Forge Dam

As part of a course competition my partner and I headed to the peaks to film robins for our documentary. As a result we spent a lovely morning in the peaks under a stunning sunrise. We were treated to some nice birds, including stunning views of a Jay, a Dipper flew through and Great-Spotted Woodpecker. 

we were also treated to great views of a Robin that we were able to get good film of singing, which we can use for our project. I reckoned we would be able to get it feeding out our hands but there were soon too many people and the bird moved off.

-Robin

Species List: Grey Wagtail, Jay, Pheasant, Coot, Mallard, Black-Headed Gull, Robin, Dipper, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Nuthatch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Magpie

Seaton Snook - Twitching Isabelline Wheatear

Too much work and too little time had meant no birding for some time. It reached a stage where I decided to just go on a mad one. Just as well that there was an Isabelline Wheatear on a beach at Teesmouth. I decided to have a look at the prices and found I could do it under £20 by train, though it would be another of those dreadful half 4 starts and 4 trains there and the same on the way back, but if the bird stuck it would be worth it. 

I made it to Seaton Carew for 9.00 and wandered through the town to the beach where the bird was for 10.00. Being out of the loop meant I had no idea if the bird was there and the fact that few birders drove past me while I wandered down Zinc Works road made me more nervous. However, the first birder I spoke to informed me that the bird was still there. I headed out to find a solitary birder looking for the bird, and that the bird had moved into the dune.

Shortly after another couple of birders turned up and they soon picked it out. It had been difficult to see as it was stationary on the strand line, blending in so well. It started to come a little closer as it moved, so I grabbed a couple of shots, but then it came and landed on a log less than two meters away. It became apparent that someone had been putting mealworms on the log for the bird to draw it in, but it had worked a treat obviously.

Sadly the light was a little too poor to make the most of this opportunity, and the opportunity itself happened to be all to brief. The bird was flushed by a dog walker who decided to walk right in front of the people with bins and scopes. The bird cleared off over the dunes and as such we were all left wondering what course of action to take next.

-Isabelline Wheatear

Fortunatley it did not take long as the bird was quickly re-found by another birder who had been round the corner looking at the sea having presumably already seen the wheatear. As a result we all trotted quickly round there to get another view of the bird. It was sitting up on a log about 3-4 meters in front of us. It stayed in this vicinity for the vast majority of the remaining time of my stay.

I spent a good 2 hours with the bird here, as the crowd grew and shrank and new birders arrived in order to replace the birders leaving. The bird put on a great show, coming along the strand line towards the crowd until it passed at around a meters distance, though sadly I was not at the front at this point. It then did it again at the top of the crowd and a third time when I was near enough the front to be that close to it. It was a fantastic shower, possibly the most showy bird I have ever twitched since it did not seem bothered by the people watching it. At one point it flew startled and almost flew into the crowd, banking up at the last moment.

It was such a smart bird too, doing quirky little things like jumping a couple of inches every time it was startled. We got to watch the bird complete most of its behaviors, such as preening, feeding etc and just generally put on a great show. I took the liberty of taking a tonne load of photos just to display what a show off the bird was.

-Isabelline Wheatear

Towards the end of my time with the bird it became more distant, though still close but nowhere near as close as it had been. As a result I began checking the harbor for birds. There was a large flock of Teal loitering around, as well as few Common Scoter and a small group of Eider including a really nice male. Also at the back there were 3 Red-Throated Divers and Cormorants flew around the harbor on a regular basis.

The Wheatear was eventually flushed by a jogger who pushed it into the dunes and far away, to much anger, not that he cared. I decided that I might begin to make my way off and headed back to the path. Given the birds feeding pattern though I decided it might be worth having a check on the log where it had been in the morning to see if that's where it had gone.

It was sat right on the log, I could not believe it. I had a little panic attack, I have never been in this position before. I moved off from where I was so I could see the still assembled mass of twitchers looking grumpy. I whistled and waved my arms and fortunately someone saw me and the crowd moved over in my direction. I prayed the bird would stick to the log so I would not be a made a fool of, but at the last possible moment the bird dropped and I lost it, leaving me to explain to the arriving twitchers where the bird was. Somehow it was not picked up for about five minuets and when it was it was sat right next to the log completely motionless.

After another short stop with my re-found bird I headed off along the beach to see if there was anything around. The dunes were pretty barren but there remained a few birds on the sea, though nothing new really. On the breakwater there was a bit more, including Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Curlew. Here though I picked up a real bonus for the day. I had set up the scope for some seawatching and just finished scanning when I spotted a partridge sized bird fly over my head with a long bill in front. I knew what it was immediately; Woodcock, at long last, having missed so many here it was on this day of all days. I stupidly went for the camera to try and grab a year-tick record shot but the bird pulled out and flew over the bay to the far side where I lost it. Either way, I was even more buzzing after that.

The rest of the walk was steady but not many birds. The only other birds of note though, were of great note. I was halfway between the town Seaton Carew and the Breakwater when I flushed a pair of Snow Buntings from the dunes. These were very dark individuals and certainly not as bold as I have had them in the past but still quite showy as the scampered along the dune. I tried to get a decent photo but alas the light was already dropping and it was not even 3.00 yet. My efforts all came out blurry but I managed one that is good enough to put on here as a record to these great birds.

-Snow Bunting

Though my train was not until 19.20, with the light fading and the birds almost all gone I decided to catch the 15.20 train and wait around in Darlington for my reserved seat. I ended up spending four hours in Darlington Station so got very familar with it, while having a kip, a pint and getting some work done, so not all bad. It also gave me a chance to reminisce on what had been one of the best days birding I have ever had. Not bad, not bad at all.

Species List:

Seaton Snook: Cormorant, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Curlew, Starling, Collard Dove, Mallard, Little Grebe, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Isabelline Wheatear, Carrion Crow, Eider, Oystercatcher, Blackbird, Common Teal, Skylark, Little Egret, Common Scoter, Reed Bunting, Robin, Pied Wagtail, Red-Throated Diver, Great-Crested Grebe, Rook, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Dunlin, Woodcock, Linnet, Snow Bunting, Black-Headed Gull, Sparrowhawk,

Old Moor RSPB

This trip was not one of my true birding trips but a course related trip to teach us how to identify wildfowl, which would be assessed in an exam. However, instead of sitting there drawing ducks in order to be able to identify them in an exam I decided to make the most of the opportunity and do some birding.

There was some decent stuff around too, including Redshank, Dunlin, 4 Grey Herons and multiple species of wildfowl, the highlight of those probably being a female Godleneye. Sadly we arrived at 1.00 when the light was already dropping and as such I was unable to get many photos.

Fortunately I was able to get photos of the 2 highlights of the trip; a young Peregrine sat right out in the open on one of the islands looking stunning in the evening sun. There was also a rather well concealed Barn Owl, which had I not asked about, would only have assumed to be another stick in the tree. Once I was on it though it was pretty clear that it was an owl so that was another great species for the day.

-Shoveler

-Barn Owl

-Peregrine

The birds were great, though it felt a little odd birding with so many coursemates, but hopefully they enjoyed. They certainly got some great birds out of it.

Species List:

Old Moor RSPB: Common Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Gadwall, Canada Goose, Moorhen, Redshank, Coot, Lapwing, Goosander, Barn Owl, Peregrine, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Pheasant, Tree Sparrow, Goldeneye, Dunlin, Tufted Duck, Starling, Feral Pigeon,

Spontaneous Spurn trip Day 2

I was the only member of the NGB crowd to make it out of bed at anything like a birdwatching time. I went up to the seawatching first where Ian, Steve and Rich were so it was nice to be back with the Spurn locals. This highlight of the watch was a Little Auk that flew along the surf line. I was the first to see and for some reason thought it looked more like a puffin, though it was pretty obvious what it was going to be. It was nice to see one that was not in the hand.

We were steadily joined by the NGB's, Scott had arrived in the morning while Jonnie had arrived last night for the pub. Matt Bruce also made it out of bed for a little bit of the seawatching. When the seawatching dried up we decided to head up to the ponds to look for some reported snow buntings. Scott and Matt drove up while Jonnie and I opted to walk. However, once the others had left we were informed that the Black Brant had been around, and since Jonnie had not seen one we set off in that direction.

We found the flock no problem and were soon on the Black Brant, though it remained as distant as it had before. However, that changed when the entire flock was put up. All the birds went onto the ponds, with the exception of around 10 birds, which came and landed on the estuary in front of us. Incredibly, one of those 10 birds happened to be the Black Brant, and though our view was obscured by hedges and fences we still got a great view and I managed some much improved photos.

-Black Brant

We got at least half an hour watching the bird before these birds decided to leave and head off to the ponds. We then decided to do the same to see if we could track down the snow buntings ourselves. Our walk round the ponds was shorter than yesterdays but we got some decent birds. There were far fewer Little Grebes around than yesterday, and there were no snow buntings. The real highlight of the walk was when I almost trod on a lizard that was being very lethargic on the path. We picked it up no problem but I had no camera suitable so Jonnie took the photo. We then moved it off the path and onto the wall, where it crawled in.

-Common Lizard (Jonnie Fisk)

We bumped into the Matt and Scott on Beacon Lane and they had picked up the Black Brant in the flock once it had rejoined them in the field. I got a photo of it in the flock in order to compare it to the other geese in the photo.

-Black Brant (2nd Right)

We also picked up Greater-Spotted Woodpecker at the end of the walk. We were almost back at the warren when we picked up the other boys, who had been to the Crown for lunch. We spent the afternoon chilling at the wader watchpoint opposite the warren looking to spot something, though there was not much around.

We then went on a walk down a section of the point with Tim to try and push something off the beach but there was nothing really to be had. By the end of it though I could barely remain focused for being so tired. I got a lift back with Pete but feel asleep pretty much straight away and only really awoke when we got back to Sheffield. Overall though it was a great weekend, Little Auk being the highlight.

Species List:

Seawatch: Red-Throated Diver, Common Scoter, Little Auk, Cormorant, Gannet, Goldeneye, Kestrel, Little Gull, Redwing

Beacon Ponds: Brent Goose, Blackbird, Wigeon, Common Teal, Black-Headed Gull, Cormorant, Kestrel, Greater-Spotted Woodpecker, Common Lizard,

Spontaneous Spurn Trip Day 1

A rather spontaneous trip to Spurn. Matt Bruce messaged me on the Thursday asking if I was up for it and I decided to go for it. We arrived on the Friday at midnight in preparation for a great weekends birding. Dan Wade was also with us.

We set off at first light in the morning, but fog had set in overnight and made conditions very tricky. We started at canal scrape but there was very little going on there, just a couple of Redshank. We decided to head up to beacon ponds to see if there were any snow bunts on the beach or anything else on the ponds. Here we picked up some good birds, including an impressive count of 14 Little Grebe. The highlight was when we were up at the far end of beacon lagoons and a diver flew past us. I got a very dark colour (It was close in), protruding feet and a lack of head movement. It did not look overly bulky so called it as a Black-Throated and the others agreed (Which was just as well as I would never have had the courage to call it on my own). Having thought about it, it was probably close enough in for me to have got a photo but hindsight is a wonderful thing...

We then walked along the back of the lagoons, adding Sanderling to our day list as well as Ringed Plover. We made our way to the Wetlands, but the path to the hide was closed and so could only view from the back. We heard a Little Owl calling and somehow Matt managed to find it resting on a log pile. Thats a Spurn tick for me and a really nice bird to see, looking lovely out in the open. Also from here we spotted a kestrel that was so wet we could not tell what it was, and also the Brent Geese grazing in the field in front of us.

-Brent Goose

By the end of our round trip we had clocked up some good species, and so headed back to the warren for some lunch. On Borough Pits there was another Little Grebe and a Spurn tick in the form of Goldeneye. After lunch we made our way to the Seawatching. Besides Red-Throated Divers there was nothing happening on the sea, but we were joined by a stunning Redwing next to the hide, which showed itself off very well. The fog was lifting so its probable that the bird had just come in.

-Redwing

Since the seawatching was so steady we decided to do the triangle. There was mainly the usual birds around, though a Rock Pipit flew over the C+A Car Park which was a new species for the day. The walk produced good birds, like Turnstone, Grey Plover and the like but the light was already fading and it was only early afternoon.

We decided to meander back to the Warren and chat to the ringers that were up. We had just arrived and were chatting to them when Martin came up with a small bird in his hand. Incredibly it was the one species that I had really wanted from the weekend; Little Auk. I have not seen one for a long time, and I have only ever seen one. But few people will ever get to see one like we saw, sat in the hand. Sadly the bird had lost its left leg, that was in a bad way but the bird had plenty of fight. The bird was released by Tim on the beach, who did a better job that he had done with the guillemot last time I had seen him try doing it!

The bird was great to see, so close you could really get all the detail. For some reason I left my little camera in Sheffield and as such I was unable to get any good shots. Only the top shot is mine, the other 3 are Dan Wades, so many thanks for him for letting me use them. 

-Little Auk

The light was pretty much gone by this point and so we decided to call it a day. We had clocked up an impressive species total. We then got to enjoy Spurns social side, as well as seeing some of the guys I met while working.

Species List:

Canal Scrape: Mallard, Wren, Redshank, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Wigeon, Mute Swan, Lapwing, Robin, Little Egret, Kestrel

Beacon Ponds: Greenshank, Little Grebe, Sanderling, Dunlin, Snipe, Wigeon, Mallard, Great-Crested Grebe, Black-Throated Diver, Common Scoter, Gannet, Curlew, Cormorant, Redshank, Brent Goose, Lapwing, Mute Swan, Linnet, Magpie, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Shelduck, House Sparrow, Golden Plover, Common Teal, Song Thrush, Ringed Plover, Common Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, 

Kilnsea Wetlands: Lapwing, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Mute Swan, Redshank, Little Egret, Wigeon, Curlew, Black-Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Reed Bunting, Goldfinch, Little Owl, Blackbird, Wren, Woodpigeon, Sanderling, Shelduck, Greenfinch, Starling, Common Teal, Meadow Pipit, Skylark,

Beacon Lane: Goldcrest, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Redwing, Robin, Chaffinch, Tree Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Goldeneye, Little Grebe

Seawatching: Red-Throated Diver, Common Scoter, Redwing, Great Skua, Mallard, Common Teal,

Triangle: Grey Plover, Knot, Turnstone, Black-Tailed Godwit, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Pheasant, Blackbird, Great Tit, Blackcap, Collard Dove, Blue Tit, Rock Pipit, Starling, Fieldfare, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Little Auk

Rother Valley CP twitching Grey Phalarope

Suppressed for 4 days, then announced, this Grey Phalarope was a bird I really wanted to get to grips with given my last one had been so far away. Lectures restricted my availability but since today my first lecture was not until 12 I decided to go for the bird at first light, hopefully see it and then get back for lectures.
I arrived on site just as it was getting light, picking up good numbers of Blackbirds and a single Fieldfare. On the river on the walk up to the spot where the bird was last reported I had a pair of Goldeneye and a Grey Heron. In the woods there were also a few Bullfinch and a lone Grey Wagtail went overhead.
It took a while to find the spot where the bird was last reported as viewing it proved a challenge so far as I could find. I did get to check most of the banking prior to this and as a result had good numbers of Cormorant and Teal, as well as a few Lapwing and a solitary Pochard.
When I eventually found a viewing spot I flushed good wildfowl including Gadwall, Wigeon and a Great-Crested Grebe. Alas though no grey phalarope. I waited for about half an hour at the location but it did not appear, even when 2 other birders came to have a look. There was a lovely appearance from a Kingfisher tough, that graced us with its presence for about a minuet.
Once I had safely established in my mind that the bird was not here, or at least not in this location, I headed back round for a scout of the rest of the lake. I could not find it but did get 2 Goosanders which are my first of the autumn.
And that was that. I decided to head off to lectures since it looked like the bird had gone. So far it has not been reported today so I am assuming that it really has gone and not because of my lack of birding ability.

Species List:
RVCP Meadowgate lake: Goldcrest, Lapwing, Goldeneye, Great-Crested Grebe, Bullfinch, Fieldfare, Jay, Cormorant, Greater-Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Long-Tailed Tit, Pochard, Grey Heron, Kingfisher, Goldfinch, Goosander, Magpie, Mallard, Common Teal, Wigeon, Reed Bunting, Blackbird, Robin, Wren, Canada Goose, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow,

The North East - A mad one for Eastern Crowned Warbler

This all started at lunchtime on Thursday when I returned from lectures to see that the 3rd British record of Eastern Crowned Warbler had turned up in Cleveland. After a quick look I figured public transport would be possible but drawn out and very expensive. I did happen to notice on the NGB Facebook page that Matt Bruce had said he was going up. Having only met Matt once I felt a bit cheeky asking for a lift, but after my afternoon lectures I decided to just do it, the worst that could happen was that he would say no.

Matt very kindly offered to take me up for the bird, providing that it stayed. It was there on Friday night, so Matt, Zac Hinchcliffe and I sort out travel and times for a trip up on the Saturday. I awoke at half four after 3 hours kip, just in time to meet my flatmates coming back from Halloween. I began my journey but realised quickly enough I had read the bus times wrong and that my trip to Meadowhall could be closer than I had anticipated. It worked out well in the end, as it resulted in me walking down to the bus station so saving a quid and still making it in time to meet Matt at the interchange.

We set off for Leeds to pick Zac up, still in darkness, but had a 40 min wait in Leeds so had time to grab some caffeine to try and push me through. The rest of the journey up was unbroken, although I managed to get us lost twice, but in doing so allowed Zac to find a flock of around 16 Migrating Whooper Swans on a junction above our turn off.

We arrived at our destination after I sent us wrong 4 times. The bird was reported in during our trip and as such we were positive that today would not be a dipping day. When we arrived at the actual site the bird was not found, but there were more than enough birders looking. 

Not 10 mins after we arrived the bird was apparently found and the chaos ensued. Of course it was a stringy Chiffchaff, but I did not even see that. This had clustered the birders in one spot around the base of the tree. It was 5 mins after this that the actual bird was found, further into the wood again. It had taken up in the seeming only leafy tree in the whole wood, and some of the descriptions filtering around to its location meant that it took about 10 mins before I had managed to pick it up.

My views then were obscure for a bit, but I saw the bird clear enough, only lacking the crown stripe. However, after some more watching and poor instructions the bird came and sat out in the open in incredible light for a good minuet or so, giving the best views I could have hoped for. The nature of the wood meant that the bird was already quite close, but it was still difficult to see the crown stripe as it was above us.

It took a short while before I was able to see it head on and properly see the stripe. From that I was satisfied with the bird, that I had seen it properly and that no matter what the trip had been worth it. Only the 3rd British record (Not the first time I have written that this autumn) and the first for Yorkshire (Also not the first time). I was able to get some great record shots, though not really of the crown but of all the other features, such as the bill and overall shape. What a bird, a real stunner.

-Eastern Crowned Warbler

After the bird showed so well and moved on we decided to do the same. We planned to find a Rough-Legged Buzzard, possibly going for the Grindale bird, the same one that flew over me at Filey. However, 3 were reported at Skelton so we decided to head there instead. We arrived to find quite a few cars there already, birders who had been for the ECW and had since moved on.

There were a few raptors in the sky, but most were Common Buzzards. However, it did not take long for a Rough-Legged to be found, soaring over the ridge but very distant. It soon became 2 birds over the ridge and they began to come closer but gained altitude all the way before deciding to go back away from us and across the valley. When they banked you could see all the features, another lifer, but sadly a little too distant for any good record shots.

-Rough-Legged Buzzard

After a bit when the Buzzards had moved on so did we. We headed down the road, following the direction of the buzzards with plans to get to Spurn. Just over the hill on the other side of the valley we spotted one of the Rough-Legged Buzzards flying above the trees quite low and looking good. It was flying so low and then came closer, flying almost over us.

The bird had been carrying a piece of dirt, but when it was much closer to us it decided to drop it and then try and catch it again. It failed to re-catch it but it did mean that the bird banked and showed off all its plumage so close to us. It meant I was able to improve on my record shots. What a stunner, and made all the better as an encounter like this what not what we had expected.

-Rough Legged Buzzard

The Buzzard flew overhead and then went down the far side of the hill, lost to sight. As such we decided to move on. We lost internet connection and as such ended up a little unsure of where to go for our little tour of the North Yorkshire Moors. In the end we made it to the main road and we were able to make our way down to Spurn. 

Along the way we picked up a few bits and pieces such as Sparrowhawk, Redwing and other roadside birds. We arrived at Spurn with around 2 hours of daylight left for birding. As soon as we arrived we found the location of the bird that we all wanted, the Black Brant. However, it was in a flock of around 100 common Brents and as such we knew we had a task on our hands to try and find it. Fortunately Zac was on the ball and managed to pick it out after not too much looking. It had been sat down when we arrived but once it stood up the difference between it and the other Brents was striking. The neck collar was so much wider and the flanks so much whiter. Not quite a lifer lifer, but a sub-species lifer none the less, and another great bird to see for the day.

-Black Brant

We soon left the goose and headed down to the warren. We walked along the cliff top to the Seawatching hut but it was very quiet and not much was about. It was only half 2 but already felt later, with the sun already setting. We called in at the seawatching hide but there was not much moving. Matt picked out a Red-Throated Diver and that was the highlight.

We then checked the estuary for waders, of which there were many, but nothing much different. We decided to do the triangle to hopefully find some stuff. As soon as we started we spotted a Sparrowhawk doing a mad one over the estuary, if hunting it was doing a pretty poor job. Next, on Clubleys we spotted a few winter thrushes feeding close to the ground. Of the birds I saw I got 2 Redwings and a Fieldfare, the latter being my first of the autumn. Already the walk was reaping dividends.

Along Canal Bank we spotted Reed Bunting, a couple of nice Goldcrests and a few Redshanks on Canal Scrape. The highlight of this bit of the walk was when we found a female Bullfinch at Rose Cottage, only the second record for Spurn this year, and also a Spurn tick for me. It was one of the days highlights seeing that, just to put it into perspective.

It was already quite dusky when we finished off. We finished off by walking along the beach to see if we could find any Snow Buntings. I was along the cliff top while Zac and Matt were on the actual beach, and it was they who found the single Snow Bunting hunkered up against the cliff edge. It was so approachable and easy to get great views of as it scurried on the cliff, even drinking from a puddle. We were able to get so close and got exceptional views of it. This was one of my worst misses on my yearlist so I was very pleased we had found one, especially one that was showing like this. What a little beauty.

-Snow Bunting

That was the final bird that we saw, actually at Spurn. On the way out, but still in the recording area we found a group of about 8 swans of which 2 were Whoopers. Not a bad end to an exceptional days birding. Its great that my first NGB twitch and we got all the species we wanted. What a day. Thank you for Matt Bruce and Zac Hinchcliffe for taking me along, and helping me to see some great birds. Its one of the best days birding I have ever had.

Species List:
Driving: Pheasant, Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Whooper Swan, Blackbird, Redwing, Pied Wagtail, Moorhen, Coot, Kestrel,
Brotton Golf Course: Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Starling, Jackdaw,
Skelton: Peregrine, Meadow Pipit, Rough-Legged Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Red Grouse,
Spurn: Great Tit, Sparrowhawk, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Little Egret, Brent Goose (Black Brant), Pink-Footed Goose, Graylag Goose, Goldcrest, Blackbird, Redwing, Fieldfare, Black-Headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Snow Bunting, Bullfinch, Stonechat, Shelduck, Cormorant, Lapwing, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Starling, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Red-Throated Diver, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Moorhen