Ringstone Edge

  At 15:50 PD messaged out that there was an excellent assemblage of Wildfowl on Ringstone, including Gadwall which would be a Calderdale tick for me, and Pochard which would have been a yeartick. Given that the light was already fading, I decided to race up there and arrived with just enough time to scan the reservoir. 

  The bulk of the ducks were easy to pick out, with the water calm their shapes stood out conspicuously. The drake Gadwall and Shoveler were very easy, nestled into a flock of 8 Wigeon. There was also an Athya sp. in the flock, but it wasn't a drake (like PDs Pochards) and with the bird remaining asleep almost the entire time, and struggling with the light, I could not confidently ID it. From what I could make out it was probably just a Tufted Duck. I was unable to pick out the Pochard, but they could easily still be there somewhere in the gloom. 

  A brilliant selection from PD, and Gadwall is my 130th species in Calderdale in 2024.

-Shoveler & Gadwall

-Wigeon, Gadwall, Shoveler & Athya sp.

Species List:
Ringstone Edge: Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Eurasian Wren, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, 

Saltholme RSPB and Hartlepool

So today I decided to take a short break from my patch at Soil Hill and go on a little adventure to the North-East to see if I could put to bed the demons of Penduline Tit and green-winged teal. Being in Halifax the public transport options are more limited but in the end I only lost an hour from Sheffield and I arrived at Saltholme RSPB at around quarter to eleven.

Within minuets of getting off the bus I had eyes on the Penduline Tits. They were distant but the sun was out and in the light they looked really smart. They would be up feeding on the Bull-rushes for about 10 minuets before they would drop for another 10 and then repeat. They showed really well when they were up though, if a little distant. I tried to get some decent photos but the distance made it difficult, still I managed some nice record shots...

-Penduline Tits

I was thrilled to have got them on the list having dipped them on their first day. Given their pattern of showing I decided to move on after an hour of watching them. I headed into the reserve in the hope of finally seeing a green-winged teal. I can safely say now that green-winged teal is my bogey bird, as once again I did not see it. This is the fifth time I have dipped this species...

I did however see plenty of common teal, including a large group of males which were displaying, something I can't remember seeing before and was really nice to watch. I also saw the female Smew again and had year-ticks of Black-tailed Godwit. The Smew was badly against the light so I was unable to get any decent photos. There was a nice Little Egret from the wildlife watchpoint though which I grabbed a couple of photos of to compensate.

-Smew

-Little Egret

By half 2 I decided to call it time on my hunt for the teal, which was not reported all day, and get on with my day. I got the bus off the reserve at half 2 and headed up to Hartlepool. The next stop for me was Ward Jackson Park to have a look at Hartlepool's resident population of Ring-necked Parakeets. I have no shame in this, its a species I have not really had the chance to photograph and have hardly seen at all to be fair.

As soon as I arrived at the park I could hear some calling but it took a while to pin them down, and then again to find one that was in a suitable position for a photo. When I eventually got a few in a photogenic position thought they were very obliging, and I was able to get a few nice photos in the late afternoon light.

-Ring-necked Parakeet

There were not many other birds in the park, but there was a very tame Gadwall on the pond, that was willingly coming to bread with the mallards. I had to suspect its origin but could see nothing so would have to assume that it is a wild bird that has become familiar with people. Either way it meant I could get some nice shots of it...

-Gadwall

By four I had wrapped up in the park. I could have gone home then but decided to endure the long trek to the headland to see the Shore Larks again. It was some walk there and by the time I arrived I never wanted to walk again.

The larks took some finding but this time I was able to pick them up on the deck rather than flushing them as before. They were more distant this time and I did not try to get too close. The light was much better this time, and in the early evening they looked fantastic. I mean they are Shore Larks, so they look fantastic anyway but when the conditions are right they really look the business. 

-Shore Lark

By the time I left the larks the sun was well on its way to setting. What a fantastic days birding, with a lifer and a host of other goodies. And all by public transport. All very nice indeed.

Species List:

Traveling: Common Buzzard, Jay, Little Owl, Grey Partridge, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Collard Dove, Red-legged Partridge, Pheasant, Skylark, Kestrel, Rook, Starling, Chaffinch, Jackdaw,

Saltholme RSPB: Penduline Tit, Smew, Blue Tit, Reed Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Wren, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Pochard, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Little Egret, Great-crested Grebe, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Redshank, Meadow Pipit, Coot, Little Grebe, Shoveler, Shelduck, Lapwing, Gadwall, Common Snipe, Curlew, Pintail, Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit, Greylag Goose, Stock Dove, Barnacle Goose, Chaffinch, Lesser Black-backed Gull,

Ward Jackson Park: Magpie, Treecreeper, Gadwall, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Chaffinch, Ring-necked Parakeet, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull

Hartlepool Headland: Skylark, Shore Lark, Meadow Pipit, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Magpie

Old Moor

Back to the birding then after a day off and what better way to get back into routine than by a trip to old moor, my first time at this praised RSPB reserve. Public transport ran me close but I made it in good time and the weather was decent, so all seemed good. I went to the feeding station first. when I got there I flushed a sparrowhawk which had been sat at the entrance to the viewing screen. I spotted it later in the hedge preening, though the view was obscured and poor. On the feeders I got greenfinch, finally, plus tree sparrow and reed bunting, as well as other garden birds.

  Next onto the reedbed hide, here it was very quiet, only a few birds on the pond

-Shoveler

-Gadwall

-Tufted Duck

-Mallard

-Coot

-Canada Geese

-Common Snipe, my first this year

-Stock Dove pair, Displaying on a raptor box. Very enjoyable to see, as well as being my first this year

   I made my way to the 'family hide' which felt a little tacky with plastic chairs and the like but had great views of many wildfowl species, in great numbers too. 

-Wigeon, Gadwall, Lapwing, Coot, Mallard

On the main islands there were hundreds of ducks, as well as moorhens and coots. Below is the list of species on this main pond

-Wigeon, my first of the year

-Gadwall

-Teal

-Canada Geese

-Mute Swan

-Mallard

-Tufted Duck

-Coot

-Moorhen

-Lapwing

-Carrion Crow

-Common Gull

-Black Headed Gull

-Cormorant

-Gadwall

And a yellowhammer flew across the front of the hide, my first of the year, although it was a brief view to say the least

  The rest of the reserve provided more of the same, just in smaller numbers sadly. There were a few other species, goosander and pochard were the main species not already mentioned, though there were a few very tame robins, which I got great views of.

  After my wander round the reserve I headed back to the feeding station to see if anything else had turned up. While I was there a few lovely male yellowhammers turned up, as did long tailed tits, to add to the great variety of birdlife already there. I was joined by another gentleman who asked if I had spotted the brambling that was there. To be honest I had not really tried to hunt down the brambling, though it would have been nice, but while we were talking about yellowhammers and greenfinches he spotted the female brambling above the bird table. It came down to the floor to feed and got some great views but went after about 5 mins. Still, I got great views of a very unexpected bird on my behalf. I also got some shots of the bird, which are much better than those I got at Cley last time I saw them.

-Female Brambling, right hand bird

-Yellowhammers

That left me buzzing and feeling great. I decided to wander over to Wombwell flash to see if the whooper swans reported were still there. I thought I had them at one point but they turned out to be mute swans, so that was a disappointment. Then best bit about that site was 8 grey herons roosting all in a line. I was then screwed over by public transport as my bus failed to show up, so that put a downer on what had otherwise been a great day.

Dorset Holiday-Day 12: Fort Nelson Royal Armouries, Arundel WWT

Another scorching day and my family decided to take us to Arundel WWT, but only after we had been to Fort Nelson Royal Armouries. When we got there I found that there was a nature reserve across the road, though it was little more than a field so I went to have a look while my family spent the morning at the armouries.

The field had a lot of butterflies but the were all the same species, though they were in excess. These included things like Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Large and Small White, But there were other species which were a bit more unusual, not least Marbled White and Small Skipper.

-Small Skipper

-Marbled White

Walking through the field I also found some none butterfly wildlife, though there was a lot less of this unless you counted the 6 Spot Burnet Moths which were once more very common.

-6 Spot Burnet Moth

While I was walking around there was a curious song coming from the grass and I eventually tracked it down to a very menacing cricket species, which Google informs me is a Roesel's Bush-Cricket, not that I regularly record cricket species, but it certainly struck me because of the striking yellow lines behind its head.

-Roesel's Bush-Cricket

On the bird front it was very quiet, with the exception of a couple of Magpies and on the way out I stumbled across a family of Willow Warblers. They were very flighty and I did not get exceptional views of them.

-Willow Warbler

I went to the museum cafe because my mum said that there we were going to have a coffee. While we were there my mum told me about all the butterflies that were on the wildflowers growing inside the museum. There was nothing that I hadn't seen, until during our coffee my dad spotted a Pill Millipede descending the wall of the museum, which is not a bug I can regularly see.

-Pill Millipede 

The journey to Arundel was none exciting except that there was a fire on the road which blocked everything up and restricted out speed at reaching the site. 

I have always wanted to go to Arundel, and when I arrived my first impressions were good, as on the first pond prior to entry there were Broad Bodied Chasers and Black Tailed Skimmers hunting it. The entry was good and we learnt that there were boat trips running, so we decided to go for one of those first before we had lunch and set off round the reserve.

The boat trip was very enjoyable and relaxing. I spotted some baby Tufted Ducks, as well as large families of Canada and Graylag Geese. On the mammal front we were delighted to see a Water Vole swim across the channel, though the delight would wear off as we walked round the reserve. On the Dragonfly front there were Black Tailed Skimmers, and there was another which I reckon was a hairy dragonfly but I did not get a good enough view. The only thing that would put me off that i.d. is that it is very late in their flight season, but apart from that, it ticked all the boxes. On the damselfly front there were Azure and Common Blue but also Red Eyed, but since we were on a boat I was unable to get any photos. For that reason my only photo of that species is from Norfolk 2 years ago.

We had lunch in the wildlife garden but did not really see anything.There was a school trip lunching next to us and that could be partly to blame. After lunch the trip headed off towards the lapwing hide, so we decided to  go to that hide later and instead go to the 'Sir Peter Scott centenary sand martin hide'. On the way, there were some Egyptian Geese on the path.

-Egyptian Geese

The hide was OK in terms of birdlife. There were Moorhens and Canada Geese feeding directly in front of the hide, as well as Mallards, Tufted Duck and Shelduck. There were also a pair of Common Terns on a raft in front of the hide, which were showing nesting behavior but no sign of chicks, despite what the sightings board said. They were quite close though, and they obviously were not too bothered by people who I imagine were often noisy which could have disturbed them from their nest.

-Common Tern

After we had finished in that hide we went back to the two hides we had meant to go to, Ramsar hide first, where there was nothing much except a female Mandarin. The second hide was the Lapwing hide, and it lived up to its name since the only bird in there besides Mallards was indeed a Lapwing.

After those two disappointments we headed to Scrape hide which was the best hide on the reserve, but that really did not say much. There was a good number of species, including Mallard, Shelduck, Tufted duck but also a few Gadwall sheltering from the heat under a tall tree. At the far end of the pond there was a Grey Heron hunting but it was some way away. There were also quite a few dragonflies around, but the only ones close enough to identify were Four Spot Chasers and Black Tailed Skimmer.

-Gadwall

-Grey Heron

We were watching the far dragonflies to see what they were, when a small mass began swimming across the lake. My initial thought was grass snake, and why not. But no, it turned out when I looked at it through my camera that it was another Water Vole, though to be honest I would rather that it was a grass snake.

-Water Vole

After we had finished at Scrape hide we moved on to Reedbed hide. Here there was very little, but there was a very cute family of four well grown Moorhen chicks. The adult bird then mounted a small platform in front of the hide, being very bold and then started looking in, even though we were only about 2 feet away.

-Moorhen

It was the best view of a moorhen I had ever had. After we had finished in Reedbed hide we moved on to the reedbed walk. About half way through the reedbed walk we sat down and were soon surrounded by a small gathering of Moorhens and Mallards, so my dad fished out the crumbs from lunch and started to feed them from our hands. The moorhen though decided that it would rather have my flesh than bread crumbs. 

After that we moved on and were just watching some more moorhens when I noticed that the reeds next to us were moving of their own accord. So I had a peek in and spotted another Water Vole there happily chomping away even though we were only about a meter away. Now the appeal of water voles at this site was beginning to diminish. On the boat, our pilot had told us that the reserve was in a big fence so that no water vole predators could get in with the exception of birds, but it also restricted the voles moving out. So effectively, it was like a big water vole zoo, but you don't really think of it until we start to see them as tame as this.

-Water Vole

We finished the reedbed walk and headed to the waterfalls enclosure. Here there was the only Blue Duck outside of New Zealand and that was quite exciting. After a few mins of watching it though you began to feel sorry for it, alone with only a farm duck for company. It was exciting to see because it is such a rare duck but for the above reason it seemed a bit bitter sweet.

-Blue Duck

We finished by walking back through the pet wildfowl zone and we got to see some large groups of rare wildfowl of the world, as you would expect from a WWT place. Once more though as we were walking over the white faced whistling duck boardwalk, a Water Vole appeared and started swimming across the pond, even though we were almost directly above it.

-Water Vole

I thought the reserve was a big disappointment really, I had expected a bit more. My dad summed it up quite well-Its a great place if you want to see Moorhens, but otherwise. We headed back to the caravan site, but the wildlife did not stop there, oh no.

That evening once more we set off to look for nightjars to see how many we would get. We had to wait a little longer than the night before and for a few minuets we were wondering if they would even turn up tonight when we were suddenly surrounded by churring and we saw one flying right towards us. We soon had 3 Nightjars flying all around us, and once more quite close. This time I had brought the tripod to try and get some photos of when the birds were landed. However, it did not really work as the camera still vibrated while on the tripod. Still I got more amazing views of these bizarre birds.

-Nightjar

So ends our last full day on holiday, alas that there 13 days have flown by so quick. Hopefully, on the way home we will go out on a high.