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.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
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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