Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 17th October - 23rd October

  Its been quite a week on the Hill, with some days being very pleasant and producing incredible migration, while others have been awful with strong winds, rain and thick fog until late afternoon. This is the time of year when the weather can dictate the birding on offer, so it has been pleasing that the days which have been calmer have produced some of the best birding days I have ever had here.  

• The first day with notable passage was the 18^th, when Woodpigeons really started to get going with 1291 all heading south. Most of these birds went south within the first hour of light and seemed to die off after that. This is only a prelude to what was to follow for VizMig this week.  

• It is simply impossible to describe the scenes on Soil Hill on the 19^th this week. The first easterly winds of the autumn and fortunately it didn’t bring the mist and rain that they normally do. What it did bring though we masses and masses of thrushes. I headed up before first light and could already hear flocks of Redwings moving in the dark. Once the light cleared at around 07:30 I started counting as thousands of birds started passing through. With the torrent not slowing down until after lunch, I ended up staying until 12:30 watching flocks pile through. In the end I managed 12679 Redwing, with an additional 1035 Fieldfare and 812 Woodpigeon, as well as a small selection of the usual finches. Outstanding stuff, exactly the kind of day I had hoped for when I knew I would be here all October. 

• The 22^nd of October saw the wind switch back to southwesterly, and with no rain in the forecast it looked promising for VizMig. And so it turned out to be with big groups of thrushes, mostly Fieldfare, heading south from first light until 10:30. In total I managed 3308 Fieldfare with 934 Redwing mixed in for good measure. Woodpigeons were slightly down on what I expected, with ‘just’ 449 going south. Another very enjoyable days birding. 

-Redwing

-Fieldfare

-Woodpigeon

Among the throngs of migrants there were a few standout birds to enjoy as well, some real local rarities and others that are just special for here, including a patch tick…  

• Although it was long expected as a patch tick this autumn, it was nice to clinch my first Brambling on the 22^nd when a single flew south over the North Slope calling. Later a flock of seven also flew south but much more distant. This is my 121^st species for the patch! Fittingly, it was also my 100^th on Soil Hill this year.

• On the 19^th, just as I was finishing up the insane mornings VizMig, I picked up a Red Kite slowly drifting north, to the east of my VP. It came a little closer but was always high and continued to slowly move it’s way north. Remarkably, this is my first of the year here. Long overdue!

• On the 22^nd there was a nice surprise in the North Slope Tree-Line when I spotted a day-roosting Tawny Owl perched atop one of the fenceposts that runs down the slope. Its almost two years to the day since I first found this species roosting on the Hill, and I have only seen it one other time since, so to find it again on the nearly the same perch is quite the coincidence. 

• The final real notable species for the week was in the afternoon of the 23^rd when the high pitched calls alerted me to the presence of a flock of Long-tailed Tits. It was this time of year in 2020 when I also found this species here, when they lingered for just short of week. This time it was a flock of nine birds on the Ned Hill Track. Time will tell how long they will keep visiting the Hill for.  

-Brambling

-Red Kite

-Tawny Owl

-Long-tailed Tit

There were a few bits of Wildfowl this week, some on passage and others visiting the site itself. Although there were no huge numbers on passage, it’s always nice to see flocks on the move. 

• It’s been a long time coming, but the first Whooper Swans of the autumn finally passed south past Soil Hill this week. A group of 15 went south on the 19^th, passing down the Ogden Valley, with another small group of 8 on the 22^nd, which went out much further to the east over Bradford. 

• The 19^th was the only date this week where Pink-footed Geese were moving, with two small skeins totally just 91 birds heading northwest in the low cloud. 

• The NK Pond has hosted variable numbers of Teal during the week, with sightings every other day ranging from just three individuals to a personal record of 9 on the 22^nd.

-Whooper Swan

-Pink-footed Goose

-Eurasian Teal

  There was plenty of other good winter to be birding this week, even on days with poorer weather conditions. The poorer weather conditions produced a huge count of Common Snipe on the 20^th, when a passing ATV flushed a flock of 15 off the summit. Further walking produced another eight individuals bringing the total to 23! Another impressive count was on the 22^nd, when I totalled 15. My hunts for Jack Snipe have been successful for the most part, although no more than one individual at a time. Frustratingly though for most of the week it flushed before I was able to locate the bird with the thermal. That was until the 23^rd when one sat rather nicely and conspicuously, glowing in the thermal. The only other wader of note this week was a flock of six Golden Plover that flew north on the 19^th.

  Passerine migrants have been much reduced, as expected. Probably the last Chiffchaff of the year was present on the 17^th, and given that almost a week has passed since then, I think it is safe to say that this will indeed be the last of the year.  Goldcrests have been present almost daily but the best count of the week was just two on the 18^th. And finally, there have again been a number of Stonechat hanging around the Hill, with up to four being present almost every day, although they are mobile around the site.

   Throughout the week there were finches present in varying numbers, generally on VizMig but other times settled in the bushes feeding up. A Lesser Redpoll on the 21^st was the first I have ever seen on the deck here, surprising given how many I have heard and seen flying over. Siskins especially saw some nice totals on passage, with 29 on the 17^th and 28 on the 22^nd both being my best counts for this species here. Bullfinch have also been present daily, with the best count being four on the 22^nd. These were settled in the North Slope Tree-Line.

  The final note of the week was a flock of I estimated 500 Starlings on Perseverance Road on the 21^st, moving around in the fog in rather atmospheric conditions. 

-Jack Snipe

-Lesser Redpoll

-Starlings

Species List:
Soil Hill: Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Common Moorhen, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Brambling, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 9th October - 16th October

  It was another tricky week on Soil Hill, with the weather playing a large part in how birdy a visit to the site has been. Wind and rain have dictated the timing of visits, and the availability of species on offer. All that said, there have still been a few days with nice migration, if not huge numbers of birds, and there have been a few highlights.

• Although not a real Soil Hill mega, I finally found my first Jack Snipe on the deck this week on the 9^th. I have to say that without the thermal imager I would certainly not have spotted it, but once I had eyes on it the bird was quite content to rely entirely on its camouflage while I took some photos. The only other Jack Snipe of the week was a bird flushed on the 16^th before I was able to find it with the thermal imager. 

-Jack Snipe

 As eluded to, VizMig was very much hit-and-miss this week. On occasions there was rainfall and on others, the wind was too strong but on other days there were enough birds to keep things interesting as the species composition continues to gradually change as the autumn wears on. 

• Throughout the week the numbers of Meadow Pipits fluctuated greatly, but only entered three figures on a single date, the 11^th when 215 flew south on what was probably the most exciting VizMig day of the week.  

• There were a few Pied Wagtails on the move every day, but not in significant numbers and six on the 12^th was the best count of the week.  

• The number of Thrushes remained generally low to what would be expected during this time of year. The highest count of Redwings moving was on the 16^th when 82 flew south, the only other significant movement was on the 11^th when 39 flew south and 16 headed northeast. There have been a handful of Song Thrushes around but no significant movement and no counts entering double figures. And to wrap up the thrushes, the first Fieldfare of the year flew south on the 16^th, chattering away as it went. 

• Finches were on the move in small numbers throughout the week. The variety was certainly appreciated and it kept even the quiet mornings interesting.

  The species with the highest abundance this week has been Goldfinch, on some days being the most common moving finch. The best counts were 52 on the 13^th, 45 on the 14^th and 48 on the 11^th.

  During the week Siskin numbers picked up with high counts of 17 on both the 11^th and the 13^th.

   Another species with good numbers was Lesser Redpoll with my best count being 10 south on the 13^th, but small numbers recorded nearly daily.

  Also on the 13^th there was the best count of Chaffinch heading south, with 18 passing during the morning.

  Certainly dropping in numbers this week in Linnet, with just a scattering of migrants and a best count of four on the 11^th. However, on the 14^th there were two sizeable flocks on Taylor Lane totalling 31 individuals.

  A surprise reaapearance this week is Greenfinch, with a few birds moving south towards the end of the week, my first since mid-September here. On the 11^th 10 flew south, and on the 13^th there were 11 on the move.

  And finally, Bullfinch have been blogging around all week, sometimes dropping in from on high, and sometimes leaving the bushes and heading strongly south but overall difficult to judge. The best count was five on the 10^th. 

-Lesser Redpoll

  Wildfowl passage was notable by its absence this week, with no migrating geese of any kind recorded. There were still small numbers of Teal frequenting the NK Pond, with my best count being seven, including two drakes, on the 16^th. Also on the 16^th there was a small movement of Goosander, with seven heading south and 10 heading northeast. 

  Once again Snipe were recorded almost daily with my best count being four on the 11^th, 15^th and then 16^th. Undoubtedly there are more birds using the now-restored wet fields. A flock of Lapwing has been seen blogging over TMR on the 14^th and 16^th, but just a single flew west over the Hill on the 16^th.

  Counting migrants has been difficult this week due to the high winds, but there have still been a few birds. I was beginning to think that Chiffchaff might be done for the autumn with no appearances until the 14^th when one was calling in the North Slope Tree-Line. Possibly the same bird was then feeding at the bottom of the North Slope on the 15^th.  The numbers of Goldcrests remained very steady throughout the week, with the best count being just two on a number of dates. The best Stonechat count of the week was on the 13^th with four. Birds have been present nearly every day.

  To wrap up, there have been three Grey Partridges using the fields on Perseverance Road on the 11^th, 12^th and 15^th.  A single Collared Dove flew north on the 10^th, my first since mid-September. On an evening visit on the 9^th there was a very nice Barn Owl hunting on Ned Hill Track. On the 14^th a Jay was in the Koi Farm Copse, the first for some time. On the 11^th a Green Woodpecker could be heard calling from the same location. And finally, Raven was seen on two dates; the 10^th and then again on the 12^th.

-Grey Partridge

-Teal

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Little Owl, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

Orgreave Lakes

Another chilled out day with glorious sunshine all morning. I had planned to continue working on the dissertation until I saw Mark Reeder had a Black-necked Grebe down at Orgreave. Without hesitation I set off to go and get it seen. Being a Grebe I had little doubt that it would still be present when I arrived, which was around half 10, and I was not disappointed.

The Grebe showed incredibly well, swimming fairly close to the bank without much fear at all. I managed to get some fairly reasonable record shots, which I'm happy with. The bird even called at times, which is not a call I'm familiar with, but it was pretty awesome to hear. 

-Black-necked Grebe

The grebe was my 162 species of the year, arriving shortly after my 161st; Common Sandpiper. Sadly the sandpiper was not approachable in any way, flying to the other side of the lake when I was nowhere even remotely close to it. No record shot there then.

Of course, as is often the case with most birds, whenever Wheatears are present they upstage ever other bird on site, and today was no exception. There were Wheatears everywhere, including some birds standing off against each other by spreading their tails. They are just simply such awesome birds.

-Wheatear

There were hosts of other goodies too, including White Wagtails, Redshank, 5 Common Buzzard all in the air at the same time with 2 Sparrowhawks, 1 solitary Yellow Wagtail, Goosanders and two really smart Lesser Redpoll, although sadly they were badly obscured by the trees they were feeding on.

-Lesser Redpoll

Black-necked Grebe was not my only patch tick today though. Whilst on my way back round the small lake, in the hope of getting a shot of Common Sandpiper, I flushed a much rare prize. I missed it until I had already flush it, Green Sandpiper, but fortunately it landed on the island. Distant but still able to get a record shot. They are not common birds here, with only a couple of records per year, so to have stumbled across this one was really nice.

-Green Sandpiper

It was certainly a pleasant morning, and now I have the afternoon to write up some more on the dissertation.

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Great Tit, Skylark, Blackbird, Willow Warbler, Wren, Lapwing, Common Buzzard, Feral Pigeon, Chaffinch, Magpie, Linnet, Mallard, Carrion Crow, Black-headed Gull, Coot, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Gadwall, Redshank, Tufted Duck, Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Grey Heron, Great-crested Grebe, Meadow Pipit, Goosander, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Starling, Black-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap, Dunnock, Sand Martin, Pied Wagtail, Wheatear, Swallow, Common Teal, Green Sandpiper, Sparrowhawk, Moorhen

Orgreave Lakes

I was finished at lectures by midday and with the hours getting longer I could spend the afternoon at Orgreave, doing some proper patching and continuing to test the new camera, now that it was actually sunny!!!

By the time I arrived the light was already dropping. I managed to rack up the usuals pretty swiftly but the wind was a major problem and most of the birds were sheltering on the far side of the island. On the island was a nice Oystercatcher, first for the patch this year, and a flock of around 8 Lapwing. There was a decent contingent of gulls on the banks too, but nothing out of the ordinary that I could pick out.

-Oystercatcher

-Common Teal 

I did manage a long overdue patch tick today though. My attention had been caught by the white rumps of two Bullfinches flying into the bushes and as I looked through the bushes I caught a glimpse of the long tail of the Pheasant that has been eluding me for so long. I have heard this bird calling for at least a year and never been able to spot it. A very long overdue patch tick.

The real highlight of the afternoon was a very obliging Redpoll feeding along the edge of the river. I was able to get very close without flushing it, and so was able to get some pretty decent record shots. Funny that there should only be one, but I thought little of it. When I returned I popped my best shots on twitter as a lesser and thought nothing more of it. Until Tim messaged me in the evening pointing out a few things about it to make it a 1st winter female Mealy based on the age of the bird and a number of plumage features. I just saw it as buff and brown so assumed it was a lesser. Discussion then ensued over twitter with the outcome suggest that it was a Lesser Redpoll. It was something of an education to say the least. I need to continue working on my id of this very complicated group...

-Lesser Redpoll

So that was a pretty sweet afternoon. A nice way to spend a few hours casually birding and learning.

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Carrion Crow, Magpie, Goosander, Starling, Black-headed Gull, Gadwall, Common Teal, Woodpigeon, Mallard, Blackbird, Tufted Duck, Wren, Cormorant, Coot, Linnet, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Wigeon, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Reed Bunting, Mute Swan, Skylark, Pied Wagtail, Moorhen, Mealy Redpoll, Long-tailed Tit, Dunnock, Bullfinch, Pheasant,

Northumberland: Birling and Cresswell Pond

Well, lectures started again today, so what better excuse to run off twitching for the day? Northumberland was the chosen destination on account of its potential two lifers and generally pleasant birding.

I got off the train at 8.00 in Alnmouth and then got the bus down to Birling for the Arctic Redpoll that had been there for a while now. Just about managed to catch the bus to save myself some time, followed by a short walk down to the very vague location of the bird. along the way I picked up my first yeartick of the day, Whooper Swan. There were a small number of individuals feeding with the Mute Swans in the fields along the side of the road.

-Whooper Swan

I had a rough idea of where to look for the Redpolls and it was not long before I was able to pick up a number of birds in flight moving along in the field but I was not able to get them down for about an hour. An entire hour spent chasing Redpolls before I finally got them in an open area. I had a scan along the fence with the scope and within seconds I had the Cous' Arctic Redpoll sitting on the fence. It was obvious it was unbelievable, I barely had to wait to see the white rump, although it did not take long for it to duly oblige. 

The flock kept moving and I had my best views in the car park about half an hour later, although then it was in the trees and the views were quite obscured at times. I was quite pleased with my shots though. It was quite a bird to look at. In addition to the Arctic I tried to mind a mealy redpoll among the ranks of birds, but alas I found none.

Arctic Redpoll is my first lifer this year, and a real super looking bird. It was quite an education looking at Redpolls for so long. This bird is quite something.

-Cous' Arctic Redpoll

Whilst there I got a host of other goodies too. Perhaps the highlight of these was during my five mins seawatching when a super Black-throated Diver flew south not too far out. An unexpected yeartick to say the least, and possibly the best view I have ever had of the species.

Also a bonus yeartick were the Grey Partridges that abounded in the game crop. The crop was tall but from it I could heard strange croaking noises. I had no idea what was going on and it took around half an hour before any of the culprits decided to fly out of it and reveal themselves, but once they had I found that there were Grey Partridges everywhere around the site.

-Grey Partridge

I had intended to get the bus down to Cresswell Pond for the LB Dowitcher there but as it happens there were a couple of local birders at the Redpoll and one of them offered to take me, saving me plenty of time and allowing me to arrive right at the pond rather than a substantial walk.

The Dowitcher was not on the near scrape, but Another birder in the hide picked it up on the very distant far side of the pond. Second lifer of 2016 in the bag. This does mean I labored to get any photos and the ones I did get were not helped by the fact that the bird spent most of its time with its head underwater.

It was nice to see it in context with the other waders though, so stumpy compared to the redshank it was feeding alongside. Whilst I did not manage to get a good photo of it I did manage a very poor quality video which is a bit better, although if that will be the same on here we will have to see.

-Long-Billed Dowitcher

-Long-Billed Dowitcher

A double lifer day, both birds playing ball, what more could I ask?

There were plenty of other birds at the pond too, yearticking Bar-Tailed Godwit and Dunlin among the other waders present. There were also masses of Pink-Footed Geese in the fields around the ponds. I knew there were a couple of Eurasian White-Fronted Geese in with them and so was painstakingly analysing all the flocks in the hope of picking them out.

Somehow the flock I found them in was the one directly opposite the pond which I had already scanned 3 times before I finally got them. I counted 4 White-fronts in total, a species I have not seen for many years and a really nice addition to the yearlist.

The geese were feeding in the fields along the side of the road, and so when I left Cresswell and headed up to Druridge Pools I got to walk right past them and get a few nice record shots...

-Pink-Footed Geese

-White-fronted Geese

Along the walk to Druridge I did not pick up much; a Stonechat and a few Yellowhammer the best of them. By the time I arrived at Druridge it was early evening and there was not much that there had not been at Cresswell. I added Pintail to the day list but the real highlight was a nice Short-eared Owl that was hunting around the area. A really nice way to finish off the day.

-Short-eared Owl

By the end of the day I was knackered but to have seen both my targets, plenty of other stuff and had a pretty sweet all-round day I could not ask for anything more. Thanks again to the local birders who gave me a lift and information about birds in the area and what best strategy to take. What an incredible days birding. 

Species List:

Birling Carrs: Rook, Tree Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Jackdaw, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Yellowhammer, Grey Partridge, Oystercatcher, Lesser Redpoll, Guillemot, Black-throated Diver, Grey Heron, Cous' Arctic Redpoll, Blackbird, Dunnock, Wren, Golden Plover, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Skylark, Pheasant, 

Cresswell Pond: Dunlin, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Long-billed Dowitcher, Lapwing, Wigeon, Common Teal, Mallard, Shelduck, Pink-footed Goose, Moorhen, Common Snipe, Starling, Jackdaw, Rook, Great Tit, Red-breasted Merganser, Carrion Crow, White-fronted Goose, Oystercatcher, Little Grebe, Sparrowhawk, Cormorant, Goldeneye, Magpie, Turnstone, Eider, Herring Gull, Goldfinch, Robin, Yellowhammer, Wren, Reed Bunting, Stonechat, Kestrel, Lesser Redpoll, Pied Wheatear, Sanderling,

Druridge Pools: Mallard, Shelduck, Pintail, Wigeon, Common Teal, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Shoveler, Grey Heron, Lapwing, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Short-eared Owl, Pink-footed Goose, Carrion Crow, Gadwall, Tree Sparrow, Siskin, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, Little Grebe, Coot, Pheasant, Long-tailed Tit, Stonechat, Red-throated Diver, Feral Pigeon,