So finally after an extended Christmas break that involved skiing and my overeating and sleeping, I have come to write an abridged version of the bird events that happened during this time.
I went skiing with Dad and brother for a week in Serre-Chevalier, otherwise known generally as Alpine France between Grenoble and Turin. Beautiful week and sad to leave. Was pleased to see what I'm sure were crested tits and some coal tits whilst out there, along with countless alpine chough flocks. I know virtually nothing about European birds but my Collins book has helped me to that end... do I add it to a list or not...?
Upon my return to Aylesbury, I slept massively and then did a spot of birdwatching from the garden window at 10am the following morning (28/12/10). Got a massive 21 species in about 30-40 minutes of watching, including a couple of really mega birds presumably relocating to our garden due to poor weather (snow and ice). The highlights were moorhen, 3 reed bunting, 3 bullfinch (2 male, 1 female), male great spotted woodpecker and finally a male siskin! Garden and Aylesbury tick right there, feeding with the greenfinches, of which there were several.
The afternoon of the 29th, Dad and I headed out to Weston Turville reservoir where he and countless others had seen a bittern. Spent a good amount of time there but unfortunately no bittern to speak of. However, saw a fox, a little egret took off from the small stream, a nice view of a jay, and I'm pretty sure we heard (and saw one of) what were 2 water rails but light was fading and mist rising so it was a tough call.
Finally, today, Dad and I watched birds from the back window again, then went for a walk out along the canal and through the rare breeds farm at around 1:30 onwards. Highlights included song thrush, many bullfinches, many redwing and very many fieldfares. Quite a few green woodpecker sightings and a flying snipe over the canal and away. A female great spotted woodpecker was drumming and I was trying to communicate with a stick and a fence post. Seemed possibly to work, but not for sure. A couple of skylarks flew over. A pair of teal on the brook pond and a few reed bunting in the preceding field were good to see. Finally a kingfisher darted across the brook pond, rounding off the day at 33 species - a good number!
Back to London tomorrow... expect more Rainham posts!
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Yawn (irony)
The irony in 'yawn' is that I am both actually very tired, AND had two not-so-great birding trips. One to Rainham and one to Richmond Park.
Rainham was supposed to be great because there was the 'gull identification day' that you could just drop into. I dropped in for about 45 minutes but although the man running it was incredibly knowledgable, the ice meant there was basically nothing about. The highlight was a yellow-legged gull amongst the more common of gulls, but although I could see it differed from its more abundant counterparts, I still wasn't hugely sure of it and would never have ID'd it myself. So it's a bit depressing when that happens. The only other highlight was a skylark. Yeah. Then again, loads of redwing are always nice to see!
Richmond Park was a beautiful place but lacking in the way of birds. Best things were a couple of jays, green woodpeckers, and ring-necked parakeets in their tens and tens. Seriously didn't stop hearing them calling the whole time. Saw a group of 4 or 5 deer too, which was a lovely sight, with their huge antlers and everything.
Forgive the brevity and low quality of this post; I am still recovering from very little sleep. Till next time!
Rainham was supposed to be great because there was the 'gull identification day' that you could just drop into. I dropped in for about 45 minutes but although the man running it was incredibly knowledgable, the ice meant there was basically nothing about. The highlight was a yellow-legged gull amongst the more common of gulls, but although I could see it differed from its more abundant counterparts, I still wasn't hugely sure of it and would never have ID'd it myself. So it's a bit depressing when that happens. The only other highlight was a skylark. Yeah. Then again, loads of redwing are always nice to see!
Richmond Park was a beautiful place but lacking in the way of birds. Best things were a couple of jays, green woodpeckers, and ring-necked parakeets in their tens and tens. Seriously didn't stop hearing them calling the whole time. Saw a group of 4 or 5 deer too, which was a lovely sight, with their huge antlers and everything.
Forgive the brevity and low quality of this post; I am still recovering from very little sleep. Till next time!
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Visibility: 0%
Rainham sounded like such an attractive option after all the ice and snow bringing some beautiful rarities or scarcities to the marshes. So I headed out early on Monday morning and despite central London being relatively clear, east London and Essex looked a lot colder, foggier and were still covered in snow and ice. Undeterred, I confidently pulled up (alone) into the car park and carefully slid across the ice to the visitors' centre. The trails were open!! Fantastic news!!
So off I trekked, in a clockwise direction, unusually for me. It was bitterly cold so I spent a lot of this time walking, also as it was so foggy, there wasn't much point looking out further than about 100 feet. However, I got to the first bridge (1 minute's walk) and there was some pinging. Lo and behold, 2 male bearded tits hopped out under the bridge and proceeded to feed a mere 6-8 feet away from me for about 20 seconds. Superb views that encouraged me to continue my walk! Several snipe were flying about and feeding out in the open fields, and I kept getting persistently awesome close-up views of wrens. A skylark flew up and over (identified by its call, oh yes!) and reed buntings were flying about calling quite a lot too (but also perching for long enough for me to identify the things). A lovely male stonechat was very showy near the new hide, seeming quite unafraid of big ol' me. Whilst enjoying the stonechat, I also observed a small number of linnets further along, and a lovely female marsh harrier being mobbed by a couple of carrion crows, scaring off all the lapwing. The marsh harrier is a first for Rainham for me.
From the new hide, there was pretty much nothing to be seen as all the water had turned to ice and the only birds were a long, long way away nearer the other hide. However, looking out to the west, I saw a lovely fox hunting across the marshes, making the lapwing look even more nervous!
A bit further round I reached the small area of open water and sat down, got out the scope, and started scanning. Gulls of the black-headed, great black-backed, lesser black-backed, common and herring variety were all there (I'm getting better), along with such waterfowl as tufted duck, shoveler, mallard, gadwall, wigeon, pochard, and a male pintail. Countless moorhens and coots as well!
A ring-necked parakeet flew over (they're getting more and more usual, I swear) near the car park, and I, of course, saw countless redwings, a single fieldfare, a great-spotted woodpecker and a song thrush. But still no waxwings... despite someone seeing one there later that same day... grrr.
So off I trekked, in a clockwise direction, unusually for me. It was bitterly cold so I spent a lot of this time walking, also as it was so foggy, there wasn't much point looking out further than about 100 feet. However, I got to the first bridge (1 minute's walk) and there was some pinging. Lo and behold, 2 male bearded tits hopped out under the bridge and proceeded to feed a mere 6-8 feet away from me for about 20 seconds. Superb views that encouraged me to continue my walk! Several snipe were flying about and feeding out in the open fields, and I kept getting persistently awesome close-up views of wrens. A skylark flew up and over (identified by its call, oh yes!) and reed buntings were flying about calling quite a lot too (but also perching for long enough for me to identify the things). A lovely male stonechat was very showy near the new hide, seeming quite unafraid of big ol' me. Whilst enjoying the stonechat, I also observed a small number of linnets further along, and a lovely female marsh harrier being mobbed by a couple of carrion crows, scaring off all the lapwing. The marsh harrier is a first for Rainham for me.
From the new hide, there was pretty much nothing to be seen as all the water had turned to ice and the only birds were a long, long way away nearer the other hide. However, looking out to the west, I saw a lovely fox hunting across the marshes, making the lapwing look even more nervous!
A bit further round I reached the small area of open water and sat down, got out the scope, and started scanning. Gulls of the black-headed, great black-backed, lesser black-backed, common and herring variety were all there (I'm getting better), along with such waterfowl as tufted duck, shoveler, mallard, gadwall, wigeon, pochard, and a male pintail. Countless moorhens and coots as well!
A ring-necked parakeet flew over (they're getting more and more usual, I swear) near the car park, and I, of course, saw countless redwings, a single fieldfare, a great-spotted woodpecker and a song thrush. But still no waxwings... despite someone seeing one there later that same day... grrr.
Friday, 3 December 2010
Walking in a winter wonder(wood)land
Despite the temperature never rising above -2C today, I decided that I needed to get out of the flat and have a good walk through Wanstead Park. I've got my incredible warm-keeping heattech shirt so thought I'd be fine. Mostly I was... but by gum it's cold out there.
Arrived at the west entrance off Warren Road and headed in. I was greeted by a large tit flock, namely long-tailed tits, blue tits and great tits - long-tailed making up the numbers most. Interspersed with these were a few very vocal goldcrests, one or two of which obliged to feed a mere 3 feet or so away from my face. No need for binoculars with something so spectacularly close! But then something caught my eye, hopping up a branch a bit higher up. I moved to get a better viewing angle and saw the red, white and black of a woodpecker... the red was a crown on its head and the white was quite prominent across its back. And it was about the size of a sparrow, slightly larger. It was a male lesser spotted woodpecker!! The first ever for me. I couldn't believe my luck and watched it for around 20 minutes or so, during which it came within 15 feet directly over the path. It even showed off by drumming on the underneath of several branches audibly for me! In the snow, with the mixed tit and crest flock, wrens and so on, watching a lesser spotted woodpecker... well... it's hard not to use the term 'magical'.
From then on, the more cynical of people would say it went downhill. I withold my cynicism however due to the incredible views I had just had. Highlights all the way round included many jays, heard some ring-necked parakeets, saw a total of 3 great spotted woodpeckers and saw one but heard many green woodpeckers. So I'm all woodpeckered out! In one day!
The ice and snow had clearly brought in a number of waterfowl, including upwards of 30 gadwall, a handful of shoveler, pochards, tufted ducks, 2 little grebes, and a number of black-headed and common gulls. I pleased myself by identifying a 1st-winter common gull. Not bad eh?
There was also a pair of egyptian geese that were flying about restlessly, but settled quite close by and appeared very tame. No idea if they were wild or escapees but I suppose it's difficult to tell. For now we'll go with wild. Sounds cooler.
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Small finches always fly away
Good haul at Rainham Marshes yesterday (Wednesday) with a total of exactly 50 bird species recorded during the 9:30-14:00 stint (no pun intended, UNFORTUNATELY).
I won't bore you with the usual suspects, partly because it'd get dull and that's what my spreadsheet is for, but also because it's rather late and I want to go to bed. There was a large flock of canada geese feeding nearby some greylag geese, another sizeable flock (or gaggle!) in the main field. Something that looked very much like an oystercatcher flew right past my face but so quickly I couldn't bring myself to write its name on my notepad. I was very pleased that I identified a small party of 10-12 fieldfares flying over.
And that's basically my gripe today. Flyovers.
Everyone seems to be able to tell that that tiny black speck that I can't even see, making that generic 'jyupp' noise as it zooms directly into the sun, is in fact a 1st-winter female Lapland Bunting. I can identify two different flyover finches/buntings. One is a Goldfinch that makes the most obvious sound in the world, and the other is a Chaffinch, which I am led to believe sounds very much like all the other finches. But I haven't heard the others so a pox upon them. Anyway, my aim is to get better at this so I can really impress people as I go about my everyday life and casually point out the migrating Redpoll flying over. I use the word 'impress' relatively loosely.
On with the sightings! A lovely song thrush showed itself, along with a few skittish redwings, and a cetti's warbler called briefly near the car park. A green woodpecker was the first I'd seen at Rainham, and there were countless reed buntings and stonechats as I've come to get used to. After the first hide (whose name eludes me) I heard something very familiar and saw something quite small shoot past and away - a short glance with the binoculars before it disappeared out of sight showed that this was in fact a kingfisher! My first for London and Rainham, and a beautiful sight nonetheless. Chuffed, I continued to the shooting range hide where I noted hundreds of lapwing amidst tens and tens of golden plover, 2 curlew flew over - another first for Rainham/London, and I identified a greater black-backed gull. The pintail drakes were in the same place as usual, with some gadwall nearby, and a common gull flew lazily past.
I then spent another 30 minutes identifying linnets from about 200 feet with a pair of binoculars. Not much fun, but satisfying when I got the identification (and tried memorising their calls). I also spent a while identifying a little group of around 6 black-tailed godwits, which I decided were not bar-tailed godwits. How did I tell? Their tails were black. No really! I also caught sight of a snipe and spent another 20 minutes trying to tell if it was a jack snipe or not from such a distance. I'm happy it was a common snipe. A little egret made a brief appearance, as did a kestrel, and it was time to head back.
As I walked back to the car park (alas no pinging or cetti-ing) I watched the skies, and had no idea what most small things were. But then I caught sight of a strange gull, binoculared it, and it was a sole avocet flying over towards the river! Lovely end to the day!
So, to bed, so I can consolidate my knowledge of little brown finches flying away making truly un-unique sounds...
I won't bore you with the usual suspects, partly because it'd get dull and that's what my spreadsheet is for, but also because it's rather late and I want to go to bed. There was a large flock of canada geese feeding nearby some greylag geese, another sizeable flock (or gaggle!) in the main field. Something that looked very much like an oystercatcher flew right past my face but so quickly I couldn't bring myself to write its name on my notepad. I was very pleased that I identified a small party of 10-12 fieldfares flying over.
And that's basically my gripe today. Flyovers.
Everyone seems to be able to tell that that tiny black speck that I can't even see, making that generic 'jyupp' noise as it zooms directly into the sun, is in fact a 1st-winter female Lapland Bunting. I can identify two different flyover finches/buntings. One is a Goldfinch that makes the most obvious sound in the world, and the other is a Chaffinch, which I am led to believe sounds very much like all the other finches. But I haven't heard the others so a pox upon them. Anyway, my aim is to get better at this so I can really impress people as I go about my everyday life and casually point out the migrating Redpoll flying over. I use the word 'impress' relatively loosely.
On with the sightings! A lovely song thrush showed itself, along with a few skittish redwings, and a cetti's warbler called briefly near the car park. A green woodpecker was the first I'd seen at Rainham, and there were countless reed buntings and stonechats as I've come to get used to. After the first hide (whose name eludes me) I heard something very familiar and saw something quite small shoot past and away - a short glance with the binoculars before it disappeared out of sight showed that this was in fact a kingfisher! My first for London and Rainham, and a beautiful sight nonetheless. Chuffed, I continued to the shooting range hide where I noted hundreds of lapwing amidst tens and tens of golden plover, 2 curlew flew over - another first for Rainham/London, and I identified a greater black-backed gull. The pintail drakes were in the same place as usual, with some gadwall nearby, and a common gull flew lazily past.
I then spent another 30 minutes identifying linnets from about 200 feet with a pair of binoculars. Not much fun, but satisfying when I got the identification (and tried memorising their calls). I also spent a while identifying a little group of around 6 black-tailed godwits, which I decided were not bar-tailed godwits. How did I tell? Their tails were black. No really! I also caught sight of a snipe and spent another 20 minutes trying to tell if it was a jack snipe or not from such a distance. I'm happy it was a common snipe. A little egret made a brief appearance, as did a kestrel, and it was time to head back.
As I walked back to the car park (alas no pinging or cetti-ing) I watched the skies, and had no idea what most small things were. But then I caught sight of a strange gull, binoculared it, and it was a sole avocet flying over towards the river! Lovely end to the day!
So, to bed, so I can consolidate my knowledge of little brown finches flying away making truly un-unique sounds...
Monday, 22 November 2010
Quick visit to Wilstone
Was up in Aylesbury for the weekend and decided that Dad and I should go for a short walk round Wilstone and Steps Hill (trying out my new binoculars, no less!)
Wilstone was relatively productive, with many waterfowl on the reservoir. A great-spotted woodpecker, goldcrest, long-tailed tits, and a song thrush were good to see, but also on the reservoir itself, a grey wagtail flew in and fed very close to the hide with a pair of pied wagtails - lovely to see in the winter, and brilliant views! There was a large flock of perhaps 50-60 golden plover and hundreds of lapwing. There was also a pair of whooper swans on the reservoir, which was new for me (probably not, but I'd never truly identified them before!)
We proceeded to Steps Hill where the best things on view were several redwing.
Wilstone was relatively productive, with many waterfowl on the reservoir. A great-spotted woodpecker, goldcrest, long-tailed tits, and a song thrush were good to see, but also on the reservoir itself, a grey wagtail flew in and fed very close to the hide with a pair of pied wagtails - lovely to see in the winter, and brilliant views! There was a large flock of perhaps 50-60 golden plover and hundreds of lapwing. There was also a pair of whooper swans on the reservoir, which was new for me (probably not, but I'd never truly identified them before!)
We proceeded to Steps Hill where the best things on view were several redwing.
Friday, 19 November 2010
So Cetti's Warblers aren't mythical after all...
Went to Rainham Marshes today for a few hours - lovely day for it. Really productive too!
I spent the first hour or so trying to identify lots of horrid brown finches and buntings flying about in silhouette. Turns out they were linnets and a female reed bunting. Some would say that wasn't worth waiting an hour for, but I've got to learn identification skills somewhere! Carried on round and saw a pair (male and female) of great spotted woodpeckers. Then another one flew by a little later. I also found my first London redwings in a bushy area where I was looking for waxwings - nice to see nonetheless! Whilst watching another reed bunting, I heard a loud single note, turned around, and saw the reeds moving a little, carrying on in a particular direction. The noise came again and again, and then finally... the explosive, metallic 'plitt!' followed by 'ti-chuu ti-chuu ti-chuu'! I was listening to a cetti's warbler! I was then lucky enough to see it dart out, hold a pose for a fraction of a second, then dart back in again - long enough though to know what it was, especially coupled with the call. So finally I've had my first cetti's warbler, and they're not just some mythical creature that more experienced birders make up.
Onwards, I hit the first hide and noted wigeon, teal, shoveler, you know, the normal stuff. And also a common snipe was discovered by a pair of even-more-novice-than-I birdwatchers. They were adamant that it was a jack snipe, looking in their book and nodding self-assured that they were looking at a jack snipe; their reason for it not being a common snipe was that its "beak looks short". Its bill was perfectly reasonable snipe length, it was not bobbing around incessantly, it was too big, and it had a beige centre crown stripe. It was a common snipe. It's a shame, and I didn't have the heart to point out that it was not what they thought... if I were in that situation, would I want someone to correct me? Probably, but if I was middle-aged, like they were, I wouldn't want some stuck-up 23-year-old telling me in no uncertain terms that I am not in fact looking at a jack snipe. So I left them to it.
Then there were stonechats everywhere! Took me a second to differentiate them from whinchats, which I did so by the lack of a prominent supercilium, the relatively unusual habitat and the fact they're all supposed to be several thousand miles nearer to the equator than Rainham Marshes. There was also a little wren perching beautifully and rattling away. A few meadow pipits (was hoping for rock or water) fed in the mud and then I saw a small bird that I really did not expect to see - a wheatear. In mid-November. It looked perfectly healthy, and was actually really quite confiding, so I watched it for a while, and just to confirm, it flitted about showing a very prominent white rump. I can't believe it, considering they're supposed to be in Africa by this stage, or at least a long way in southern Europe on migration. Fantastic bird to see.
There were about 500 (estimate) starlings going back and forth from the electricity pylons, quite a noise! The next hide produced (amongst the usuals) a single pochard, a decent flock of golden plover amidst the flock of lapwing, and two male pintails. Walking further round produced very quick and limited views of what I took to be a young black redstart! Taken me a lifetime to see any of this species, then I see two in two weeks! I wasn't 100% sure that's what it was, and was going to write a big question mark next to the name, but then a fellow walked by 2 minutes later, "Have you seen the black redstart?" he asked, "It's been around this area for ages". Tick.
A kestrel hunted for a while as I watched some more stonechats in the semi-failing light (it was nearly 4pm), then finally, after walking the whole way round with no 'pinging' to speak of, I... well... heard some pinging. There was a pair of bearded tits, quite close by, flitting about but giving me some really nice views! Before I knew it, they were off, and I had a big smile on my face. There's just something about those birds that I absolutely love. I saw another pair for a more extended period of time just 5 minutes later too!
Finally, I was just packing my stuff into the car, when I heard a noise that was hugely familiar, but that I never seem to be able to identify - turned out that there were up to 30 rose-ringed parakeets flying overhead. I'd seen them in amongst trees, but a small flock of that size flying across a sky with no trees around is a surreal sight to behold. Superb! Back home I went before the London traffic got too bad...
I spent the first hour or so trying to identify lots of horrid brown finches and buntings flying about in silhouette. Turns out they were linnets and a female reed bunting. Some would say that wasn't worth waiting an hour for, but I've got to learn identification skills somewhere! Carried on round and saw a pair (male and female) of great spotted woodpeckers. Then another one flew by a little later. I also found my first London redwings in a bushy area where I was looking for waxwings - nice to see nonetheless! Whilst watching another reed bunting, I heard a loud single note, turned around, and saw the reeds moving a little, carrying on in a particular direction. The noise came again and again, and then finally... the explosive, metallic 'plitt!' followed by 'ti-chuu ti-chuu ti-chuu'! I was listening to a cetti's warbler! I was then lucky enough to see it dart out, hold a pose for a fraction of a second, then dart back in again - long enough though to know what it was, especially coupled with the call. So finally I've had my first cetti's warbler, and they're not just some mythical creature that more experienced birders make up.
Onwards, I hit the first hide and noted wigeon, teal, shoveler, you know, the normal stuff. And also a common snipe was discovered by a pair of even-more-novice-than-I birdwatchers. They were adamant that it was a jack snipe, looking in their book and nodding self-assured that they were looking at a jack snipe; their reason for it not being a common snipe was that its "beak looks short". Its bill was perfectly reasonable snipe length, it was not bobbing around incessantly, it was too big, and it had a beige centre crown stripe. It was a common snipe. It's a shame, and I didn't have the heart to point out that it was not what they thought... if I were in that situation, would I want someone to correct me? Probably, but if I was middle-aged, like they were, I wouldn't want some stuck-up 23-year-old telling me in no uncertain terms that I am not in fact looking at a jack snipe. So I left them to it.
Then there were stonechats everywhere! Took me a second to differentiate them from whinchats, which I did so by the lack of a prominent supercilium, the relatively unusual habitat and the fact they're all supposed to be several thousand miles nearer to the equator than Rainham Marshes. There was also a little wren perching beautifully and rattling away. A few meadow pipits (was hoping for rock or water) fed in the mud and then I saw a small bird that I really did not expect to see - a wheatear. In mid-November. It looked perfectly healthy, and was actually really quite confiding, so I watched it for a while, and just to confirm, it flitted about showing a very prominent white rump. I can't believe it, considering they're supposed to be in Africa by this stage, or at least a long way in southern Europe on migration. Fantastic bird to see.
There were about 500 (estimate) starlings going back and forth from the electricity pylons, quite a noise! The next hide produced (amongst the usuals) a single pochard, a decent flock of golden plover amidst the flock of lapwing, and two male pintails. Walking further round produced very quick and limited views of what I took to be a young black redstart! Taken me a lifetime to see any of this species, then I see two in two weeks! I wasn't 100% sure that's what it was, and was going to write a big question mark next to the name, but then a fellow walked by 2 minutes later, "Have you seen the black redstart?" he asked, "It's been around this area for ages". Tick.
A kestrel hunted for a while as I watched some more stonechats in the semi-failing light (it was nearly 4pm), then finally, after walking the whole way round with no 'pinging' to speak of, I... well... heard some pinging. There was a pair of bearded tits, quite close by, flitting about but giving me some really nice views! Before I knew it, they were off, and I had a big smile on my face. There's just something about those birds that I absolutely love. I saw another pair for a more extended period of time just 5 minutes later too!
Finally, I was just packing my stuff into the car, when I heard a noise that was hugely familiar, but that I never seem to be able to identify - turned out that there were up to 30 rose-ringed parakeets flying overhead. I'd seen them in amongst trees, but a small flock of that size flying across a sky with no trees around is a surreal sight to behold. Superb! Back home I went before the London traffic got too bad...
Sunday, 14 November 2010
North Wales Retreat
Went to Bangor this weekend for a friend's birthday. Took the opportunity to pop out on Saturday afternoon to have a good walk around the area and see what was on offer bird-wise. Weather was lovely and had a nice lunch at the base of Mt. Snowdon.
Highlights were coal tit, pair of bullfinches, ravens, my first fieldfare of the winter, goldcrest, nuthatch (first of the year), one male and four female red-breasted mergansers, all feeding very confidingly close to the shore of Lake Padarn, and finally a fleeting peregrine falcon flew by. There was another large flock of c. 50 fieldfares towards the end of the walk.
There were a couple of redwing in the garden the following morning as I was nursing a relatively severe hangover!
Not a bad haul considering I hadn't seriously planned on anything bird-wise (though was hopeful enough to take my bins...!)
Highlights were coal tit, pair of bullfinches, ravens, my first fieldfare of the winter, goldcrest, nuthatch (first of the year), one male and four female red-breasted mergansers, all feeding very confidingly close to the shore of Lake Padarn, and finally a fleeting peregrine falcon flew by. There was another large flock of c. 50 fieldfares towards the end of the walk.
There were a couple of redwing in the garden the following morning as I was nursing a relatively severe hangover!
Not a bad haul considering I hadn't seriously planned on anything bird-wise (though was hopeful enough to take my bins...!)
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Suffolk Update
I lied.
I had black headed gull and avocet down twice. How terrible of me! But I'd missed out little grebe so it's 59 species after all.
Top-end bronze medal.
I had black headed gull and avocet down twice. How terrible of me! But I'd missed out little grebe so it's 59 species after all.
Top-end bronze medal.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Waxwing-less
After receiving exciting e-mails about waxwings seen along the Mall, I decided to head out and find them.
I arrived and found nothing. Went round every berry-bearing bush in St. James' Park (there were two) and found nothing. Lots of woodpigeons eating all the berries the waxwings should have been eating but never mind!
One highlight was a tree that contained a rose-ringed parakeet, a jay, and a great spotted woodpecker. All at the same time!
There were rare geese and scarce ducks all over the place but I'm not ticking them due to the fact that they're blatantly captive and I'd feel a little dirty if I ticked...
Back to watching the bush outside my back window for waxwings then... it will happen...
I arrived and found nothing. Went round every berry-bearing bush in St. James' Park (there were two) and found nothing. Lots of woodpigeons eating all the berries the waxwings should have been eating but never mind!
One highlight was a tree that contained a rose-ringed parakeet, a jay, and a great spotted woodpecker. All at the same time!
There were rare geese and scarce ducks all over the place but I'm not ticking them due to the fact that they're blatantly captive and I'd feel a little dirty if I ticked...
Back to watching the bush outside my back window for waxwings then... it will happen...
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Suffolk Massive
Went to Suffolk with Dad this weekend (6th and 7th November) to get our fill of East-Coast goodness.
06/11/10
On the journey to Snape Maltings, we saw kestrel, rook, crow, jackdaw, woodpigeon, jay, blue tit, chaffinch, black-headed gull, starling and pheasant. Arrived at Snape at about 11:30 and set off round the reserve. Here, had mallard, shelduck, cormorant, ~160 avocets (we were amazed at the sheer number!), lapwing, bullfinch, blackbird, robin, wren, barn owl, mute swan, pied wagtail. Not a bad little reserve, but no absolute stunners (although the avocets were quite brilliant and the barn owl is always a treat, especially at such close range - it also called once).
Then it was off to Dunwich a bit later than planned to have a quick walk along the beach to see if we could find what we had heard rumours of... Soon after hitting the beach, we caught sight of a stoat/weasel (more likely weasel as it was brown and I know stoats sometimes turn white in winter, otherwise no idea) which was a refreshing creature! Through some nasty rain across the hard-to-walk-on-shingle, we were getting a bit fed up by this point... but glimpsed some small flitting birds along the shingle ahead of us. A bit of patience led us to identify it as a very confiding (within 25 feet) snow bunting, probably a female. There were some teal, a little egret, and a grey heron across the marshes as we pressed on. Suddenly I saw my first short-eared owl flying back and forth across the marsh hunting - haunting and beautiful, very exciting for me! Shortly after beautiful views of a male kestrel, and a small flock of brent geese, we were about to leave... suddenly we found what we were looking for: a small group of 9+ shore larks! Another life-tick right there, and at least 9 of them about 40 feet away, easily viewable through the scope even in the dying light. Star bird of the trip! During this, there was a flock of what must have been up to 10,000 starlings flocking together to roost against an absolutely beautiful red sunset, definite icing on the cake.
07/11/10
Awoke nice and early, saw woodpigeons, magpie, blackbird, jays, dad counted a flock of 60+ cormorants which was an amazing count, and some starlings, with a pheasant, robin, and a moorhen on the journey to Minsmere! Upon arriving (in the pouring rain, which promptly cleared up for pretty much the rest of the day) we had blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, coal tits, greenfinches, robin and dunnock on the bird feeders where we were hoping for the previously-seen brambling, but no luck. Headed down to the large bodies of water and from the first hide, had teal, mallard, wigeon, shoveler, shelduck, avocet, bewick's swans, black-headed gulls, lesser black-backed gull, great black-backed gulls, lapwing, gadwall, a female hen harrier, a female marsh harrier, and then we left the hide. As we left, a small bird landed just on a post next to it, close to us - before it flew off, we saw it was a black redstart, completely unexpected and a new tick for me! We ran back into the hide to see if it had gone round in front, but couldn't find it again. Lucky we went inside as someone had spotted a grey phalarope which we watched in disbelief for a while - two ticks in 5 minutes! On from there, we headed round, with a wren, and through the reedbed walk for a brief bearded tit sighting. Onwards, we had little egret, pied wagtail, herring gull, snipe, and then came across goldcrests quite regularly, from about 10 feet away in gorse bushes - beautiful sights and almost bizarre to see a stone's throw from the sea. The next hide revealed a canada goose and a flock of (and a lone) dunlin. The north bushes further round the track revealed the first redwing of my winter, and a green woodpecker. Soon, we came across a flock of ~50 siskin, mixed with a few goldfinches. Back up to the visitor's centre and the canopy hide up in the... well... canopy of the trees. After a short vertigo attack, we saw a beautiful treecreeper (had seen one by the feeders at the visitors' centre just previously too), rook, crow, and a small flock of long-tailed tits! Then as we left, it began raining again - perfect!
Then home. So we saw 60 species overall this trip, which is great for just two days. A whole 6 of these were entirely new life ticks for me, and such quality ones too! Till next time...
06/11/10
On the journey to Snape Maltings, we saw kestrel, rook, crow, jackdaw, woodpigeon, jay, blue tit, chaffinch, black-headed gull, starling and pheasant. Arrived at Snape at about 11:30 and set off round the reserve. Here, had mallard, shelduck, cormorant, ~160 avocets (we were amazed at the sheer number!), lapwing, bullfinch, blackbird, robin, wren, barn owl, mute swan, pied wagtail. Not a bad little reserve, but no absolute stunners (although the avocets were quite brilliant and the barn owl is always a treat, especially at such close range - it also called once).
Then it was off to Dunwich a bit later than planned to have a quick walk along the beach to see if we could find what we had heard rumours of... Soon after hitting the beach, we caught sight of a stoat/weasel (more likely weasel as it was brown and I know stoats sometimes turn white in winter, otherwise no idea) which was a refreshing creature! Through some nasty rain across the hard-to-walk-on-shingle, we were getting a bit fed up by this point... but glimpsed some small flitting birds along the shingle ahead of us. A bit of patience led us to identify it as a very confiding (within 25 feet) snow bunting, probably a female. There were some teal, a little egret, and a grey heron across the marshes as we pressed on. Suddenly I saw my first short-eared owl flying back and forth across the marsh hunting - haunting and beautiful, very exciting for me! Shortly after beautiful views of a male kestrel, and a small flock of brent geese, we were about to leave... suddenly we found what we were looking for: a small group of 9+ shore larks! Another life-tick right there, and at least 9 of them about 40 feet away, easily viewable through the scope even in the dying light. Star bird of the trip! During this, there was a flock of what must have been up to 10,000 starlings flocking together to roost against an absolutely beautiful red sunset, definite icing on the cake.
07/11/10
Awoke nice and early, saw woodpigeons, magpie, blackbird, jays, dad counted a flock of 60+ cormorants which was an amazing count, and some starlings, with a pheasant, robin, and a moorhen on the journey to Minsmere! Upon arriving (in the pouring rain, which promptly cleared up for pretty much the rest of the day) we had blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, coal tits, greenfinches, robin and dunnock on the bird feeders where we were hoping for the previously-seen brambling, but no luck. Headed down to the large bodies of water and from the first hide, had teal, mallard, wigeon, shoveler, shelduck, avocet, bewick's swans, black-headed gulls, lesser black-backed gull, great black-backed gulls, lapwing, gadwall, a female hen harrier, a female marsh harrier, and then we left the hide. As we left, a small bird landed just on a post next to it, close to us - before it flew off, we saw it was a black redstart, completely unexpected and a new tick for me! We ran back into the hide to see if it had gone round in front, but couldn't find it again. Lucky we went inside as someone had spotted a grey phalarope which we watched in disbelief for a while - two ticks in 5 minutes! On from there, we headed round, with a wren, and through the reedbed walk for a brief bearded tit sighting. Onwards, we had little egret, pied wagtail, herring gull, snipe, and then came across goldcrests quite regularly, from about 10 feet away in gorse bushes - beautiful sights and almost bizarre to see a stone's throw from the sea. The next hide revealed a canada goose and a flock of (and a lone) dunlin. The north bushes further round the track revealed the first redwing of my winter, and a green woodpecker. Soon, we came across a flock of ~50 siskin, mixed with a few goldfinches. Back up to the visitor's centre and the canopy hide up in the... well... canopy of the trees. After a short vertigo attack, we saw a beautiful treecreeper (had seen one by the feeders at the visitors' centre just previously too), rook, crow, and a small flock of long-tailed tits! Then as we left, it began raining again - perfect!
Then home. So we saw 60 species overall this trip, which is great for just two days. A whole 6 of these were entirely new life ticks for me, and such quality ones too! Till next time...
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Return of the Steve 2: Return of the Steve
Ok, not the most imaginative post title, but I thought I'd try out this blogging lark (pun intended) for my birding antics again. I'll be heading to Suffolk very soon, this weekend in fact, and look forward to summarising briefly on my return!
Have a look about.
Have a look about.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
More Woodpecker action and the usual suspects
The great spotted woodpecker was showing off a lot more today - my colleagues were even interested and watching him for a while through the window!
Dad and I went for a walk out along the back after dinner in the evening, yielding a probable mistle thrush along with blackcaps, a very nice close encounter with a chiffchaff, and a sedge warbler.
Dad and I went for a walk out along the back after dinner in the evening, yielding a probable mistle thrush along with blackcaps, a very nice close encounter with a chiffchaff, and a sedge warbler.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Nesting Woodpecker
After a not-so-nice weekend (I was house-ridden with a stomach bug), going back to work wasn't much of a reward yesterday or today. However, one thing that made it better was the presence of a male great spotted woodpecker going in and out of the underneath of a branch on an old tree just outside work. He was hammering away all day yesterday so I reckon we're looking at a [potential] nest site! That's the same tree that a pair of great tits are nesting in, further down.
Today I heard a blackcap singing loudly for a lot of the afternoon in the trees on the opposite side of the road from work, and a song thrush singing on the way home.
Today I heard a blackcap singing loudly for a lot of the afternoon in the trees on the opposite side of the road from work, and a song thrush singing on the way home.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Whitethroat!
Not a warm day, but I walked from work in Stocklake along the canal nearly as far as bridge 15.
A blackcap was heard singing just outside work, with a chiffchaff not much later. A red kite passed over in the distance as I neared the area out the back of my house, where I finally saw one male blackcap singing loudly.
There were several starlings in striking plumage along the raised bank that runs parallel to the canal. Then I heard a familiar metallic warbling noise, followed it, and was rewarded with a lovely male whitethroat who popped out and sang for me on the top of a bush just next to bridge 16! It's the first bird I've seen so close to the house (and of course only the second trip I've ever had when I've seen one), so a great one to watch before it flew away. Though I heard it singing slightly out of sight across the canal for a while afterwards.
Whilst standing on bridge 16 I spotted a silent sedge warbler hopping through the trees just near the bridge, and a pied wagtail landed on the bridge brickwork mere feet away, then proceeded to stand there wagging and staring at me quite contentedly for about a minute. There were also many dunnocks, including one which sang in sight, so that's good news as I hadn't seen or heard (m)any for quite a while. A common tern also flew along the canal towards the end of my time there.
It turns out my own myth about blackbirds singing later on in the day is not true. It just seems that they sing more prolifically in the late afternoon and evening - a beautiful sound!
A blackcap was heard singing just outside work, with a chiffchaff not much later. A red kite passed over in the distance as I neared the area out the back of my house, where I finally saw one male blackcap singing loudly.
There were several starlings in striking plumage along the raised bank that runs parallel to the canal. Then I heard a familiar metallic warbling noise, followed it, and was rewarded with a lovely male whitethroat who popped out and sang for me on the top of a bush just next to bridge 16! It's the first bird I've seen so close to the house (and of course only the second trip I've ever had when I've seen one), so a great one to watch before it flew away. Though I heard it singing slightly out of sight across the canal for a while afterwards.
Whilst standing on bridge 16 I spotted a silent sedge warbler hopping through the trees just near the bridge, and a pied wagtail landed on the bridge brickwork mere feet away, then proceeded to stand there wagging and staring at me quite contentedly for about a minute. There were also many dunnocks, including one which sang in sight, so that's good news as I hadn't seen or heard (m)any for quite a while. A common tern also flew along the canal towards the end of my time there.
It turns out my own myth about blackbirds singing later on in the day is not true. It just seems that they sing more prolifically in the late afternoon and evening - a beautiful sound!
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Blackcaps and Sedge Warblers
Walked along between bridges 15 and 14 again today around 14:00.
Plenty to see and hear today, with a chiffchaff seen briefly, a greenfinch heard incessantly, many blackbirds singing throughout the walk (normally they sing later in the day in my experience), and the other usual suspects.
A pair of blackcaps, one male, one female, were half way between the bridges and gave some excellent views, with the male singing throughout - truly lovely birds. A couple of times later, further over the other side of the canal, I heard a reed bunting calling, but couldn't see him. There were at least 4 sedge warblers singing and hopping about around bridge 14, one giving great views whilst singing too, very noisily!
A common tern was doing the usual routine: over the trout pools, down and back up the canal, and repeat. There were a good number of swallows (about 6 to 8), a pair of mallards that sadly only had one duckling with them further down the canal, and the field further down the canal contained probably around 20 Canada geese, with a large number of goslings there with them!
Finally, I spotted a great crested grebe sitting on a nest just next to the island in the middle of the eastern trout pool.
Plenty to see and hear today, with a chiffchaff seen briefly, a greenfinch heard incessantly, many blackbirds singing throughout the walk (normally they sing later in the day in my experience), and the other usual suspects.
A pair of blackcaps, one male, one female, were half way between the bridges and gave some excellent views, with the male singing throughout - truly lovely birds. A couple of times later, further over the other side of the canal, I heard a reed bunting calling, but couldn't see him. There were at least 4 sedge warblers singing and hopping about around bridge 14, one giving great views whilst singing too, very noisily!
A common tern was doing the usual routine: over the trout pools, down and back up the canal, and repeat. There were a good number of swallows (about 6 to 8), a pair of mallards that sadly only had one duckling with them further down the canal, and the field further down the canal contained probably around 20 Canada geese, with a large number of goslings there with them!
Finally, I spotted a great crested grebe sitting on a nest just next to the island in the middle of the eastern trout pool.
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Two Hemel Hempstead Treats
Spent the weekend at Linda's in Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead. During the couple of times I had to look outside in the garden (her mum is very keen on spotting birds in the garden) I saw quite a few different things.
On the Saturday, I saw a great tit continually entering and exiting a hole in a small tree in the garden one over - there has to be a nest, or at least, nest-building activity going on there! The treat of Saturday was the goldcrest who made an appearance at the bottom of the garden, for long enough so that I could identify it clearly and that we could all have a look - I've seen the goldcrest there before, but before the harsh winter. Good to see they're still about, as that's my first of the year!
Today in the mid-afternoon, we went into the back garden to play with the cat. I watched for birds for a while, and after about 15 minutes two wagtails flew singing (almost looked like a display flight) across and landed on the roof. I shot back in to get the binoculars and, of course, they had flown off. I just caught a glimpse of them and they were gone. A few seconds later they flew back across again and I saw enough of them to identify them as grey wagtails! Another first for the year and a great bird to see, especially from the back garden.
Hopefully the weather will pick up so I can have some nice canal walks this week...
On the Saturday, I saw a great tit continually entering and exiting a hole in a small tree in the garden one over - there has to be a nest, or at least, nest-building activity going on there! The treat of Saturday was the goldcrest who made an appearance at the bottom of the garden, for long enough so that I could identify it clearly and that we could all have a look - I've seen the goldcrest there before, but before the harsh winter. Good to see they're still about, as that's my first of the year!
Today in the mid-afternoon, we went into the back garden to play with the cat. I watched for birds for a while, and after about 15 minutes two wagtails flew singing (almost looked like a display flight) across and landed on the roof. I shot back in to get the binoculars and, of course, they had flown off. I just caught a glimpse of them and they were gone. A few seconds later they flew back across again and I saw enough of them to identify them as grey wagtails! Another first for the year and a great bird to see, especially from the back garden.
Hopefully the weather will pick up so I can have some nice canal walks this week...
Thursday, 6 May 2010
03/05/10 - Bank Holiday Birding
Starting at the bright early time of 6:00 am, Dad and I headed out to three local areas for a nice big 10-hour birdwatch!
--Wilstone Reservoir - 06:00 to 09:30--
In the car on the way to the reservoir we saw starling, woodpigeon, 2 kestrels, blackbird, carrion crow and magpie.
At Wilstone there were great numbers of swallows, house martins and swifts flying around overhead. On the water there were mallards, tufted ducks, mute swans, great crested grebes, coots, Canada geese, many common terns, greylag geese, cormorants (nesting in large numbers in the trees), grey herons, lapwings, pochard, and shoveler.
As we walked round clockwise, we encountered blue tits, great tits, pied wagtail, song thrush (the song was unfamiliar to me and confused us for quite a while before we saw the bird!), chaffinches, many chiffchaffs, countless wrens both seen and heard, robins, a pheasant, long-tailed tits, and reed warblers singing in the reeds just before the woodland (I saw one briefly during the time we spent listening to them). An oystercatcher was alone on the bank near here too.
Further round along the hedge tunnel just before the dry canal, we caught sight of a small bird and heard a very distinctive song - patient following of the bird proved fruitful as we got some brief but good views of it - it was a male whitethroat! The first of that species I've ever seen! After the dry canal along the hedgerows, we encountered another 3 or 4 of the smashing birds, singing away and affording exceptional views - a great treat! A muntjac deer strolled casually across the dry canal footpath!
A single first-summer hobby flew over the hide and perched nicely in a tree behind it. Whilst we watched it, a red kite soared majestically across our field of view and wheeled away.
Finishing the walk back to the car park yielded collared doves and a superb male blackcap, singing away in a brilliant position.
--College Lake - 09:30-14:00--
House sparrows were just outside the Startops Reservoir Car park, as we drove to College Lake. The new visitor centre was superb, and admission was free!
From the Window in the Woods hide, a male blackcap was heard, and a female great spotted woodpecker turned up to feed on the nuts. Upon walking down to the newly built (and excellent) hide on the central spit, we viewed moorhens, black-headed gulls, a gadwall, and 2 redshank popped in for a while. The real excitements were the fledgling lapwing chicks and pair of little ringed plovers which were feeding and guarding their nest. Another pair were visible on a further island!
Walking up and round to the Tump hide provided us with a green woodpecker, 2 stock doves, and skylarks, along with nice views of rabbits and a hare.
Another bird of prey flew briefly across us with some prey in its talons - unfortunately we couldn't identify it properly, but I reckon it was another hobby.
--Incombe Hole - 14:30-16:00--
With the prospect of ring ouzels in mind, we headed swiftly onto Incombe Hole by Ivinghoe Beacon. Unfortunately we saw none of them, but amidst short showers, we did see a yellowhammer and 2 glorius male wheatear that gave excellent views.
After walking down into the valley part to walk back up, we added the much missed goldfinch to the list, and amongst further blackcaps and chiffchaffs, we spotted a jay in the distance, and identified one or two willow warblers singing away and showing quite well. There were further whitethroats around, singing and showing!
Back on the way to the car, a herd of about 8 deer were skulking around in the wooded area, and Dad and I finished the day on a superb pair (male and female together) of blackcaps feeding.
Overall, a superb day, yielding 54 definite species seen. Some may have been overlooked or not decisively identified, but a fantastic day with lots of bird life and 1 new species for myself!
--Wilstone Reservoir - 06:00 to 09:30--
In the car on the way to the reservoir we saw starling, woodpigeon, 2 kestrels, blackbird, carrion crow and magpie.
At Wilstone there were great numbers of swallows, house martins and swifts flying around overhead. On the water there were mallards, tufted ducks, mute swans, great crested grebes, coots, Canada geese, many common terns, greylag geese, cormorants (nesting in large numbers in the trees), grey herons, lapwings, pochard, and shoveler.
As we walked round clockwise, we encountered blue tits, great tits, pied wagtail, song thrush (the song was unfamiliar to me and confused us for quite a while before we saw the bird!), chaffinches, many chiffchaffs, countless wrens both seen and heard, robins, a pheasant, long-tailed tits, and reed warblers singing in the reeds just before the woodland (I saw one briefly during the time we spent listening to them). An oystercatcher was alone on the bank near here too.
Further round along the hedge tunnel just before the dry canal, we caught sight of a small bird and heard a very distinctive song - patient following of the bird proved fruitful as we got some brief but good views of it - it was a male whitethroat! The first of that species I've ever seen! After the dry canal along the hedgerows, we encountered another 3 or 4 of the smashing birds, singing away and affording exceptional views - a great treat! A muntjac deer strolled casually across the dry canal footpath!
A single first-summer hobby flew over the hide and perched nicely in a tree behind it. Whilst we watched it, a red kite soared majestically across our field of view and wheeled away.
Finishing the walk back to the car park yielded collared doves and a superb male blackcap, singing away in a brilliant position.
--College Lake - 09:30-14:00--
House sparrows were just outside the Startops Reservoir Car park, as we drove to College Lake. The new visitor centre was superb, and admission was free!
From the Window in the Woods hide, a male blackcap was heard, and a female great spotted woodpecker turned up to feed on the nuts. Upon walking down to the newly built (and excellent) hide on the central spit, we viewed moorhens, black-headed gulls, a gadwall, and 2 redshank popped in for a while. The real excitements were the fledgling lapwing chicks and pair of little ringed plovers which were feeding and guarding their nest. Another pair were visible on a further island!
Walking up and round to the Tump hide provided us with a green woodpecker, 2 stock doves, and skylarks, along with nice views of rabbits and a hare.
Another bird of prey flew briefly across us with some prey in its talons - unfortunately we couldn't identify it properly, but I reckon it was another hobby.
--Incombe Hole - 14:30-16:00--
With the prospect of ring ouzels in mind, we headed swiftly onto Incombe Hole by Ivinghoe Beacon. Unfortunately we saw none of them, but amidst short showers, we did see a yellowhammer and 2 glorius male wheatear that gave excellent views.
After walking down into the valley part to walk back up, we added the much missed goldfinch to the list, and amongst further blackcaps and chiffchaffs, we spotted a jay in the distance, and identified one or two willow warblers singing away and showing quite well. There were further whitethroats around, singing and showing!
Back on the way to the car, a herd of about 8 deer were skulking around in the wooded area, and Dad and I finished the day on a superb pair (male and female together) of blackcaps feeding.
Overall, a superb day, yielding 54 definite species seen. Some may have been overlooked or not decisively identified, but a fantastic day with lots of bird life and 1 new species for myself!
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
28/04/10 - More Sedge Warblers, first Common Terns, and a mystery
Today at 1:30pm I drove to bridge 15 to see what I could find between it and bridge 14. A windy but warm day produced a good number of birds, still many singing.
Walking out towards bridge 14, I encountered very little until the bridge itself, when I heard a sedge warbler in the hedge just behind me, emerging from time to time in order to sing enthusiastically for my benefit! Another one could be heard calling just beyond the bridge. A chiffchaff was singing with vigour as well for most of the time I was on the bridge - I caught sight of it for a while but lost it as I approached.
On the trout pools and in the fields were a great crested grebe and 14 Canada geese, amongst the usual suspects.
Walking slowly back towards bridge 15 and the car, I heard what I thought initially may have been a blackcap singing up ahead in the hedgerow... however as I approached, my first sight of it was of the bird flying away into a hedgerow further from the canal. I followed it with the binoculars and didn't get the best look at it. The song was different from a blackcap, and it kept singing, darting in and out of cover, constantly moving further and further away (unfortunately the grass cutters were moving along the canal just behind me while I was trying to spot this one bird - what are the chances?!) It had brown upperparts with a greyish head, a pale underneath and throat, and a fluty song similar to the blackcap but a bit less musical with a significant rising note at the end. My best guess is that is could have been a whitethroat or lesser whitethroat but I can't count it as identification was not conclusive. Live and learn, eh?
I waited for the mystery bird to come back, and in the meantime saw a male bullfinch, long-tailed tit, a male reed bunting briefly, and, more luck, my first 3 common terns of the year flew from along the canal overhead, made a hell of a noise, flew around for a bit, and continued down the canal.
A lovely day with some good spots, and a little frustration over the mystery bird! I hope to see it again without distraction later on in the year and make a final identification.
Walking out towards bridge 14, I encountered very little until the bridge itself, when I heard a sedge warbler in the hedge just behind me, emerging from time to time in order to sing enthusiastically for my benefit! Another one could be heard calling just beyond the bridge. A chiffchaff was singing with vigour as well for most of the time I was on the bridge - I caught sight of it for a while but lost it as I approached.
On the trout pools and in the fields were a great crested grebe and 14 Canada geese, amongst the usual suspects.
Walking slowly back towards bridge 15 and the car, I heard what I thought initially may have been a blackcap singing up ahead in the hedgerow... however as I approached, my first sight of it was of the bird flying away into a hedgerow further from the canal. I followed it with the binoculars and didn't get the best look at it. The song was different from a blackcap, and it kept singing, darting in and out of cover, constantly moving further and further away (unfortunately the grass cutters were moving along the canal just behind me while I was trying to spot this one bird - what are the chances?!) It had brown upperparts with a greyish head, a pale underneath and throat, and a fluty song similar to the blackcap but a bit less musical with a significant rising note at the end. My best guess is that is could have been a whitethroat or lesser whitethroat but I can't count it as identification was not conclusive. Live and learn, eh?
I waited for the mystery bird to come back, and in the meantime saw a male bullfinch, long-tailed tit, a male reed bunting briefly, and, more luck, my first 3 common terns of the year flew from along the canal overhead, made a hell of a noise, flew around for a bit, and continued down the canal.
A lovely day with some good spots, and a little frustration over the mystery bird! I hope to see it again without distraction later on in the year and make a final identification.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
27/04/10 - Blackcap encounter, and first Sedge Warbler
After two days of drizzle and grey, today was a lot nicer and warmer, prompting me to go for a nice walk around 1pm.
An unidentified wagtail flew over at the Oakfield Road bridge to begin the walk. There were a lot of singing and calling birds of many different types, including a beautiful displaying wren, followed soon after by a male blackcap that flew into a tree just behind me, obliged me with a short song, and promptly flew off again. I thought I'd heard a blackcap singing earlier on and was pleased to see that I might not have been totally wrong! There were 6+ chiffchaffs calling throughout the walk.
The sparrow bush was alive with sound and activity, holding (of course) house sparrows, a starling, superb in the sun, a single long-tailed tit, and briefly a male bullfinch.
A grey heron flew low across the field on the far side of the canal, majestically! Further along on the rise, there was a bush holding avery frantic and angry blue tit calling away any time anyone got near sedge warbler singing (it dawned on me after writing about the blue tit that the noise I heard was a singing sedge warbler - sounds kind of like an angry blue tit!). 8+ dunnocks were making use of the cover further along the canal past bridge 16.
The highlight of the trip, even more exciting than the blackcap encounter, was a sedge warbler in the trees and shrubs on the Aylesbury-side of bridge 16. It was strange seeing the bird in a tree rather than the reeds, but it was undoubtedly a sedge warbler. The brief call it gave was the main reason I was drawn to that shrub in the first place!
A fantastic hour spent birdwatching today - two first-birds-of-the-year for me, being the blackcap and sedge warbler. Here's hoping this luck continues!
An unidentified wagtail flew over at the Oakfield Road bridge to begin the walk. There were a lot of singing and calling birds of many different types, including a beautiful displaying wren, followed soon after by a male blackcap that flew into a tree just behind me, obliged me with a short song, and promptly flew off again. I thought I'd heard a blackcap singing earlier on and was pleased to see that I might not have been totally wrong! There were 6+ chiffchaffs calling throughout the walk.
The sparrow bush was alive with sound and activity, holding (of course) house sparrows, a starling, superb in the sun, a single long-tailed tit, and briefly a male bullfinch.
A grey heron flew low across the field on the far side of the canal, majestically! Further along on the rise, there was a bush holding a
The highlight of the trip, even more exciting than the blackcap encounter, was a sedge warbler in the trees and shrubs on the Aylesbury-side of bridge 16. It was strange seeing the bird in a tree rather than the reeds, but it was undoubtedly a sedge warbler. The brief call it gave was the main reason I was drawn to that shrub in the first place!
A fantastic hour spent birdwatching today - two first-birds-of-the-year for me, being the blackcap and sedge warbler. Here's hoping this luck continues!
Thursday, 22 April 2010
22/04/10 - Bullfinch pair
A short 1:30pm walk only up to bridge 16 along the Grand Union Canal proved quite fruitful.
Of note were 2 distant buzzards wheeling over the pylons, and a chiffchaff singing away just by the Oakfield Road. In the hedge leading north from bridge 16 was a calling greenfinch and at least 4 blackbirds (all male).
On the canal itself were 4 Canada geese, 8+ mallards and a single, very tame mute swan, along with 2 coots and 2 moorhens and a grey heron.
The best treat of the walk, after watching a pair of great tits in the near bushes along the canal, was a pair of bullfinches that landed just ahead of me, then flew off and circled back to hide further along the hedgerow.
Of note were 2 distant buzzards wheeling over the pylons, and a chiffchaff singing away just by the Oakfield Road. In the hedge leading north from bridge 16 was a calling greenfinch and at least 4 blackbirds (all male).
On the canal itself were 4 Canada geese, 8+ mallards and a single, very tame mute swan, along with 2 coots and 2 moorhens and a grey heron.
The best treat of the walk, after watching a pair of great tits in the near bushes along the canal, was a pair of bullfinches that landed just ahead of me, then flew off and circled back to hide further along the hedgerow.
22/04/10 - Woodpeckers drinking!
This morning in the garden around 8am, I saw a female great spotted woodpecker fly in and begin drinking from the bird bath. She then flew onto the birdtable, fed for a few minutes, and flew off again.
Shortly after, a slightly larger male great spotted woodpecker flew to the bird bath and had a drink (alongside a house sparrow).
There were also a few goldfinches singing and flitting around next door.
I love it when birds come in to drink - it's not a particularly common occurrence in our garden, especially for two higher-profile birds such as the above!
Shortly after, a slightly larger male great spotted woodpecker flew to the bird bath and had a drink (alongside a house sparrow).
There were also a few goldfinches singing and flitting around next door.
I love it when birds come in to drink - it's not a particularly common occurrence in our garden, especially for two higher-profile birds such as the above!
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
21/04/10 - Chiffchaff and Ducklings
Went for a short walk along the Aylesbury section of the Grand Union Canal around 2:30pm today as a kind of test drive to see how far along I could get in a short amount of time in part of my lunch break. Turns out I was rushing far too much and didn't need to worry.
There were quite a number of birds dotted around, but I didn't have the binoculars so went on what I could see and a lot of what I could hear.
The highlight for me was seeing quite close up in the trees just at the end of Northfield Court, a singing chiffchaff. There were many others but all distant calls, rather than this lovely view.
Several chaffinches were singing, one blue tit was performing very loudly, and a pair of great tits worked their way through the bushes along the canal.
There were around 5 moorhens, one of them on a nest, a coot, and a grey heron all on the canal itself.
I scared off a wren into the undergrowth just behind my house, and back near the chiffchaff spot, I watched (and listened to) several house sparrows in the bush just across the brook.
On the small stream just by the Askeys factory on Stocklake Road on my way back to work, there was a female mallard with 6 babies - the first baby birds I've seen so far this year (haven't really been looking recently though...)
Other birds included woodpigeons, carrion crows, rooks and magpies in varying numbers.
No sign of any sedge warblers which I'm looking forward to! Perhaps another time!
There were quite a number of birds dotted around, but I didn't have the binoculars so went on what I could see and a lot of what I could hear.
The highlight for me was seeing quite close up in the trees just at the end of Northfield Court, a singing chiffchaff. There were many others but all distant calls, rather than this lovely view.
Several chaffinches were singing, one blue tit was performing very loudly, and a pair of great tits worked their way through the bushes along the canal.
There were around 5 moorhens, one of them on a nest, a coot, and a grey heron all on the canal itself.
I scared off a wren into the undergrowth just behind my house, and back near the chiffchaff spot, I watched (and listened to) several house sparrows in the bush just across the brook.
On the small stream just by the Askeys factory on Stocklake Road on my way back to work, there was a female mallard with 6 babies - the first baby birds I've seen so far this year (haven't really been looking recently though...)
Other birds included woodpigeons, carrion crows, rooks and magpies in varying numbers.
No sign of any sedge warblers which I'm looking forward to! Perhaps another time!
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