Ogden

Saturday Morning went down to Ogden to help with the watch group, Clearing drains and rebuilding washed away paths. There was one cormorant on the buoy in the middle of the reser, which is a bird I don't see regularly at Ogden. Had intended to call in at soil hell on the way back up, but when I arrived there was a guy in an orange vest with two Alsatians going  up the path, so I decided to give it a miss. It was a pity really, as I had hoped to see something.

Caterpillar

We were just pulling up to reverse into the driveway on the way back from, church when I spotted a yellow streak on our neighbors dry stone wall. I got out to have a look and found a lovely yellow caterpillar weaving a silk web on the wall. I have no idea what kind it is, but it was pretty exquisite to see. I had a look the day after and it was still there, though its progress seemed to be limited. It does seem a little late in the year, but I have probably seen more caterpillars in October this year than at any other time.

-Caterpillar

Random October Caterpillars

I have been noticing recently that there are quite a few brown wooly caterpillars trying to cross paths and roads while walking to school. I helpfully move them to avoid them being stepped on, but it does seem a little late in the year for caterpillars.

Ogden-Dipping out on a yellow browed warbler

I arrived home after walking home from town in the morning to receive a text message saying that there was a yellow-browed warbler at Ogden. Unsurprisingly I gathered my things and rushed over. I wandered around Ogden for around an hour looking for the site and eventually stumbled across the other birders looking for it. I heard it was with some long tailed tits, and so headed of into the woods to try and find some long-tailed tits, a pretty easy bird to locate by their calls.
  I found the long tailed tits easily enough, quite close too, so I took a few photos of them.

-Long-Tailed Tit
I then spotted a warbler sized bird moving through the conifers, and having noticed it had golden wing bars, immediately got my hopes up. About 10mins later they were crushed again when it appeared to be a goldcrest. This was the trend set for the rest of the afternoon, long-tailed tits with some goldcrests thrown in to confuse us, a lovely bird need-less to say.












-Goldcrest

-Long-Tailed Tit 
Having come straight over after arriving home I had not taken any lunch, which now did not seem like a good idea. After a few hours of searching I had to call it quits due to my hunger, without so much as a glimpse of yellow-browed warbler. Andy said he heard it, but we were unable to catch it again after that, when it was 10 meters up surrounded by goldcrests.
  Disappointed I walked home, until late that afternoon I got another text saying it had been re-found on the far side of the reservoir. Once more, my mum gave me a lift over to see if I could find it. I managed to find the group watching it, but when I arrived it had apparently just left. It was associating with a chiff-chaff, which I got stunning views of, as well as there being some very late swallows and house martins, but sadly no warbler.

-Chiff-Chaff 
so I saw plenty of lovely things, but not quite the bird I had hoped for. It was however, a lovely afternoon to have spent looking for it.

5 Years!!

Just a quick note to say that "my birding starting September 2007" is now on its five year anniversary. Over that time it has covered some incredible "firsts" for me and some incredible dips, as well as amazing experiences with all kinds of species. I would like to thank all the people who have viewed this website over that time, it means a lot to me.

Thanks

Swallows

Spotted a late swallow on my way down to school today, see it again in three days it will be my first October swallow in Calderdale. There were six on the wires outside Bradshaw school yesterday, so they are clearly leaving it late this year. There were also two pied wagtails on the bowling green, which was nice to see.

Sparrowhawk

Just a quick update. Looking out of my bedroom window this morning I spotted a sparrowhawk hunting over the field opposite our house, as it flew up the hill and then into the neighbors garden. It was very brown, so likely to have been a female, but still lovely to see.

Garden Brimstone? Whats that all about?

It was a sunny but blustery Sunday afternoon, and after church I was chilling upstairs, when my dad called me to say there was a brimstone in the garden. The last time I saw a brimstone was Stavely last year, and before that it would have been a few years ago, so to have one in the garden was a big surprise. When I arrived in the garden my dad was right. It sadly did not hang around for long, clearing off after around 5 mins of it sitting in none suitable positions for photographing. either way, this is up there on the garden list of records, and being my first one this year, was extra special.

-Brimstone 

Oats Royd

Finally went down there today with a friend. I have heard so much about this reserve and with it being local should really have spent more time down there but sadly havent. I was very impressed; there was a wide variety of insect life, including small copper butterflies, brown hawker dragonflies and both common blue and blue tailed damselflies. On the bird front there was a mixed flock of tits, including long tailed, and two very aggressive gees, as well a sparrowhawk high overhead.. Overall a good afternoon, and I will deffinatly be going back.

Dumfries and Galloway Day 5

And so the Holiday comes to an end. After packing up, we decided to go for a quick walk along the beach for one last time, and it turned out to be worth it, because I spotted my first golden plover (s) of the year, and they were pretty close too.

-Golden Plover
As is tradition it seems, we headed to threave gardens for the day, because my mum loves the gardens there. I also love it, because it has a great bird hide, with reliable smashing views of jays and woodpeckers, as well as other woodland species. After lunch I headed straight up there. Sadly I did not have long as we had promised my brother that we would go to the airplane museum in Dumfries because he likes looking at planes.
  Luckily I did not need long, as no sooner did I arrive than did the unusual birds begin to appear, first were the nuthatches and siskins

-Siskins
I waited a while, and it did not take long for a woodpecker to appear, and just like buses there were two at once.

-Greater Spotted Woodpecker 
and so, after spending the first half of the afternoon at threave, we left for the airplane museum. I initially was dreading going, but as it happened there was a forestry commission site on the other side o the road to the museum, so I headed there. I was not expecting great things from this site, but since it was a sunny, warm afternoon, I had nothing to lose.
  As it happened, this was possibly the best wildlife site I had been to all year, outside of your regular RSPB and the such reserves. The first path that was not overshadowed by trees had a dragonfly hunting along it, and after some close observation I could see that it was a common hawker.
  and then the path dipped down into what looked like once a quarry, with birch shrubby woodland, and very open gravel pathways. I came around a corner and could see a large ish pond, clearly a flooded depression in the quarry. One side was clear gravel, and the other side was the birch and bramble woodland.
  This pond was wonderful, as after I took my first step to the edge, I flushed a lovely common darter, slightly menalistic, suggesting that yesterdays was not a highland after all.

-Common Darter 
And if that alone was not enough, remember I had low expectations, I then flushed a stunning male black darter from the edge of the pond. These darters were very flighty in comparison to what they have been in the past when I have seen them.

-Black Darter Male
There were actually rather a lot of common and black darters flying over the pond that I had not noticed. There were also quite a few pairs in tandem, including these black darters.

-Black Darters in Tandem 
Unsurprisingly, as where ever you find black darters you seem to find emerald damselflies, I soon stumbled across a lovely male emerald damselfly. There was some aquatic vegetation in one corner, and there I found it. It was difficult to photograph because the greenery was some way into the pond.

-Male Common Emerald Damselfly 
Back on the shore, and there continued to be good numbers of both common and black darters, looking lovely in the sunshine.

-Male Common Darter

-Black Darter 

-Male Common Emerald Damselfly 
as the sun began to get lower, the number of dragonflies began to drop, as dragonflies went to roost in the birch woodland I spoke of earlier. I headed there and found quite a few darters rested up on the various logs and brambles.

-Black Darter 
It was probably the sunlight but I swear I saw a flash of blue, which made me wonder if I had seen a keeled skimmer, so I headed off into the brush into it.
  Sometimes in nature you can see something awesome, but expect to see it, and then the appeal is somewhat diminished. When you see something you completely do not expect to see then its always wonderful. When the black darter that appeared blue in the light dissapeared I happened to glance down at the floor in front of me, probably to avoid catching a bramble, or worse. There, under a bramble patch, casually sat there, was an adder. I was shocked, as it made me jump. When you see its eyes looking at you when you don't expect it its quite a startling experience. After I got over my shock, a wave of excitement came over me and I carefully lifted my camera to see if I could get some photos.
  It must have been asleep as I carefully moved around it, to get different angles. I must have taken ten photos before it seemed to wake up, and then it dissapeared into the brush. It was wonderful to see, though it had left me with a beating heart.

-Adder 
After that amazing sighting I headed back onto the pond. there were quite a few common hawkers around, which had been off in the forest before now, but this gave me the opportunity to try and see if they would land. I followed one into the wood, where it did land, but sadly left before I was able to get a really good photo.

-Common Hawker
After the failure of them in the forest, I tried to get some flight shots of them hunting over the pond. I managed a few, but they move way too quick really

-Common Hawker
By the time I had finished, the light was poor and most of the wildlife had gone to bed. My dad and brother had finished and so we headed into Dumfries for a walk along the river. We had not gone far, when I spotted a shape in the water,  which promptly dived showing me that it was an otter. I couldn't believe it, especially since I had left the camera in the car. I told my family, so waited patiently for it to re-appear, whilst I legged it back for the camera.
  Upon arriving back at the spot, they told me that it had not re-appeared. We decided to carry on with the walk and see if it appeared. it did not appear on this side of the river, and we crossed over to the other side to continue the walk back. Then, It re-appeared on the other side of the bank, just for a few minuets, so I was able to get some photos, and properly watch it.

-Otter
As soon as it dissapeared I ran back to the bridge so that I could try and be over it for when it went under the bridge. That was the last time I saw it, it must have dived and swum under the bridge. While I waited I was able to enjoy some of the other evening wildlife, such as a family of three grey wagtails on the river bank.

-Grey Wagtail 
And on the other side of the river I watched a pair of goosanders come up and under the bridge, which was lovely to see.

-Goosanders 
and so ends the scotland holiday, quite a remarkable set of species, such as Otter, Adder and Black darter.