Red-legged Partridge, Marshaw
Male Great Grey Shrike, Waddington Fell. Having been blown away by the photos in this months BBC Wildlife Magazine (honest) I was inspired to have a go myself - these are the result! I think I'm on to something here!
Ring-necked Duck, Foxcote Reservoir
Golden Plovers at dusk, Port Meadow, Oxon
Ferruginous Duck, Pugney's CPXXXXX
October 18th – 24th.
Xxxx
Monday morning I took Bill to HGF as usual. Flying over the far side of the south field I could see something flying around and couldn’t quite pin it down. As I got closer I realised it was a bat and a large one at that. What it was doing out in broad daylight flying over the field I have no idea – I can only assume something had disturbed it in its roost. Wigeon numbers had increased to 12 birds this morning. I also heard a Redwing calling in the south hedge – it eventually flew out and did two large circuits of the area, constantly calling, before flying off east.
Xxxxxx
Tuesday evening was overcast – a typical grey and mucky day. Not much to report from HGF – Wigeon had increased to 15, Coot numbers were slightly up and so were Tufties. I managed to get to the feeding station just before dark where 8 Grey Partridges were in residence and a Sparrowhawk flew over. After a bit of scouting around I found the Tree Sparrow roost site. I could hear the birds chattering away in the hedge and I could see birds flitting around through the back but couldn’t see how many were there. A conservative estimate would be 30.
Xxxxx
Wednesday evening the weather was better with cold, clear skies. Wigeon numbers had increased again to 18 and quite a few gulls were on the pool – mainly Black-headed Gulls and an odd lesser. Nowt much else though. At the feeding station around 55 Tree Sparrows were feeding with 8 Grey Partridges and a couple of Buzzards on the usual nearby fence line.
Xxxxxx
Thursday (cold and sunny) I managed a quick trip to HGF at lunch. Wigeon numbers had gone down to 13 birds. In the south field 11 Skylarks and a few Mipits were flitting around, a Buzzard was perched in the middle of a ploughed field and a Grey Wagtail flew over. Probably the most interesting bird was a Redshank – I wonder if this is finally the first wintering bird to arrive back? At the feeding station were 60+ Tree Sparrows, 12 Grey Partridges and a flock of 55+ Linnets were flying around the field opposite the feeding station.
Xxxxxx
Late afternoon I headed off south - working away again on Friday. On the way down the M1 I diverted off three quarters of a mile to Pugneys CP to see if the Ferruginous Duck was still there. I wandered over to the pool behind the pub and started scanning – plenty of aythya ducks but no fudge. No birders either, for that matter. I did eventually find the fudge diving in front of the far reed bed. Superb little ducks – I do like these birds. I watched the fudge for around 10 minutes before it drifted off behind some partially submerged willows and went to sleep – impossible now to pick it up unless you had seen it go there. I suspect this is a returning bird – saw one there last winter too. I didn’t have time to stay and bird the area – I continued my journey south.
Xxxxx
After work on Friday I nipped a few miles down the road to Foxcote Reservoir where another rare aythya was supposedly in residence – a drake Ring-necked Duck. This is a permit only site but the reservoir can be viewed through some metal gates at the top of the hill overlooking the water. A bit distant, however with good lighting and a good zoom on the scope I could scan most of the water. Like the fudge this appears to be a returning bird with a drake having wintered here for the last few years that I know about.
Xxxxx
The water was full of ducks with very large numbers of Wigeon and Teal and smaller numbers of aythya ducks. I scanned the lot four times and couldn’t spot the RND. Finally I stopped looking for a moment and started to just gaze around the area. Suddenly two ducks emerged from underneath the near bank – I didn’t need an optical aid to tell me one was the RND. Typically as soon as I got the scope on it, both birds flew off to the far side of the reservoir. I did get some prolonged distant views of the bird though.
Xxxxx
Just a few miles further down the road is a place called Port Meadow where a juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs had recently been in residence so I decided to give this a go. It is a slightly bizarre place. The area consists of a flooded field with an area of shallow water about the size of a football pitch. Surrounding this on all sides is grazing land which is also a public access common with paths criss-crossing the area. People where everywhere walking dogs or just sitting on the grass or jogging – you get the picture. The bizarre thing is that despite so much human activity the place is teeming with birds who don’t seem to be a bit fussed at the human presence. On the water I estimated 580+ Wigeon, 240+ Teal with various other ducks present and also a flock of 560 Golden Plovers!
Xxxxx
I found the Lesser Yellow-legs quite quickly – it was feeding alone along the edge of the water at the south end – a nice delicate looking bird. A Redshank appeared nearby and later two Ruff’s appeared from somewhere. The light was very poor by now so I watched the LYL for around 10 minutes as it worked its way around to the far side. Also present were at least 100 Pied Wagtails all around the pool plus 20+ Snipe and a Dunlin. On a nice sunny day it must be a great place to photograph birds. Thoroughly enjoyed this visit.
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx
Saturday morning trip to HGF produced a good record in 5 Gadwalls. This is the first record for me here in 18 months and over the last 5 years the total number of sightings of this species here has just broken into double figures. At the feeding station the usual flock of Tree Sparrows was in residence and a Linnet flock plus 12 Grey Partridges were in the nearby fields. On the fence line was a Buzzard and also an immature female Sparrowhawk which looked slightly odd perched out in the open like this. She eventually skimmed low across the field and created mayhem.
Xxxxxx
We decided to spend the weekend at the van. Saturday in N Lancs was mostly showers although it did brighten up for a while in the afternoon. A Jay was a nice spot flitting around the park (not so common here) while a Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the feeders. I also found 2 Ravens at Crook O’Lune while walking Bill by the river. At around 8pm I went outside in clear skies to look at Jupiter – the planet and 5 of its moons were showing spectacularly well. The resident Tawny Owl came out and began calling and was answered by a second bird in trees just outside the park to the west. It then flew off over the field to the south and into the trees there where its calls were answered eventually by three juveniles. At one point all five owls were calling at the same time in different trees dotted around the perimeter of the field. I would expect these youngsters to get kicked out of their parent’s territory before much longer. A single Redwing was heard calling as it flew over.
Xxxx
Sunday morning I woke up to widespread frost though the clear skies and sun were very welcome. I don’t mind these crisp autumn mornings and much prefer the cold to being too hot. The first bird of note was a Treecreeper climbing up the trunk of the tree where the feeders are. Xxxxx
I took Bill and decided to wander through the trough over to Waddington to see the male Great Grey Shrike. Not much of note on the way over though 140 Common Gulls were in a field at Quernmore, 6 Red-legged Partridges were in a field at Marshaw and the world’s supply of pheasants seemed insistent on running in front of the car today. A rabbit and 2 Grey Squirrels and various sheep also joined in this activity so I ended up driving very slowly through the trough!
Xxxxx
On arrival at Waddington I was mildly surprised to see no birders present and slightly dismayed by the clay pigeon shooting taking place around the shrike’s favourite loitering area. I didn’t expect to see it, however I pulled into the layby and began scanning the opposite hillside and almost immediately found it in the top of the tree furthest up the slope. The shrike made several forays onto the dry stone wall and the field beyond but then disappeared over the hillside. A couple of birders turned up so I told them where the shrike had gone – shortly afterwards it reappeared on the wall.
Xxxxx
Quite a few birds were flitting around the area – five Blackbirds plus various tits and finches all flew off the moor and into the small stand of conifers opposite the layby. A male Stonechat also made an appearance and two Roe Deer grazed the hillside. A flock of around 240 Fieldfares swirled around the far hillside before heading off. A Raven and three Buzzards and a Kestrel also passed through. More and more birders now appeared and it was quite obvious the shrike was not going to come closer with the shooting taking place. Incidentally I think the shooting skills left a lot to be desired judging by the number of whole clays scattered around the hillside! The first two birders to arrive and myself wandered up to the cattle grid and began birding there.
Xxxx
Aside from four Red Grouse and another Buzzard there was not much initially. I decided to wander up the track with Bill for a while – a juvenile Peregrine then flew low over us. I then heard the other guys shouting – they had found a ringtail Hen Harrier. I didn’t get on to it before the bird disappeared over the hillside – I did manage to pick it up briefly later when just before it vanished over yet another horizon. Another flock of Fieldfares flew over in a different direction and then I decided to head off back through the trough.
Xxxxx
I stopped briefly at Tower Lodge where the third large flock of Fieldfares of the day passed through. There was the usual Buzzard, Kestrel, Nuthatch and a couple of Redpolls calling somewhere – I didn’t linger here. Next stop was the road to Abbeystead – my attention was caught by around 2,000 Starlings passing through and then another flock of Fieldfares!
Xxxxxx
In the afternoon Karen and I took Bill for a walk by the river at Halton. Strictly non-birding though I did pick up a Raven calling. Back at the van late afternoon I decided to stand on the balcony and just watch the area until sunset. I was stood next to an ivy-covered tree and a Wren flew into the ivy and flushed out a second bird which brushed my sleeve as it tried to get away! Two Jays flew over the van, 20+ flocks of Goldfinch and Chaffinch came into roost and a fifth flock of Fieldfares for the day (155+) flew over the park heading NW. It was very relaxing just standing there in the golden autumn light watching the birding world go by.
October 18th – 24th.
Xxxx
Monday morning I took Bill to HGF as usual. Flying over the far side of the south field I could see something flying around and couldn’t quite pin it down. As I got closer I realised it was a bat and a large one at that. What it was doing out in broad daylight flying over the field I have no idea – I can only assume something had disturbed it in its roost. Wigeon numbers had increased to 12 birds this morning. I also heard a Redwing calling in the south hedge – it eventually flew out and did two large circuits of the area, constantly calling, before flying off east.
Xxxxxx
Tuesday evening was overcast – a typical grey and mucky day. Not much to report from HGF – Wigeon had increased to 15, Coot numbers were slightly up and so were Tufties. I managed to get to the feeding station just before dark where 8 Grey Partridges were in residence and a Sparrowhawk flew over. After a bit of scouting around I found the Tree Sparrow roost site. I could hear the birds chattering away in the hedge and I could see birds flitting around through the back but couldn’t see how many were there. A conservative estimate would be 30.
Xxxxx
Wednesday evening the weather was better with cold, clear skies. Wigeon numbers had increased again to 18 and quite a few gulls were on the pool – mainly Black-headed Gulls and an odd lesser. Nowt much else though. At the feeding station around 55 Tree Sparrows were feeding with 8 Grey Partridges and a couple of Buzzards on the usual nearby fence line.
Xxxxxx
Thursday (cold and sunny) I managed a quick trip to HGF at lunch. Wigeon numbers had gone down to 13 birds. In the south field 11 Skylarks and a few Mipits were flitting around, a Buzzard was perched in the middle of a ploughed field and a Grey Wagtail flew over. Probably the most interesting bird was a Redshank – I wonder if this is finally the first wintering bird to arrive back? At the feeding station were 60+ Tree Sparrows, 12 Grey Partridges and a flock of 55+ Linnets were flying around the field opposite the feeding station.
Xxxxxx
Late afternoon I headed off south - working away again on Friday. On the way down the M1 I diverted off three quarters of a mile to Pugneys CP to see if the Ferruginous Duck was still there. I wandered over to the pool behind the pub and started scanning – plenty of aythya ducks but no fudge. No birders either, for that matter. I did eventually find the fudge diving in front of the far reed bed. Superb little ducks – I do like these birds. I watched the fudge for around 10 minutes before it drifted off behind some partially submerged willows and went to sleep – impossible now to pick it up unless you had seen it go there. I suspect this is a returning bird – saw one there last winter too. I didn’t have time to stay and bird the area – I continued my journey south.
Xxxxx
After work on Friday I nipped a few miles down the road to Foxcote Reservoir where another rare aythya was supposedly in residence – a drake Ring-necked Duck. This is a permit only site but the reservoir can be viewed through some metal gates at the top of the hill overlooking the water. A bit distant, however with good lighting and a good zoom on the scope I could scan most of the water. Like the fudge this appears to be a returning bird with a drake having wintered here for the last few years that I know about.
Xxxxx
The water was full of ducks with very large numbers of Wigeon and Teal and smaller numbers of aythya ducks. I scanned the lot four times and couldn’t spot the RND. Finally I stopped looking for a moment and started to just gaze around the area. Suddenly two ducks emerged from underneath the near bank – I didn’t need an optical aid to tell me one was the RND. Typically as soon as I got the scope on it, both birds flew off to the far side of the reservoir. I did get some prolonged distant views of the bird though.
Xxxxx
Just a few miles further down the road is a place called Port Meadow where a juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs had recently been in residence so I decided to give this a go. It is a slightly bizarre place. The area consists of a flooded field with an area of shallow water about the size of a football pitch. Surrounding this on all sides is grazing land which is also a public access common with paths criss-crossing the area. People where everywhere walking dogs or just sitting on the grass or jogging – you get the picture. The bizarre thing is that despite so much human activity the place is teeming with birds who don’t seem to be a bit fussed at the human presence. On the water I estimated 580+ Wigeon, 240+ Teal with various other ducks present and also a flock of 560 Golden Plovers!
Xxxxx
I found the Lesser Yellow-legs quite quickly – it was feeding alone along the edge of the water at the south end – a nice delicate looking bird. A Redshank appeared nearby and later two Ruff’s appeared from somewhere. The light was very poor by now so I watched the LYL for around 10 minutes as it worked its way around to the far side. Also present were at least 100 Pied Wagtails all around the pool plus 20+ Snipe and a Dunlin. On a nice sunny day it must be a great place to photograph birds. Thoroughly enjoyed this visit.
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx
Saturday morning trip to HGF produced a good record in 5 Gadwalls. This is the first record for me here in 18 months and over the last 5 years the total number of sightings of this species here has just broken into double figures. At the feeding station the usual flock of Tree Sparrows was in residence and a Linnet flock plus 12 Grey Partridges were in the nearby fields. On the fence line was a Buzzard and also an immature female Sparrowhawk which looked slightly odd perched out in the open like this. She eventually skimmed low across the field and created mayhem.
Xxxxxx
We decided to spend the weekend at the van. Saturday in N Lancs was mostly showers although it did brighten up for a while in the afternoon. A Jay was a nice spot flitting around the park (not so common here) while a Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the feeders. I also found 2 Ravens at Crook O’Lune while walking Bill by the river. At around 8pm I went outside in clear skies to look at Jupiter – the planet and 5 of its moons were showing spectacularly well. The resident Tawny Owl came out and began calling and was answered by a second bird in trees just outside the park to the west. It then flew off over the field to the south and into the trees there where its calls were answered eventually by three juveniles. At one point all five owls were calling at the same time in different trees dotted around the perimeter of the field. I would expect these youngsters to get kicked out of their parent’s territory before much longer. A single Redwing was heard calling as it flew over.
Xxxx
Sunday morning I woke up to widespread frost though the clear skies and sun were very welcome. I don’t mind these crisp autumn mornings and much prefer the cold to being too hot. The first bird of note was a Treecreeper climbing up the trunk of the tree where the feeders are. Xxxxx
I took Bill and decided to wander through the trough over to Waddington to see the male Great Grey Shrike. Not much of note on the way over though 140 Common Gulls were in a field at Quernmore, 6 Red-legged Partridges were in a field at Marshaw and the world’s supply of pheasants seemed insistent on running in front of the car today. A rabbit and 2 Grey Squirrels and various sheep also joined in this activity so I ended up driving very slowly through the trough!
Xxxxx
On arrival at Waddington I was mildly surprised to see no birders present and slightly dismayed by the clay pigeon shooting taking place around the shrike’s favourite loitering area. I didn’t expect to see it, however I pulled into the layby and began scanning the opposite hillside and almost immediately found it in the top of the tree furthest up the slope. The shrike made several forays onto the dry stone wall and the field beyond but then disappeared over the hillside. A couple of birders turned up so I told them where the shrike had gone – shortly afterwards it reappeared on the wall.
Xxxxx
Quite a few birds were flitting around the area – five Blackbirds plus various tits and finches all flew off the moor and into the small stand of conifers opposite the layby. A male Stonechat also made an appearance and two Roe Deer grazed the hillside. A flock of around 240 Fieldfares swirled around the far hillside before heading off. A Raven and three Buzzards and a Kestrel also passed through. More and more birders now appeared and it was quite obvious the shrike was not going to come closer with the shooting taking place. Incidentally I think the shooting skills left a lot to be desired judging by the number of whole clays scattered around the hillside! The first two birders to arrive and myself wandered up to the cattle grid and began birding there.
Xxxx
Aside from four Red Grouse and another Buzzard there was not much initially. I decided to wander up the track with Bill for a while – a juvenile Peregrine then flew low over us. I then heard the other guys shouting – they had found a ringtail Hen Harrier. I didn’t get on to it before the bird disappeared over the hillside – I did manage to pick it up briefly later when just before it vanished over yet another horizon. Another flock of Fieldfares flew over in a different direction and then I decided to head off back through the trough.
Xxxxx
I stopped briefly at Tower Lodge where the third large flock of Fieldfares of the day passed through. There was the usual Buzzard, Kestrel, Nuthatch and a couple of Redpolls calling somewhere – I didn’t linger here. Next stop was the road to Abbeystead – my attention was caught by around 2,000 Starlings passing through and then another flock of Fieldfares!
Xxxxxx
In the afternoon Karen and I took Bill for a walk by the river at Halton. Strictly non-birding though I did pick up a Raven calling. Back at the van late afternoon I decided to stand on the balcony and just watch the area until sunset. I was stood next to an ivy-covered tree and a Wren flew into the ivy and flushed out a second bird which brushed my sleeve as it tried to get away! Two Jays flew over the van, 20+ flocks of Goldfinch and Chaffinch came into roost and a fifth flock of Fieldfares for the day (155+) flew over the park heading NW. It was very relaxing just standing there in the golden autumn light watching the birding world go by.
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