Hardcastle Craggs NT

After weeks of working I finally got a change in my scenery with Lia visiting from Brazil. Our first target species for her visit was Dipper so we decided to head over to the old reliable spot of Hardcastle Craggs. It took some surprising effort to find the birds, as we walked far beyond the Gibson Mill before we saw a bird fly past us briefly. It then took more time before we finally pinned one down, but once we had it put on the best performance I have ever had from a Dipper. A real shower. All the other species we saw were common woodland species.

-Mallard

-Dipper

Species List:

Hardcastle Craggs: Mallard, Woodpigeon, Black-headed Gull, Grey Heron, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Jay, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Wren, Dipper, Redwing, Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch, Siskin, Grey Squirrel, Migrant Hawker,

Rother Valley CP

Having seen the forcast for Sunday, heavy rain, and that public transport is also dreadful I had no major intentions for birding today. It was also a friends birthday on the Saturday night, and without any plans I may have drunk a little too much.

Imagine then my horror when I check my phone at 10.00 to see a Bee Eater at Rother Valley CP. I staggered out of bed, raced around sorting stuff out, checked tram times, one in 10 mins, then pegged it all the way down to the tram stop, all while still drunk.

Reports on the bird were few and far between and there had been no report since 9.35 when it had returned following it departing. However, I arrived on site and eventually found the birders to find out that it had not been seen since that report. So here I was, feeling rotten, on a excessively windy day not watching the bird I had come to watch.

There were good numbers of Hirundines though, mainly Swallows but I did pick out my first House Martins of the year which was some bonus. I managed a few photos but the camera had been left on since I last used it and as a result I only risked a couple of record shots.

-House Martin

Granted, I was in no real fit state to enjoy any birding so after a quick check post the negative news I decided it might be worth my while just heading home. Like I said, the wind was very excessive and was blowing the water from the lake all over the path. For the sake of novelty I took a few photos of the Mallards that were grazing by the side of the lake, frequently getting splashed by waves.

-Mallard

So that was that! No bee eater but I did get my first House Martin of the year as consolation. Granted, I did not really look round but I probably now feel the better for it!

Species List:

Rother Valley CP: Swallow, House Martin, Coot, Mute Swan, Graylag Goose, Mallard, Canada Goose, Common Buzzard, Robin, Pied Wagtail, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon,

Cambridge Holiday day 1: Travelling

We set off down to Cambridge on the Sunday for our Easter family holiday, but traffic was pretty horrific and we did not arrive until 14.00 having set off at 10.30 in the morning. Along the drive down we did see a couple of Red Kites, which was fantastic, as they usually are.
Once we arrived on site we had only a few hours of light left so decided to look at the local nature reserves. First on the list was a small quarry just down from the caravan site, but there was pretty much nothing going on there, the highlight being a small squad of Long-Tailed Tits, but that was about it.
Next we decided to go and have a look at a few lakes that were on the OS map to see if they were up to much. They were further away but we got a few more birds for our travels. There were a couple of Chiffchaffs singing along the edges of the lake and one of them we got a pretty decent view of. There were good numbers of Great-Crested Grebes, as well as a couple of Tufted Ducks. The real highlight though was a large family of Mallard, with around 10 ducklings, my first of the year and very early too I would have thought.

Species List:
Travelling Down: Rook, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Pheasant,
Cherry Hinton: Long-Tailed Tit, Mallard, Blue Tit, Jackdaw, Rook, Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Mallard, Great-Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Pied Wagtail, Chiffchaff

Boxing Day - Bolton Abbey

For our boxing day walk we decided to head over to Bolton Abbey. I expected nothing outside of the but that there would be some nice species. There were a lot of the usual suspects, but also some less familiar species, such as Bullfinch which I caught briefly flying into the shrubbery, and also a Kingfisher at the end of the walk which was also a brief view but still an excellent species to see. I also had 3 Common Buzzards, which we heard calling first. There were an awful lot of Goosanders along the river, possibly up to 20 birds but it was difficult to tell. Either way its the most I have seen of them at this site before. I was lucky enough to get outstanding views of one as it came to the same side of the river as me. Sadly my photos did not match the quality of the view but I still got one that was half decent.

-Goosander

The undoubted highlight of the day and the first time I have seen the species here was a Woodcock that flew past me when I was scanning a field. I was amazed to have seen one, given that I only saw my first for the year a couple of weeks earlier. At least this one was less of a silhouette but the amount of detail I could make out as it whizzed past was sadly minimal. Either way though, it was a great bird to see and one of the best species I have ever seen at this site.

I also tried to get photos of some other commoner species to put the camera through a bit more testing. The light was very poor sadly and as such I failed with most of my attempted species (Coal Tit, Jackdaw, Nuthatch etc.) but I got a nice close up of some of the Mallard females which I can add to my library.

-Mallard

It was one of the best days birding I have ever had at this site, with some cracking species seen, the Woodcock being the undoubted highlight. Always a pleasure to see, that's for sure!

Species List:
Bolton Abbey: Bullfinch, Common Buzzard, Goosander, Mistle Thrush, Grey Heron, Goldcrest, Woodcock, Blue Tit. Great Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Robin, Black-Headed Gull, Nuthatch, Mallard, Kestrel, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Rook, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Fieldfare, Goldfinch, Kingfisher, Magpie, Common Gull, Moorhen, Pheasant,

Endcliffe Park

So what started as a short revision break to photograph the ducks in Endcliffe park that I may put on my weekly roundup actually turned into quite an afternoons birding, on a small scale. I did find some lovely mallards to photograph but the light was against me and I did not get too many that were sharp. Those that I got I have included here...

-Mallard

So just as I was wrapping up at the third pool a heron decided to come and land on the side on the path less than 5 meters in front of me. And even when I moved to get into a better position it did not mind. I got to watch it poo, throw up its previous meal and then jump in the lake and start fishing, all within less than 10 meters of me (When  it entered the lake it moved back a bit). I managed to get some decent shots too, though the light was against me again.

-Grey Heron

After it rounded some bushes out of sight I decided I really needed to get back. That plan lasted about 5 mins before I stumbled across a treecreeper, which then led me to its nest, in a crack in an old park shelter. I was pleased to have found this and got to watch the adults flying too an fro. The shelter was right next to the path, so I was stood on the opposite side of the path while people wandered by. Some stopped to ask what I was doing and I got to talk to some people about the birds and show them my photos. The photos are really not great, the light had really turned on me, but you get the gist. I reckon that's the first time I have ever found a treecreeper nest, and I should hope to be going back at some point.

-Treecreeper

So my half an hour break actually turned into over an hour and half, but what does it matter when your seeing birds like these.

Norfolk Holiday Day 4

And so on the last full day in Norfolk I decided to return to Titchwell since it had given so much more than Cley had yesterday. Once more it took me the best part of the morning to get to the site, but once there the weather was lovely and hopefully there would be plenty of morning reports for me to go for. 

I arrived at the site and checked the list. Both the mornings oddities were at Patsy's Reedbed; Pink Footed Goose and Lesser Whitethroat, the latter would be a lifer for me. I therefore headed straight to there. I wandered up to the view point over the pool and immediately spotted the PFG, which was resting among the graylags on the near side of the pool. I watched it for about 10 mins before deciding it would be time to try and locate the Lesser Whitethroat. 

-Pink-Footed Goose

So having picked up a great tick in the PFG, and got my best ever photos of the species I headed on to where the whitethroat was. It had been reported in the hedge behind the the pool, not showing well but calling frequently. As I had been asking for info about the bird at the center one of the birders wandered by who had seen it. He asked if I knew what one sounded like, and said that it sounded like a yellowhammer but without the 'cheese' when I replied no.

And so I stood next to the hedge listening for a yellowhammer with no cheese. And after about a minuet I heard it. I followed its call for some time before I saw it shadowy figure moving through the hedge. That was the pattern for a good 20 mins, following the skulky bird through the hedge without getting a real good view, but frequently hearing its call. 

After the 20mins it had a quiet spell, before having a very loud spell and then deciding to up-sticks and head away from that hedge and a different one away on the far side of the field. I tried to get a record shot as it flew off, but I struggled and my only effort is shown below, the bird being near the bottom right corner. You can see the dark cap if you blow up the photo enough, but photos are not everything, and my record shot is enough, as it pretty much sums up my view of the bird, skulky and difficult to see.

But see it I did, making it my 4th lifer of the holidays, and that was exciting enough when I had only just started the mornings birding.

-Lesser Whitethroat

Since the whitethroat had left I turned to find that the PFG had left to my disappointment. As a result I decided to head off, and just as I was leaving I turned again and what should drop out of the reeds but a Bittern. I could not believe it, as it landed right on the edge of the reeds on the edge of the pool, allowing me a great view of the bird. 

It stayed at the edge for a little while before merging itself into the back of the reeds. I managed a few photos but struggle to find it through the scope. The bins were enough, though they were not necessarily needed for a great view.

-Bittern

As I waited to see if the bittern would come back out the PFG returned with a small group of Graylag's, and landed on the pool. It took a little while but it returned to the bank soon enough and I was able to pick up a few more photos with the light with me this time. So that's 3 pretty awesome bird species and I had not even been onto the main part of the reserve.

-Pink-Footed Goose

I began my walk up the Western Bank to the Parrinder Hides. On the way up along the edge of the woods where the reeds are I heard a very familiar call that I have been hearing all week. It was the stunning and shocking call of a Cettis Warbler. As I turned to see if I could find the source of the call I spotted a small reddish warbler fly out of the reeds and land lower down. I then got to follow the bird as it skulked through the bottom of the reeds before it flew off into the woodland. So that was my second Cettis Warbler of the Holiday, and only my 4th ever.

The hides were quite quiet by the high standards set last time, though there were still great numbers of wildfowl and waders. There were a few Little-Ringed Plover and Avocets, as well the usual suspects. I decided to head up to the coast and see what was around up that end. 

On the way up to the beach I was able to watch some lovely birds along the edge of Volunteer Marsh and Tidal Marsh. There were good numbers of Grey Plover and Brent Geese, but the highlights was a small group of Avocets over the tidal marsh which did a few Loop-de-Loops over the marsh before coming back down and landing on the island. Because they were in flight you can really appreciate the beauty and elegance of these birds.

-Avocet

Up on the coast I arrived just in time to see a flock of scoters with white wings come and land on the ocean quite near the shore. I had a look through the scope, and possibly because the sea was calm, or perhaps because they were closer I was actually able to fully appreciate the birds and even see the yellow on their bills and the white on the wing.

I still could not really count the number of each species in the flock, but I knew there were a large majority Velvet due to the number of white wings that I had seen when they landed. I grabbed some better record shots, which show that quite a few of the birds do indeed have white wings, but that some don't, a mixture flock.

-Common and Velvet Scoters

I was able to watch them for quite a while, though the started to drift out to sea, and then drift towards the western part of the beach until they ended up some was away. At that point I began to look around, see what else was about. Someone had decided to wander right down to the edge of the water, not a birder, someone on the beach, but in doing so they had sent up all the birds from the shoreline, Sanderlings, Dunlin and Bar-Tailed Godwit. The numbers of them can be difficult to tell if they are on the shoreline feeding, but when they were all in the air you can see the number of Sanderlings, far more than I had thought initially.

-Sanderling, Bar-Tailed Godwit and Dunlin

Also the near the waters edge was a small group of Common Scoter, 2 males and 2 females. The males however drifted off while the waders were up, but the females stuck around very close to the shore. I wanted to get close to the bird, since it was so close to the shore, but I decided against it in case I incurred the wrath of any other sea-watchers, though they would probably be watching the larger but drifting flock of other scoters. So in the end the photos were not what they could have been, but I did manage to get some decent photos of it.

-Female Common Scoter

Since the scoters had drifted away I decided to head down to the South Parrinder Hide to see if anything else had shown up through the day while I had not been there. I went in and began to scout around to see what was about. There was the usual stuff, until I took my eye away from the scope and spotted, on the bank right in front of the hide, the Spotted Redshank.

I'm always dubious in calling birds like this in case I am wrong, but exclaimed it more in surprise since I had been looking all over and here it was right in front of me. I got some great views and took plenty of photos, allowing me to fully appreciate the subtly beauty of the bird, as well as get to grips with all the key features: Spots, dark bill and the slight droop on the end of the bill.

Like I said, I got many photos, and who wouldn't with such an usual bird right in front of me looking so fine in the sunshine. Unlike last time, the sun was with me this time so all the spots on the birds back show up well in the photos, clearly showing the bird in all its glory.

-Spotted Redshank

Between my Spotted Shank watching a small family of Mallards swam across the front of the hide. You could tell the dude birders in that moment, as they became infatuated with the ducklings, while the other birders remained watching the Spotted Shank in front of the hide. I took a few quick photos of the Ducklings simply because its the first family I have seen this year, though of course there was the duckling on fly flatts, sadly though that one was dead. 

-Mallard Ducklings

-Spotted Redshank

After a while I decided to return to see if the scoters had come closer to the shore. They had not, the only birds of note being Sandwich Terns that drifted past the shore. However, on the way up I was able to get great views of a stunning Black-Tailed Godwit in summer plumage, on the small strip of water along the edge of the Volunteer Marsh. 

-Black-Tailed Godwit

After that short trip I called in again at the South Hide to see if the Spot shank was still there, but it had left, probably insulted by the number of 'birders' that seemed more keen on the ducklings that the shank. Time was running out for me so I decided to go and see if the Whitethroat had turned up. On the way there I stopped by to grab a few more photos of the Avocets, who even knows when I will next see one...

-Avocet

On the way I passed the Reedbed Pool, and on there was a pair of Red-Crested Pochard. The male and female were drifted from each other, the male drifted behind the reeds as I approached, but the female was sat quite close to the path. I managed a few photos of the bird, another record shot of this species. 

-Red Crested Pochard Female

I checked where the Whitethroat had been but it was not there, and neither was the PFG. In fact, the only thing that made that bit of the walk interesting was the fact that I stumbled across my first damselfly of the year, a fleeting glimpse of a Large Red Damselfly as it flew across the path. 

All in all, a great day, all four lifers of the holiday in one day, if that there was one addition today. And that will probably be the last birding action of the day. The only thing left to do is to give a full breakdown of all the species seen today...

Species List:

Titchwell Marsh: Pied Wagtail, Lesser Whitethroat, Pink-Footed Goose, Graylag Goose, Tufted Duck, Black-Headed Gull, Willow Warbler, Shelduck, Wren, Gadwall, Oystercatcher, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Bittern, Marsh Harrier, Woodpigeon, Robin, Cettis Warbler, Shoveler, Pochard, Teal, Avocet, Grey Plover, Redshank, Brent Goose, Herring Gull, Dunlin, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, Canada Goose, Lapwing, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Little Egret, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Turnstone, Sandwich Tern, Sanderling, Jackdaw, Common Crow, Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Red-Crested Pochard, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Pheasant, Long-Tailed Tit, Swallow, Red-Legged Partridge, Large Red Damselfly, Speckled Wood, Large White, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell,

Burnsall Bridge

A lovely walk by the river in Burnsall in the lovely Yorkshire Dales. The weather was absolutely glorious (For England) so that it was a very pleasant walk up the river, as usual. We started of course at the cafe and playing field, where there were ample sand martins, as well as wonderful views of a large crayfish under the water. There was also a lovely family of ducks sheltering under the bridge.  

-Mallard

As we set off I spotted a grey wagtail heading up to one of the overgrown ditches on the bridge and so assumed that it had a nest up there. 

There rest of the walk went by pretty uneventful, with the exception of a distant spotted flycatcher, until a point much higher than where we usually see wildlife where we had what might be (For us) a river first. I was watching a dipper in the river and while we watched it there was a constant cheeping next to us, and I wasn't really looking for its source as I assumed that it was in the shrubbery near the river but as we made ready to move on I spotted a common sandpiper sat out in the open making all the racket. I was able to get great views and photos of what was a very obliging bird. As we carried on moving up stream it even came and landed near us again further up so that I was able to get great shots of this species

-Common Sandpiper 

The bridge came on up ahead, and after a rest there we set off back downstream. In the open grassy section just below the bridge there are a few trees and it was there that I caught up with a lovely spotted flycatcher. I spotted it as it flew across the river to catch an insect and was caught scrapping with another spotted flycatcher. After it had defended its territory or whatever it came back to land in the tree next to us. Sadly though the high contrast between the shade of the tree and the open field meant that most of my photos were very dark. Unfortunate considering how close the bird was to us.  

-Spotted Flycatcher 

Heading back we caught up again with the sandpiper, easy to find now since we had become so familiar with its call. I then spotted another among the rocks in the middle of the river. This one was nothing like as vocal as the one closest to us. So it was that I got one of many biggest shocks of the day, as a baby suddenly appeared on the near shore along the waters edge. I was surprised, but in a pleasant way, and only adds to the value of the common sandpiper sighting today. It was still quite a young bird, but since the torrential rain that we usually get doesn't seem to have materialised its prospects look reasonably good.

-Juvenile Common Sandpiper

-Common Sandpiper 

At the rapids we than spotted a dipper flying up to a place in the cliff numerous times, and when we were all quiet we were able to hear the young in the nest

As we walked past the rapids to the large open field I spotted a pair of juvenile nuthatches with a parent in one of the large trees. And so we got another great view of some fledgling birds being tended to by the parents. Sadly I was unable top get any photos of the juveniles or the adults feeding them, mainly due to my being content to just watch them. I was however able to get great views of the adult as it came really close to us to gather food. 

-Nuthatch 

And so we returned to the start. I mentioned to my parents about my grey wagtail hunch, even as I said one of the adults headed up to the site, so I suggested we go up and have a look. When we reached a suitable place I had a peek over at where I expected them to be, in the drainpipe, but was unable to see anything. I decided then to wait for the adult to see if one of the adults would come up and explain this riddle to me. Indeed one of the adults did come up with a beak full of food, but it obviously thought me too close to reveal its secrets, so I moved back.

-Grey wagtail

I then watched as it descended to the drain, and then moved up a level to one of the overgrown ridges above the drain, where I was then able to hear babies calling. I waited for the adult to leave and moved back to where I had been before to see how old they were, but mainly to see if I could find it this time. 

I looked over and got quite a shock, as four well grown grey wagtail chicks stared back at me. I'm not one for "cuteness", but even I think that these are cute. They look healthy and ready to fledge at any point. I took a few photos and then left to reduce the stress I might cause the youngsters 

-Grey wagtail Chicks

 After that Baby filled walk we spent the rest of the day fishing in the river for crayfish. We found ample bullheads/millers thumbs and quite a few loaches, some of a fair size. But sadly we only found 3 crayfish, though one was carrying an egg sack. 

I would have to say that it was certainly one of the more wildlife filled walks at this place, and not just because of the ample juvenile birds that seemed to be everywhere.