Blackstone Edge Reservoir & Whiteholme Reservoir

  Once again the ample shoreline at Blackstone Edge provided a wader bonanza this morning. Whilst I was away at a wedding for Friday afternoon and Saturday, the number of Sanderling reported reached 12, but this morning it had increased again to an incredible 15! Very impressive for an inland site. At times they were quite approachable, and a steady stream of birders came and went throughout the morning, enjoying this incredible inland spectacle. Was nice to see both AC and DF up there as well.

   Whilst there I also ventured on to Whiteholme Reservoir but found it almost void of birdlife. Who can blame the migrant waders when Blackstone Edge has so much shoreline to offer, and Whiteholme has comparatively little. 

-Sanderlings

Blackstone Edge Reservoir & Whiteholme Reservoir

   The Sanderlings that had been present had moved on by yesterday morning, but there continues to be some excellent wader action on the exposed shoreline, especially at Blackstone Edge. Yesterday there were seven Ringed Plover, but this had increased to 13 this morning. Dunlin numbers remained steadier, with six on both mornings. Yesterday also had an Oystercatcher, which had moved on by this morning. 

  Whiteholme, by contrast, has struggled for waders, although it is not a surprise given the more limited shoreline. A single Dunlin and a single Ringed Plover have been present on both days, otherwise just the usual species present.

  

  I tried to turn one of the Dunlins on Blackstone Edge into the arctica subspecies as opposed to the local common schinzii. The overall colouration was paler than the other birds, with a distinct short bill, but the complete black belly eventually made me leave it unclaimed. The suspect Dunlin is the individual photographed at the bottom here. Paying attention to Dunlin subspecies is something I need to try and do more often, given that there are three potential candidates, and it is extremely rare for me to find myself overwhelmed by birds when checking these sites! 

-Ringed Plover

-Dunlin

 

Blackstone Edge Reservoir & Whiteholme Reservoir

  I was hopeful that the change in the weather conditions might bring in some migrant waders. The previous day I had visited both Blackstone Edge and Whiteholme reservoirs, and while there were a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover, there was nothing different. But with overnight rain I was optimistic that there might have been something different drop in.

  Blackstone Edge was my first port of call and from the road I could already see that the reservoir looked quite lively with wading birds. A scan produced 6 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Curlew and the best of the bunch, two Sanderling. 

-Sanderlings

  Buoyed by this, I continued on to Whiteholme Reservoir which was conspicuously quieter. There were no Dunlin at all here, probably due to the more limited shoreline. Most birds are probably preferring the other reservoirs. Still, upon reaching the northernmost corner of the reservoir I was pleased to find another three Sanderlings feeding on the mud. These were quite confiding at times.

  On my departure from Whiteholme the two Blackstone Edge Sanderlings were still present, leading me to confidently state that there was no overlap between the birds on the two reservoirs. 

-Sanderlings

  I also managed a patch tick at Whiteholme with this rather lost Grey Squirrel. I can't imagine what must have gone wrong in the animals brain to make it think that coming this far onto the moors was a good idea!

-Grey Squirrel

Spurn Bird Observatory

   With a few days to spare back in the UK I decided to head over the Spurn point to see some friends and also maybe see some birds. Unfortunately, as seems to be the new normal in spring, there were not many migrants to speak of and despite walking around the Triangle a few times I failed to turn up anything different. 

  However, whilst I was there a Kentish Plover was found on Kilnsea Wetlands. This was a rather dapper male bird and a nice contrast to the autumn bird I saw here a few years ago. Although it was mobile between Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds, it did occasionally show well in front of the wetlands hide.

  In addition I also paid a visit to Hodgsons Field which had much more breeding activity, with good numbers of different singing warblers. Although all common species, it was still an excellent place to spend a few hours birding in the morning. 

-Kentish Plover

-Hairy Dragonfly

Birding Essex, Suffolk & Norfolk with DDL

   On my most recent return trip from Paris I spent the afternoon and following morning birding with DDL around London and East Anglia. There were a few interesting species on offer for us to look for, and the weather was not too unpleasant so we had a very enjoyable session visiting a few sites.

  We started near the village of St Osyth in Essex, where there had been a group of four Dotterel in a field between the village and Colne Point. They did not take us too long to track down, as they are quite conspicuous in the open habitat. Still they were distant and we had some issues with heat haze in the late morning. Fortunately in the hour we spent there the birds decided to walk closer towards us and in the end we had truly excellent views. We decided that there were two males and to females, although the bird news services instead reported only one female. This is only the third time I have seen this very attractive species and the first time I have seen multiple individuals.

  Next we decided to continue up the East Anglia coast to Suffolk, where at least one Purple Heron had been utilising one of the reedbeds at North Warren RSPB. It took us a while to work out exactly where we needed to watch from, but we eventually worked it out. As we arrived a photographer/birder was present, who said that he had been present since 06:00 and had not seen the bird until 12:30. Given how elusive Purple Herons are known to be, I suspected that we might be in for a long afternoon. Fortunately that was not the case, as the bird came out of the reeds and looped around after less than hour and in the mean time we were entertained by six Hobbys. Sadly the heron did not stay airborne for long, dropping back in after only around 15 seconds. Still, Purple Heron is a British tick for me!

  Whilst we were waiting for the heron, news broke of the nomadic Booted Eagle being seen an hour away on the Norfolk/Suffolk border in an area we planned to visit anyway due to good numbers of Red-footed Falcons in the area. We headed up but despite spending the rest of the day there we had no joy tracking down the eagle, which had probably moved on by the time we reached the site anyway. Because we spent most of our time chasing dubious eagle sightings, we did not track down any Red-footed Falcons.

  The following morning we birded an area of Ancient Woodland on the outskirts of London. While there was nothing rare of the calibre of the previous day, we enjoyed some nice Garden Warblers and a family party of Treecreepers that were energetically feeding all around us. After this I headed back into central London on my way back north to Yorkshire. 

-Eurasian Dotterel

-Purple Heron

-Garden Warbler

Species List:
St Osyth: Common Shelduck, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Eurasian Dotterel, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Whimbrel, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, European Green Woodpecker, Eurasian Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Western Yellow Wagtail, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,
RSPB North Warren: Greylag Goose, Mallard, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Eurasian Coot, Northern Lapwing, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Egret, Purple Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, Eurasian Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch,
Burgh St Peter: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Common Pheasant, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Common Redshank, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Jay, Western Jackdaw, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sand Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Eurasian Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch,
Cely Woods: Common Pheasant, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Eurasian Coot, European Herring Gull, Great Cormorant, Great Spotted Woodpecker, European Green Woodpecker, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Common Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Eurasian Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, 

Soil Hill

    A chilly and blustery morning on Soil Hill produced my fourth Ring Ouzel of the spring, with a smart female feeding in the horse paddocks behind the White Cottage on Perseverance Road. I had only just spotted it when it was flushed by a Crow and I had to nervously wait to see if it would reappear. Fortunately, it then sat up in the near hedgerow, showing well and calling before dropping back behind.

  At least eight Willow Warblers this morning, but no sign of the Whitethroat that has been present the last two days, although one was singing in Bradshaw this morning. An unexpected bonus was a late spring Common Gull that flew south over the North Slope, conveniently filling in an uncomfortable gap in my eBird bar charts. Other migrants were limited to a single Wheatear in the fields on Taylor Lane. 

-Ring Ouzel

-Common Gull

Soil Hill

    With sightings of Ring Ouzel across the Calderdale area this week, I was hopeful that Soil Hill might get to join the party at some point. And so it transpired today, with three individuals seen on the Hill.

  As I was walking up Taylor Lane early morning, my scans of the fields picked up two bright white gorgets glowing in the sunrise, from two male Ring Ouzels feeding together in one of the frosted fields. I could not find them again on my walk back, but could easily still be present in one of the other fields which are more difficult to view from the road.

  I completed my circuit and was walking back up the north slope when I heard the tacking call of another Ring Ouzel, and was delighted to spot a female perched up in the North Slope Tree-Line. Having already checked this area, the bird had presumably just dropped in. She was quite mobile, moving around the various bushes at the bottom of the North Slope.

  In addition, there was a Fieldfare on Ned Hill Track, a Jack Snipe was flushed from a wet area on the summit, and at least nine Willow Warblers were present today.

-Male Ring Ouzels

-Female Ring Ouzel

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, Ring Ouzel, European Robin, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,

Undisclosed location

  Had a morning away from Soil Hill to check some of the other sites around Calderdale. I took some time to visit one of the Twite feeding stations high up on the moors. Given the catastrophic decline of this species on the Pennines it is always good to make sure to see them while I still can. Upon arrival I could only see Linnets enjoying the Nyjer seed, with up to 12 gorging themselves, but after a 20-minute wait three Twite dropped in and began to tuck in. I spent a short while watching them, and listening to their jangling calls, before I left them to it.

-Twite

Species List:
Undisclosed Location: Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Curlew, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Eurasian Wren, Northern Wheatear, Meadow Pipit, Common Linnet, Twite, Common Reed Bunting, 

Soil Hill

    A lovely day for my first Soil Hill visit of the Spring, with a few migrants around and a few lingering winter species. The highlight was a new personal record count of five Jack Snipe which were all present in the same small area of marsh. My previous record was three individuals, which I have reached on several occasions. 

  In terms of spring migrants, five Willow Warblers were back on territory, with at least six Swallows blogging around and a single Sand Martin which flew southwards over the Hill. 

-Jack Snipe

-Willow Warbler

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,

India; Northwest - Day 24: Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary

   For our final day we explored an area of dry forest about twenty minutes from our lodging around the Mahuli Fort. Here we hoped to find our last remaining targets, end the trip on a high and then head to the airport in Mumbai for our flights home.

  The morning started well, as we quickly picked up a few nice male Vigors Sunbirds, a regional endemic we hoped to find here. They showed quite nicely at times. Additionally we had other nice species such as Tawny-bellied Babbler, but the other targets we had sadly eluded us despite our best efforts. We had hoped to find the White-naped Woodpecker here, but the best we could manage was a Black-rumped Flameback, the only woodpecker we have ever found when searching for White-naped.

  We were back at our hotel at 10:30, and after organising ourselves and have a slow breakfast we departed at 12:00. It took us three hours to drive to Mumbai, leaving us very early for our flights but sadly that was the best we could manage. We spent the rest of the afternoon in McDonald's enjoying some ice-cream before we boarded our respective flights back to Europe.