It's hard work trying to digiscope a flying bird! At least the white tail is shown off well.
Juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard, South Ferriby
Marsh Harrier, South Ferriby
Roe Deer, South Ferriby
Fallow Deer, South Ferriby
Starlings at Ham Wall
Ham Wall RSPB with Glastonbury Tor in the background
Great White Egret, Ham Wall RSPB
Bewick's Swans with some of the 540+ European White-fronted Geese at Slimbridge
Wigeon, Slimbridge
Linnets in Waterworks Lane
Tree Sparrows in the garden
Starlings, Rixton Moss xxxxx
Very little local birding recently and have been on the road again for week a lot in the last couple of weeks. I have barely been near the feeding station other than to out food down. One day I saw around 60 Tree Sparrows and 12 Yellowhammers waiting to be fed. I know John Tymon has spent more time there and has seen both Peregrine and Merlin there. The Linnet flock was still in Waterworks Lane – one day I counted 106 birds (from a photo) with 15 Skylarks tagging along. Same in the garden really – I can’t think of much to report other than a Song Thrush which was a welcome visitor for a few days. A couple of thousand Starlings were hanging around the tip at Rixton mosses.
Xxxxxx
I did pay a brief visit to Newton Lake during the thaw (last Saturday am). The water level had risen significantly resulting in all of the undergrowth at the back of the lake being partially submerged and consequently many of the water birds were hidden in amongst this. 89 Teal were seen with a Little Grebe a welcome addition. Also drake Pochard still and 6 drake Tufties.
Xxxx
Later that day I wandered around Croft late afternoon. There was a sizeable party of mixed thrushes in the horse paddocks off New Lane. No sign of the Little Owls, however 3 Brown Hares are still present in the field behind the owl roost – two of these engaged in a boxing match! On Monday this week I had stopped by the metal gates just past Hanging Birch Farm in Culcheth. In the previous two winters I have found a flock of 30+ Corn Buntings here and as I drove past this day I saw a flock of brown jobs in the trees. I stopped to check them out, unfortunately a Buzzard flushed them and they disappeared before I could ID them. I did wander up the track behind the gates though and looking across the ploughed field towards the farm I could see a flock of pigeons behind the farm and not visible from the road. I set the scope up and was chuffed to find a large flock of Stock Doves – 188 in all. There was also a flock of 130+ Linnets feeding with them.
Xxxxx
As a brief aside – this year to date I have started off by literally tripping over Peregrines. I had seen 10 different birds by the 11th! I even saw one while driving down the M6 – it drifted over near Walsall.
Xxxxx
Two brief birding sessions were to be had during my tour of the UK! One was to see a long-staying Rough-legged Buzzard at South Ferriby. This juvenile has been hanging around Read Island. When I arrived there was instant raptor interest with three Marsh Harriers and a Peregrine on the island. The place also seems to attract deer – I counted at least 8 Fallow and 4 Roe present on the island. A Buzzard and a Kestrel were seen behind the laybye, I had to work though to pick up my target bird. It eventually showed a little distantly around the spoil heaps behind the laybye. Cracking bird and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
Xxxxxx
The other session was at my favourite birding spot in the world – Shapwick Heath / Ham Wall. Interestingly last year I visited eight times and picked up Bitterns on each occasion. Not this time, unfortunately. I did make it just in time for the Starling roost though. When I arrived some birders were watching a ring-tail Hen Harrier hunting the reed beds. I then picked up the Great White Egret creeping through the reeds – eventually it took off and did a fly over before briefly visiting the pool behind us. Then the Starlings started to arrive.
Xxxxx
It was fortuitously a rare day this winter i.e. it was sunny and little cloud cover so viewing conditions were quite good even late in the afternoon. The first Starlings started to arrive a little early and this time the birds really put on a show. The various flocks were twisting and gliding around the sky making all sorts of shapes. This performance seemed to be carried out in almost total silence except for a whisper as a flock flew overhead. I watched in awe – this is surely the best wildlife spectacle we can see in the UK and I did get goosebumps watching them!!! I would estimate (a real guess) that there were only around 400,000 birds in the roost – well down on previous visits. ONLY 400,000 he says!
Xxxxx
As the afternoon turned into gloom and with most of the Starlings in the reed bed, most of the gathered watchers wandered off. The Starlings then came out again and decided to switch reed beds, providing another spectacle. At this point raptors also arrived. I saw both Buzzard and Peregrine catching Starlings while a second Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk drifted over. I hung around until it was too dark to see, hoping for the Barn Owl. I didn’t see it, however while I was stood against some brambles watching the grassy ride around the reed beds, a small flock of late arrival Starlings flew just a few feet past my head – and I mean a few feet. I never heard them until they went past and they frightened the bloody life out of me!
Xxxx
Yesterday evening I arrived at my hotel in Upton Warren and the evening felt almost Spring-like being very mild compared to the recent ice days. Apparently I was not the only one to think so – at 5am a Song Thrush burst into song outside my window! To be fair he had as varied a song as I have heard from this species with hints of Lapwings, gulls and Waxwings all packed in. Also by getting up early and starting work I managed to finish early and head up the M6 at a decent time. I arrived in Rixton at dusk and decided to have a quick look at Moat Lane pool while I was there. The reward was 2 Green Sandpipers plus a half dozen Mute Swans. This seemed thrilling compared to weeks of an empty and frozen pool.
Xxxxxx
I did pay a brief visit to Newton Lake during the thaw (last Saturday am). The water level had risen significantly resulting in all of the undergrowth at the back of the lake being partially submerged and consequently many of the water birds were hidden in amongst this. 89 Teal were seen with a Little Grebe a welcome addition. Also drake Pochard still and 6 drake Tufties.
Xxxx
Later that day I wandered around Croft late afternoon. There was a sizeable party of mixed thrushes in the horse paddocks off New Lane. No sign of the Little Owls, however 3 Brown Hares are still present in the field behind the owl roost – two of these engaged in a boxing match! On Monday this week I had stopped by the metal gates just past Hanging Birch Farm in Culcheth. In the previous two winters I have found a flock of 30+ Corn Buntings here and as I drove past this day I saw a flock of brown jobs in the trees. I stopped to check them out, unfortunately a Buzzard flushed them and they disappeared before I could ID them. I did wander up the track behind the gates though and looking across the ploughed field towards the farm I could see a flock of pigeons behind the farm and not visible from the road. I set the scope up and was chuffed to find a large flock of Stock Doves – 188 in all. There was also a flock of 130+ Linnets feeding with them.
Xxxxx
As a brief aside – this year to date I have started off by literally tripping over Peregrines. I had seen 10 different birds by the 11th! I even saw one while driving down the M6 – it drifted over near Walsall.
Xxxxx
Two brief birding sessions were to be had during my tour of the UK! One was to see a long-staying Rough-legged Buzzard at South Ferriby. This juvenile has been hanging around Read Island. When I arrived there was instant raptor interest with three Marsh Harriers and a Peregrine on the island. The place also seems to attract deer – I counted at least 8 Fallow and 4 Roe present on the island. A Buzzard and a Kestrel were seen behind the laybye, I had to work though to pick up my target bird. It eventually showed a little distantly around the spoil heaps behind the laybye. Cracking bird and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
Xxxxxx
The other session was at my favourite birding spot in the world – Shapwick Heath / Ham Wall. Interestingly last year I visited eight times and picked up Bitterns on each occasion. Not this time, unfortunately. I did make it just in time for the Starling roost though. When I arrived some birders were watching a ring-tail Hen Harrier hunting the reed beds. I then picked up the Great White Egret creeping through the reeds – eventually it took off and did a fly over before briefly visiting the pool behind us. Then the Starlings started to arrive.
Xxxxx
It was fortuitously a rare day this winter i.e. it was sunny and little cloud cover so viewing conditions were quite good even late in the afternoon. The first Starlings started to arrive a little early and this time the birds really put on a show. The various flocks were twisting and gliding around the sky making all sorts of shapes. This performance seemed to be carried out in almost total silence except for a whisper as a flock flew overhead. I watched in awe – this is surely the best wildlife spectacle we can see in the UK and I did get goosebumps watching them!!! I would estimate (a real guess) that there were only around 400,000 birds in the roost – well down on previous visits. ONLY 400,000 he says!
Xxxxx
As the afternoon turned into gloom and with most of the Starlings in the reed bed, most of the gathered watchers wandered off. The Starlings then came out again and decided to switch reed beds, providing another spectacle. At this point raptors also arrived. I saw both Buzzard and Peregrine catching Starlings while a second Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk drifted over. I hung around until it was too dark to see, hoping for the Barn Owl. I didn’t see it, however while I was stood against some brambles watching the grassy ride around the reed beds, a small flock of late arrival Starlings flew just a few feet past my head – and I mean a few feet. I never heard them until they went past and they frightened the bloody life out of me!
Xxxx
Yesterday evening I arrived at my hotel in Upton Warren and the evening felt almost Spring-like being very mild compared to the recent ice days. Apparently I was not the only one to think so – at 5am a Song Thrush burst into song outside my window! To be fair he had as varied a song as I have heard from this species with hints of Lapwings, gulls and Waxwings all packed in. Also by getting up early and starting work I managed to finish early and head up the M6 at a decent time. I arrived in Rixton at dusk and decided to have a quick look at Moat Lane pool while I was there. The reward was 2 Green Sandpipers plus a half dozen Mute Swans. This seemed thrilling compared to weeks of an empty and frozen pool.
No comments:
Post a Comment