Huddsbirder

Back to Sands Lane this Friday arriving at 10am in overcast windy conditions and leaving at 1pm in brighter but still windy conditions, birds inbetween were Greylag Goose (1), Pink Footed Goose (1), Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck (1♀), Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull (1), Common Gull (8), Goldfinch (6 over), Wren, Robin, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Mute Swan, Kingfisher.

At work this week Long Tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldcrest (1), and my first Redwing of the winter 8 birds over

Wednesday 13th managed a few hours off work before hospital appointment so that ment a couple of hours birding Ingbirchworth first which held Canada Geese (150+), Greylag Goose (1), Great Crested grebe (1), Wigeon (5), Mallard, Common Gull Gull (3) Lesser Black Backed Gull (20+), and numerous Black Headed Gulls, Moorhen. Amongst the banking trees there could be found Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Robin, Chaffinch, Wren. Along the South West footpath a lone Speckled Wood was enjoying the Autumn warmth.

Broadstones Res which much the same with about 50 Black headed Gulls, Lesser Black Baked Gull (1), Common Gull (3), Kestrel (1), Bullfinch (2), Mallard, Wigeon (7) and 1 Little Grebe

Week 40 was a quiet week, at work butterfly species seen were Speckled Wood plenty on these still on the wing with a couple of Commas. Bird wise a couple of Jays making there presence known with the loud squawking as they went around the small wooded area. Friday the 8th saw me at Sands Lane Gravel Pits for a couple of hours mainly digiscoping the Black Headed Gulls present along with Mute Swan, Canda Geese, Greylag Geese [3], Pochard [1♀], Mallard, Grey Heron, Pied Wagtail [3 over]. Lapwing [c70], Lesser Black Backed Gull [2], Common Gull [1].

Saturday the 9th a couple of uneventful hours at Old Moor we never did find the Garganey or Little Stint but Dunlin, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Lapwing, Golden Plover and Snipe were all seen.

Digiscoped images below of Mute Swan and Black Headed Gulls from Sands Lane using Nikon P5100, in very poor light conditions

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The decision was made an early start and off to the coast to do a bit of sea watching, arriving at Flamborough Head in gale force NNW winds I settled in by the lighthouse wall, out of the wind, with a small group of watchers. After yesterdays movement of Shearwaters and Skuas I was hoping for some more good numbers, good numbers of Gannets going north and south but I struggled seeing Shearwaters but Manx and Sooty were seen although in very low numbers and no Skuas at all, other highlights were a adult Peregrine excellent views as it battled it s way north at eye level, Red Throated and Great Northern Divers, Common Scoters, Shag and Cormorant, Eider, Lesser Black Backed and Great Black Backed Gulls.

After 3 hours sitting in the wind it was time to leave but not before seeing Linnet in the car park scrub. Inland I headed to Tophill Low NR for a couple of hours catching up on a few duck species Mallard, Gadwall, Teal and Shoveler other birds added to the day list Moorhen, Coot, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose and Kestrel. There were also a few Dragonflies hanging about and thats what I had mainly come for Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker and a few Common Darters of course the Hawkers never settled for photos but the Darters did heres another Common Darter photo.

Common Darter

Week 37 things are getting quieter at work mainly because I can’t get to the pond because of the Cows being were they shouldn’t be and not in the field were they should be, broken fences and the farmer not caring where they go. Anyway butterflies about still Speckled Wood and a very nice Comma [no photo camera not at work

Friday was more of a reccy day out at Stocksmoor Common looking for the Dragon Pond there, I did manage to locate it but once again its in a field where cows roam, there were not here today however so I did manage to get to the pond seeing a few Common Darters some in tandem. After Stocksmoor I moved on next door  to Bullcliff Top Wood to try and find some more dragons but nowt today, the birds moving thru were Buzzard (4), Swallows, Jay and a Kestrel hunting the local field, Butterflies around here included more Speckled Wood, Common Blue and Peacock. Then of course I had to run down to Pugneys to keep the black theme going to find the reported Black Terns along with a couple of Common Terns.

Saturday the 18th we ended up at Old Moor once again with a few friends to hopefully find a few waders going thru. Wath Ings hide held Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper (3), Black Tailed Godwit (1), Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Ruff (1), Ringed Plover (1), loads of Lapwing.Other birds around the reserve Kestrel, Willow Tit, Coal Tit, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Coot, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Black Headed Gull, Goldfinch, Linnet, Grey Heron, Crow, Jackdaw and I’ve probably missed a couple. Common Darter, Migrant Hawker (Male) and Common Blue Damselfly (Male) also seen

Week 36 started slowly with a  few Butterflies still hanging on at work namely Speckled Wood, Large White and Small Copper. At home we have started to get a few Peacocks but no Red Admiral has yet. I had Wednesday afternoon off work and headed up on to the moors at Langsett to try and find the rerported Black Redstart which had been there a few days near the old farm buildings, after about an hour I caught sight of the bird, a patch first good start, I then headed off to do a little Dragonfly hunting around the Langset area Common Hawker (2), Emerald Damselfly, Blue Tailed Damselfly and a new find Black Darter

Black Darter

Friday we headed off to Potteric Carr to try and find a Bittern for my wife and ended up seeing a few Kingfishers, Great Spotted Woodpecker (MOVIE), Dunnock, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Pheasant, Long Tailed Tit, Grey Hero, Black Headed Gull, Emerald Damselfly, Southern Hawker but no bittern

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker

Start of the week 35 was a Bank Holiday Monday and that was spent at Old Moor were there was a good movement of waders going thro with Greenshank, Ruffs, Green Sandpipers, Common Sandpipers, Dunlin and Spotted Redshank (Spotted Redshank now takes my area list to the magic 100). On the other hand winter birds have started to build up with Golden Plover and Lapwing in numbers. There was only a couple of Butterflies knocking about Speckled Wood and Green Veined White with Dragonflies a little better with Common Darters being in better numbers, we also spotted Migrant Hawker and a Ruddy Darter. Old Moor Day List 

Common Darter

The week at work has gone quiet apart from a few Green Veined Whites, Small Coppers and the glimpse of another Silver Y moth, a few Dragons still about mainly in the form of Brown Hawker and Common Darter. A trip out to Scout Dike on the Friday to get a few Butterfly species under the belt before the season ends with my first Wall and Painted Lady of the year along with more Speckled Woods, Common Blue, Small Coppers, Gatekeepers and my first Small Heath 

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Birds at Scout Dike involved plenty of Grey Heron these were into double figures Greenshank (1), Common Sandpiper (1), Swallows, House Martins, Meadow Pipits, Whitethroat (2), Willow  Warbler, Chiffchaff, Long Tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Crow, Lapwing, Starling, Tufted Duck, Mallard and Teal 

The week ended at Fairburn with very little to report Dragonfly wise quite a lot of Common Darter about with the odd Ruddy Darter, Ruddies now looking a little bit worse for wear. 

Week 33 has been one of the best weeks of the year, at work this week the Butterflies etc continued with Common Carpet Moth again and a first in the form of a Silver Y Moth

Silver Y Moth

The usual butterflies continued with Small Copper, Large White, Small White, Green Viened White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, and a few Ringlets. News then broke on Tuesday of a Ruff at Ingbirchworth Reservoir this turned out to be a one day bird hence I missed it. This would have been a very good patch bird with only two being seen since 1996 (2000 and 2003). I did manage to get to Ingbirchworth on the Thursday night adding not 1 not 2 but 3 patch birds to my list these were Greenshank (3), Ringed Plover (2) and Redshank (1) more than made up for the Ruff, in attendance also were Common Sandpiper (1) and Green Sandpiper (2).

Couple of birds I have also managed to catch up with this week in the garden have been Dunnock and Blue Tit

Dunnock

Blue Tit

Then it was off to the Fair at Rutland, we stayed at our usual venue Bridge Cottage (see B & B’s etc Tab) making our first bird stop at the RSPB Top Lodge Fineshade Woods. Not many  bird species about at Fineshade this year we did see however Buzzard, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow and Goldcrest did manage to ID a few species of Dragonfly at the pond Emperor, Brown Hawker  and Common Darter, Butterflies included Speckled Wood,  Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Small White, Green Viened White, Common Blue and a Large Fritillary probable Silver Washed. We made our way to the cottage seeing plenty of Red Kites on our way to end the first day.

Saturday the 21st was Birdfair day catching up with new things and friends, did buy myself a new book thou called Watching British Dragonflies great book gets good reviews the plates are drawn and not photos of the Dragonflies and it also gives usefull information on loads of sites within the UK to locate various species. My wife got the new pair of binos this year a pair of Opticron 8 x 32 , I found these on the small side for an 8 x 32 binocular but fantastically light good image nice and bright and as soon as thay came out of the box the first bird was an Osprey making its way across the fair. More Red Kites on the way back to the cottage with Kingfisher at the cottage river as we relaxed on the decking perfect ending

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Red Kite

Kingfisher