Huddsbirder

What species are these??

Planned a visit roiund a few of the Patch Reservoirs today namely Ingbirchworth, Royd Moor, Winscar and Langsett to get all these in it would be a whistle stop tour. Started at Ingbirchworth at about 9:30am to pick up my first Sand Martins (4) of the year along with a Swallow and the usual Coot, Mallard etc. Out and along Annat Road to find Little Owl and alone female Wheatear ♀, my first of the year, futher up the road was a huge flock of Fieldfare c250 with a handful of Starling mixed in but no Ring Ouzels, I believe Fieldfares are good carriers of Ring Ouzel so I had a good look before moving on down Whiteley Common to find a few smaller birds Pied Wagtails were evident but I couldn’t turn any in to White Wagtails along with the wagtails were Reed Buntings ♂♀, Chaffinch ♂♀, Linnet and Stock Dove.

Flight hill area was the next port of call to find Red Grouse, Curlew and Meadow Pipit whilst I was having dinner in these parts I had another lifer but this didn’t have any feathers, it was grey and white, arge back legs , it was in moult to its summer coat from its white winter one and it was a Mountain Hare

Answer to above photo

Four days in sunny drizzly cold windy Norfolk stopping in self catering accomadation near Cromer at Overstrand , Green Lawn House well run place well presented, clean, nice bed, small overall little bit of a problem with cases’ going in but rated a 3* which I would say was fair.

Anyway enough of that the birds, Monday 29th March travelling day with the accomadation near Cromer saw us firstly adding Alpine Swift [313] to my British List which was happily flying around Happy Valley near Cromer. We arrived at about 4pm’ish to get great views has the bird flew overhead  to within a couple of feet , identified by its larger size than the Common Swift with white belly/throat patch and slower wing beats, should have been summering in the Med somewhere but along with approx 4-6 other birds in the country was enjoying the British Springtime, there was also Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Dunnock and Robin.

Tuesday 30th was tourist day with a little bit of birding thrown in, Cley Spy in Glanford was first port of call for a rain guard, we needed it, I also had chance to view and play with a few pairs of binoculars namely Zeiss, Swarovski, Hawke, Minox before I was torn away to Blickling Hall. House was shut so we strolled around the grounds whilst I was adding Egyptian Goose, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Gossander [lake] to my list.

Stubbs Mill later on in the day to see Marsh Harriers a plenty, Hen Harrier, Buzzard, Kingfisher, Jay and Common Cranes.

Wednesday 31st we spent all day at Cley Nature Reserve on the coast, I love that visitor centre being able to view the whole reserve in warm, dry comfort makes it along with a cappuccino and a bacon butty for soft birding, well you have to spoil yourself now and again and it was raining excuses excuses. Birds well plenty of Marsh Harrier on view with 5 birds in the air at once, plenty of Avocet, Redshank, Brent Geese, Greylag Geese, Little Egret. When we did tear ourselves away from the cappuccino and bacon butties  sorry visitor centre we were rewarded with a hunting Barn Owl catching and enjoying a meal in the reserve fields. A few wildfowl were added to the list from the hides namely Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, Teal  and Shelduck. On then to the shingle bank for a bit of seawatching Red Throated Diver (3), Long Tailed Duck (2), Ringed Plover (2), Cormorant, Sandwich Tern, and Swallow (2) finally making it down to the Swarovski hide here we saw Ruff, Dunlin, Meadow Pipit, Black Tailed Godwit and Oystercatcher. 56 species for Cley, SEE LIST, the permit cost was £4 per person.

Thursday 1st April Huddersfield bound but not before stopping at Weeting Heath in the Brecks not much happening here 5 Stone Curlew reported for yesterday but down to 2 today and they were playing hide and seek mainly hide whilst we were there but we did add Woodlark, Pied Wagtail, Coal Tit, Buzzard (3), Lapwing ,Robin and a Muntjac Deer before leaving.

Whilst travelling back Red Kite (4) and Sparrowhawk (1)

Overview :- 18 year birds added [see Norfolk list] 1 even making it to the British List > Alpine Swift taking the year tally to date 132, 1 bird not seen which we were surprised at was Grey Heron

Weather played a big part in not taking photos or seeing smaller bird species we had Sun, Rain, Wind and even Hail whilst at Cley for a brief time here a couple of pics and some more at this link Norfolk Pics March 2010

Barn Owl at Cley Nature Reserve March 2010

Blickling Hall Norfolk

Well the three mile walk to work this morning gave me my ‘First’ summer bird of the year if you guessed Phylloscopus collybita [Chiffchaff (114)] then you win, other birds this morning Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie now I’m hoping Friday will bring Wheatear 🙂

Some of our Summer Migrants are now arriving back in the country notably at the moment Sand Martin, Little Ringed Plover and Wheatear and it would have been easy for me to head off to Old Moor to bag a couple of these but I decided to stay in the club/patch area to see if I could find one locally, so I headed off to the Royd Moor area to try and find a Wheatear. I soon located a ♀ and ♂ Bullfinch as I headed down towards the reservoir also along the footpath Yellowhammer, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Chaffinch, on the water Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Common Gull and Black Headed Gull. I headed off down to Scout Dyke around the farmland hoping to catch a migrant somewhere but all I saw were Meadeow Pipits, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail ♀♂,  and Linnet. No luck here so I headed back to the car and decided to drive down to Ingbirchworth living in hope, but alas no Wheatear the only birds I saw were Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Rook, Crow and Pheasant, so to try and pull something out of the bag in the form of a year bird at least I went and looked for the Little Owl [113] and sure enough there it was sat on top off the wall, well the day wasn’t lost after all.

Grey Wagtail

Well I think spring has finally arrived the three mile walk to work this week has been more relaxing and pleasant I’m glad the weather of January/February is hopefully out of the way the birds are now proclaiming loudly there new territories. Birds everywhere Blue Tits, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Mistle and Song Thrush proclaiming from a high tree top, Green Woodpecker “yaffling” loudly as I walk passed, Great Tits, Magpies, Coal Tits, Collard Doves in display flights along with Woodpigeons nearby, Dipper ‘bobbing’ away on the stream near a busy road, Grey Wagtail doing a similiar dance as the waters gently flow and glisten in the spring time sunlight, Great Spotted Woodpecker busy defending his terrority, I was however gently reminded that winter is still not letting go 15-off Redwing in the fields now in beautiful colours and stirkingly marked they were there along with a Mistle Thrush busy probing the grass , fueling up for the long flight to there breeding grounds in North and Eastern Europe, then they were off and hopefully winter with them come October they’ll be back gently reminding us that winter is on its way back, but lets gets some summer birding in first short sleeves and suncream bring it on, how long now to the first summer migrant I usually have one in the bag before March is out, so which will be first this year Wheatear, Chiffchaff or Sand Martin place your bets

Redwing

Winscar and Winscar Res were the first port of call nowt much about loads of hungry Mallards and Canada Geese in and amongst 6-off Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

So with nothing much else to see Langsett was the next port of call home of Crossbill, Siskin and Redpoll

On arrival at Langsett Barns Car Park I was greeted by Robin and Blackbirds I was soon togged up and ready for the off and an adventure in the woods for this kind of place you have to rely on ears and how well you know your bird calls rather than eyes, and a strong neck. I soon picked up Blue, Great and Coal Tits along with Siskin in and amongst the trees and then flight calls of Lesser Redpoll as they passed overhead, nowt much on’t moors thou apart from a hunting Kestrel and a few Red Grouse calling. I was soon back at the car park now after my loop around the Lansett footpaths coming along the road side fields seeing displaying Lapwing and Woodpigeon now already thinking of the breeding season and setting up territories, spring migrants have already made England mainly in our southern counties so won’t be long before we start seeing and hearing them back in the Huddersfield area. As I made the car park Song Thrush jumped on the wall my heart was hoping for that first Wheatear but alas not this week and as I was greeted by a Robin I was seen on my way by a Robin

Robin

Yahoo Friday again play time the forcast was good and there was still some good birds about an early finish at work I was off next stop Pugneys CP. The main reason I was off to Pugneys was for a certain grebe it had been around for a while now visiting other reserves in the area and had now spent the last few days here so I was hoping to see it I hadn’t seen this species of grebe since 2004.

Anyway I was soon walking around the lake with the many joggers, cylists and dog walkers seeing Pied Wagtail, Common Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Coot and Great Crested Grebe but not the grebe I was looking there was compensation in a  nice male Stonechat which gave spledid views . Onto the reserve part and into the hide more ducks and gulls Goldeneye, Gadwall, Shoveler, Wigeon, Cormorant but you guessed it not the  grebe I was looking for.

Okay over to Calder Wetlands to see if it had gone over there more Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Goosander ♂♀, Redshank, Sparrowhawk, and about 20 Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, and Red Breasted Merganser no grebe and no Smew either time had run out I had to be else where, I got reports later that night that the grebe had shown up later on the boating lake with the Smew on Millfield Pond, okay so it was a early start to Saturday.

Saturday morning and I was at Pugneys for 6:45am and stood by the main lake the lake was clam and flat unlike yesterday so things should be easier to pick up this morning. I scanned the lake Great Crested Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Great Crested Grebe ah there you are the grebe I was looking for and very near to my bank of the lake the name Red Necked Grebe, the bird very similiar to Great Crested, in winter plumage, however slightly smaller in neck length with a dark/dusky collar on the foreneck with a yellow base to the lower bill it’s mainly a late summer to winter visitor and never common. I did manage to get some video footage, okay not good I was hoping for better after I had watched it for a while but it was soon scared off by a barking dog running straight for me, i’m sure that sign over there says “keep your dogs under control at all times or on a lead at all times” strange how dog owners go blind when you put a sign in front of them and no it does not compensate for saying sorry when the bird has flown to the other side of the lake, thats it rant over and viweing over I didn’t have time to relocate to the other side I was lucky to get out again early doors here’s to next week 🙂

Well the aforementioned bird did stick till Friday but wasn’t seen in the afternoon by yours truly because it wasnt’ there when I was but reappeared at about 3 o’clock but I had left by 2 o’clock so ya you guessed I was there Saturday morning on Sands Lane, Mirfield at 7 o’clock looking again. At about 8 o’clock it was refound one Ring Billed Gull, a 4* bird for me, last 4* bird was Waxwing back in 1989 (4* being Life, British, Yorkshire and Patch List Bird). I watched for about an hour comparing it along side the Common Gulls in attendance seeing plainly the lighter grey mantle and distintive black ring mark on the bill broader neck when viewed from behind, clear head marking but the paler eye was harder to see. It has been aged as a Third winter bird. I did manage some video but I had forgotten my glasses the rain/snow had started by the time the camera came out View Here.

Later in the day I ended up at Blacktoft Sands for the raptor roost 3pm onwards ice free ponds we saw some wildfowl Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck, Moorhen and Coot. More gulls here has they passed thru Herring, Lesser Black Backed, Common and Black Headed, the raptors Marsh Harrier in good number we had up to eight birds all ‘creamed crowned’ [juv and ♀] one Barn Owl hunting mainly at the back of the reserve near the river and one Merlin ♂

Not only did I miss Saturday’s (20th) Great White Egret, plus the one back in 1989 by 5 minutes, now whilst stuck at work I get news of a Ring Billed Gull, and to make it worse its near home, hope it sticks till Friday dinner can’t believe it a lifer on my own doorstep

With over 500 days (20th September 2008 and Wilsons Phalarope) since the last lifer something had to be done weekends were busy the weather wasn’t settling so I took the day of work and headed to Newholm, Nr Whitby, to look for the Thrush. Arrived at 7:15am and parked up to be met nicely by a hunting Barn Owl in the adjoining field, great start, got set up and off to No5 to look in their back garden, never comfortable with this, anyway had to wait 20mins but in the mean time birds were coming into the feeders Willow Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, Blackbird and then the BLACK THROATED THRUSH (Female ♀) . I did manage to get a couple of photos, not good I admit, by the time I had enjoyed the bird it was only offering its back and then went not to be seen again by me in the next 40mins by which time a cat had happily walked in  the garden so it was time for me to be off

Black_Throated_Thrush

I know not much of a photo better ones done by a pro on his blog here, I headed to Scarborough next to see a gull I hadn’t seen for a number of years, actually since 2003, as soon as I drove into the car park there was three Mediterranean Gulls (see below photos) on the grass verge along with Black Headed Gulls

Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull

A few photos and I was off again this time to Filey and along the Brigg hopefully to find sea duck and waders. The weather had changed a lot from this mornings fog journey into Newholm now I was in sunshine going along the Brigg watching Turnstone, Redshank, Bar Tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Purple Sandpiper and Knot. Whilst on the Brigg flying past were Fulmars, Gannets, and Guillemots on the sea Common Scoter, Long Tailed Duck, Eider, Shag, Cormorants and Red Throated Divers.

Click to see Day List