it just high spirits on a glorious day!
Xxxx
The garden was busy all day with birds flitting all over the place. While working in the back garden at lunch two skeins of Pink-footed Geese (210 then 250) flew over 20 minutes apart – their calls heralded their approach long before I saw them. Early afternoon I was loafing about in the front garden and idly watching a large movement of big gulls coming off the Mersey and heading north of Winwick where they were picking up a thermal and circling high. Suddenly a few smaller gulls flew low across Myddleton Lane – one of them was an adult Mediterranean Gull!
Xxxx
In the afternoon I took Karen and Billy for a walk around Wigan Flashes after diverting away from Dunham Massey (the place was packed). As soon as we arrived three more skeins of Pink-footed Geese (250, 180 then 215) flew over heading north. We walked round to Pearsons Flash and sat on a bench while a pair of Mute Swans climbed out of the water to see if we had some food. A pair of Goldeneyes flew off the back of the pool and landed right in front of us – they then loitered for 20 minutes or so as if they were checking for food too. On the way back to the car a Woodcock flew across the path in front of us while at the feeding station the usual Willow Tits had been joined by a female Mandarin.
Xxxxx
Sunday 7th Feb
Xxxxx
Today would have to go some to beat yeserday’s non-birding day and sadly it disappointed. I headed off in the morning for Gigrin Farm and spent a couple of hours driving through thick fog. I did get one patch where I drove through a valley in bright sunshine – the views were stunning. Sadly the fog returned at the far end of the valley. I seem to get down to Gigrin at least once each year – the place has changed a bit since my first visit five years ago. More birds, more people, more facilities. It feels more like an RSPB sales job now than simply a farm feeding spectacular birds.
Xxxx
Anyway the bird spectacle was superb, even if the weather wasn’t. At feeding time over 220 Red Kites were joined by at least 18 Buzzards, 7 Ravens, a Heron and lots of other corvids. Given the very gloomy conditions I had thought it might be a struggle to pick out the juvenile Black Kite, however when it did come in I found it quite conspicuous and relatively easy to track. This cracking bird had three lengthy spells at the site over the next hour – largely as a result of being mobbed by some of its larger cousins. It was interesting watching the Buzzards – they would fly down into the meat and spend half their time ducking swooping kites while trying to snatch some food.
Xxxxx
On the way home I called in at a little reserve called Llyn Coed Y Dinas. It is literally 100 yards off the main road, however it isn’t signed and most people drive past without knowing it’s there. The reserve consists of a pool with an elevated hide at one end and a few trees – nothing spectacular, however I have seen some good birds here over the years. Today, unfortunately was not one of these times. Best spot was a trio of Goosanders and I spent most of the time watching tits on feeders outside the window no more than a couple of feet away. I will be back in the summer – there is no better place to watch Sand Martins (colony at the side of the hide), Reed Warblers (reeds all around the hide which looks down on them) and Green Sandpipers. The usually present Kingfisher was absent today. I arrived home at dusk and added a Tawny Owl at HGF to the list of birds this weekend.
xxxx
By the way - check out the vidoe clip of this Peregrine with a Woodcock
xxxx
No comments:
Post a Comment