Kinder Scout/Edale Moor walk hunting Mountain Hares

So today I had decided to try for the Peak Districts Mountain Hares rather than go for birds for the year list, since I have never seen one before and I wanted to go while they would still be white.

My research gave me the location around the dark peak estate round Edale, and Kinder scout, though I would have to go by train rather than bus, as it was over the far side of the peak district. I cost a bit, but I hoped it would be worth it.

However, it was only when I was on the train that I discovered that Kinder Scout was the largest Peak in the Peaks, and that on the way up it goes up 200 meters in a Kilometer, and it was very steep. The day started with the peak in thick fog, and the wind was brutal. I could have leant out over the edge and not have fallen off it was so strong. 

However, by 12:00 the wind had cleared the fog, and the view had come through and looked stunning. The only bird I saw at this point was a Meadow Pipit which quickly vanished into the fog as soon as I spotted it. However when the fog cleared and I left the edge of the moor and gone onto the Moor and the peak of Kinder Scout the wind dropped too. I found a small path that followed a river, which was strangely just like being back home on the moors there. 

I wandered up the river, not really expecting to see hares since I had given up hope due to the weather being so poor, however I was in luck, as looking up one of the small side streams I spotted a white lump sat on a soil bank. Even though I could clearly see it I was still in doubt and thought it was a rock, but when I settled down I got a great view and was able to watch it for some time, sat huddled on the bank.

-Mountain Hare

I wandered a bit closer and got great views, but it ran off as I got too close. A little further on I found another, sat in a similar position but it was much more flighty and I was unable to get very close.

I continued up the river for about a Kilometer with no more hares, but the path seemed to fade out and I decided it would probably be an idea to turn back rather than carry on through. Even as I thought this I flushed another hare from right under me. I lost it, but found it again a little later in a good position. I commando crawled closer and got some really good record shots which I am well pleased with.

-Mountain Hare

I was well pleased that they were still in their lovely winter coat, though they were still difficult to track down despite what seemed an obvious looking coat. 

I decided to make my way back down and rejoin the main path and wander home down the Pennine way. I did not spot any hares on the way back down until I reached the same area where I had seen them before. I spotted another hiding underneath an overhang on one of the soil banks. I commando crawled close to it to try and get some good record shots. I was well pleased with my results, and the Hare seemed very placid, which was feeding even as I approached it, until I was only about 3 meters away from it. 

-Mountain Hare

That was the final hare I saw on the walk, though it had been an excellent view on a great walk, in the sunshine on top of a great peak. It had been stunning. On the bird front, I spotted Red Grouse, one, and a falcon, though I am unsure what species it was as it was in the sun, but it was defiantly not a Merlin, I think it was a kestrel, though it seemed too big, I think it was too small for a peregrine. I mad my way round the ridge with outstanding views of Edale and the valley and of the Kinder scout peak. I saw a Raven on the way back, which was my first year tick of the day.

There was one point where I could look down on the entire valley on all four sides. It really was stunning, it felt great and the weather had picked up some much. It was just an awesome feeling.

-Edale Valley

I made my way back down from the peak via the Pennine way and back into the valley and the village. I had to wait an hour for the train but it was well worth it, it was without doubt one of the best days ever. I was so pleased I had spotted some hares, and that they were still in full coat and looking lovely, and that I had been out for a walk in the lovely peaks. 

On the train back I spotted a group of Curlew in the fields, which brings my year tick up to 83 species this year...

So, a breakdown of today's total bird species list:
Red Grouse, Raven, Kestrel, House Sparrow, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Grey Heron, Common Buzzard, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Common Pheasant, Robin, Curlew, Jay

Uni Semester 2 Week 3

Tuesday
I wandered into town to pick up my dads birthday present and whilst in the city center I spotted my first butterfly of the year, no idea what it was but its still the first butterfly, and in February too

Thursday
My parents came down to visit and we went for a walk round the botanical gardens. Common garden birds were quite abundant and it was a very nice day:
Collard Dove
Long-Tailed Tit
Robin
Dunnock
Blue Tit
Wren
Great Tit
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
So that was really nice and the sun was out, so that made for a really pleasant morning. We also had a grey squirrel, but it was not as tame as they had been in the autumn

Rother Valley CP with SUBS

So today I decided to go on the Sheffield University Birdwatching Society (SUBS) trip to Rother Valley Country Park on the far side of Sheffield. The weather was not great and it set in during the afternoon, however, it was a really good day with plenty of stuff. I am informed 34 species were recorded, the full list to follow soon. 

The highlights were without doubt Redshank, Buzzard and numerous wigeon which were grazing the side of the lake. There were also great views of great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck and Lesser Black Backed gull, which were perched on a drum in the lake.

-Lesser Black Backed Gull

We had lunch at the Wake-boarding center, which was quiet bird-wise but there was a Lapwing on one of the Jetties and a pied wagtail flitting around for a little while.

-Pied Wagtail

I even managed a year tick today, and not a species I had considered as a possibility. At the feeding station there were multiple Mute Swans, Graylag Geese, Canada Geese and Mallards when while we were having a group photo I spotted a Shelduck feeding among the mallards. It was incredibly bold, not seeming to care how close we were, which was very close, but it allowed us great views and was possibly the most unusual bird that we recorded today. It was also my 81st year tick, hence my little cheer of celebration when I spotted it. The fact that it was in full plumage only added to it.

-Shelduck 

So that was that, a really nice day spent out and about with plenty of great birds to show for it.

Old Moor Return

I had not been out birding for a little while just while the new semester settled down, but the weekend came round and I decided to just go for it. After much mental debate I decided to return to old moor to see what was around. This turned out to be a well founded decision.

 So, after a smooth public transport transition I made it Old Moor without any bother at all. I decided to head straight to the main hide as the sightings had suggested that there was a med gull around, as well as numerous raptors flying through, so I decided to skip the feeders initially and head straight there.

This was also a well founded decision as soon as a I arrived at the hide the birders in there alerted me to a bittern that had taken off and was being mobbed by some gulls over the mere. It was not the greatest or longest view of a bittern I have ever had, but still great to see as it fly low and dropped down into the reeds. I had heard that a bittern was around but had not expected to see it so was very pleased.

I then asked the other birders if the Med Gull was around, and they pointed out the location. Such as it was I had two very good year ticks within 20 mins of arrival. I found the Med Gull, no issue and was able to watch it swagger around and even seemingly display to some of the neighboring black headed gulls. I was well happy to have got this bird. What was even nicer was that it was in summer plumage. I had expected a 1st or 2nd winter bird but this was a full plumaged adult. This was only my 3rd ever time seeing this species so I was well pleased with this

-Mediterranean Gull

Sadly the record shots were not quite up to the view down the scope which was the only downside. After a bit I began exploring the rest of the mere and found plenty of lovely wildfowl, as well as a third year-tick for the day: Oystercatcher, feeding on the far bank. There were many more birds than last time too, so it was generally a very pleasing time watching them all.

-Male wigeon

-Cormorant

-Wigeons

I scoured the rest of the reserve but found little that was not on the main hide, the highlights being the Goosander that were on the Wader Scrape.

After a bit I headed to the Tree Sparrow farm to see what was there, after all, last time I had brambling. This time there was not brambling, and there did seem to be fewer birds than last time, though there was a nice addition of Collard dove which I did not recall last time. There were the standard Yellowhammer too, always looking lovely and striking in the hedge.

-Yellowhammer

Next I went to the feeders behind the shop, last time there were no birds on these at all, but I had read that there were some lesser redpolls hanging around so I decided to try and hunt them down. I did not have to wait long before one bird came on the feeders at the back. This is only the 4th time I have ever seen Redpoll, so once more was well pleased with these. Sadly though the view was very short and it did not return besides its short stint of around 2 mins. In addition  there were Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Collard Dove and Woodpigeon all rather close and looking really nice.

-Lesser Redpoll

After this stint at the feeders I decided to head round to the reedbed section of the reserve to see what was going on. Not much different, though there was a stunning Great Crested Grebe and good Shoveler numbers, more than elsewhere on the reserve.

-Shoveler

While I was there something flushed all the gulls on the mere, I dunno what it was, but when I returned to the main hide to see if I could re-find the med gull it had sadly gone. One of the other birders though spotted a Dunlin fly across the mere, which was a year tick for me, so I decided to see if I could track it down.

I went to the Field Pool West Hide and had a look there, that's where it seemed to have gone. I did not have any luck initially, though I did find a Redshank, the first of the day and second of the year. After a bit longer though I did find the Dunlin and got some decent views of it feeding which was nice, and brought me up to 5 year-ticks for the day.

Finally I returned to the feeding station to see if the Redpoll had returned and was rewarded with not one but two redpolls and a lovely male Reed Bunting all on the feeders at the same time. So that was a wonderful end to a smashing day.

-Lesser Redpoll, Male Reed Bunting

And so finally I will end with a complete breakdown of all the species that I saw today in all their glory, and to tell you that as a result of today's remarkable birding my year-list is up to 80 species!

Day Total: Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal, Mute Swan, Goosander, Shoveler, Goldeneye, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Magpie, Goldfinch, Black-Headed Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Lapwing, Bittern, Cormorant, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Pochard, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Stock Dove, Oystercatcher, Carrion Crow, Pheasant, Graylag Goose, Collard Dove, Yellowhammer, Long-Tailed Tit, Lesser Redpoll, Robin, Bullfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Wren, Dunnock, Common Gull, Redshank, Dunlin

Uni Semester 2 Week 2

Again a very quiet week still settling back into the routine of lectures. The only highlight I can recall was a Mistle thrush feeding on berries on the tree's in Broomhill. That aside there really has not been much. There was also a Jay that alighted briefly in the tree outside my window but the view was heavily obscured and I could not really see the bird unfortunately

Uni Semester 2 Week 1

Not going to lie, compared to refreshers week there really was nothing doing this week. I did not see anything that is worth reporting
  Luckily though 2 of my lectures this week were about birds, the first one the lecturer offered £25 to i.d. a bird on the screen, red-necked Nightjar, but somebody else got there first and got it wrong, which was disappointing.
  However in the next lecture he offered £5 for every one of the bird orders on the screen that people could get, and I managed 5 out of 7. He even referred to me as his colleague for the rest of the lecture.
  But that's pretty much it for this week...

Smawthorne Marsh - Twitching Firecrest

My intention today was to get the firecrest in the morning, a bird I had long wanted to see, at Smawthorne marsh in Castleford and then go to Swillington for the Siberian chiff-chaff in the afternoon, since I was already quite close.
  Things did not turn out like this however, as I spent a good four hours hunting for the firecrest with no joy at all. I was heartbroken. There were other birds at the site, but they were mainly garden birds, with some nice more unusual garden type birds.
-Willow Tit - My first of the year
-Long Tailed Tit
-Bullfinch
-Goldcrest
-Sparrowhawk
-Goldfinch
-Greenfinch
-Chaffinch
-Blue tit
-Great tit
-Coal tit
-Blackbird
-House Sparrow
-Magpie
-Carrion Crow
-Woodpigeon
Because I spent so long looking for the firecrest I did not make it for the sibe chaff, but I figured it was only a small brown bird and probably not worth the extra expense for potentially more disappointment

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.

Pugney's CP to finally get a Smew! (Maybe)

My Smew record leaves a lot to be desired, so what made me decided to try for the Smew at Pugney's, a solid £12 in public transport fares is beyond me. Obviously though having never been there before I was keen to check out the site and see what was going down. It took me a solid 2.5 hours to get there, and no sooner did I arrive than did the heavens open.

  My internet research had found no information on where the Smew was located on the reserve, so I decided to check out the nature reserve section first, it seemed like the logical place to start. There was plenty of stuff on the pool, and the hide offered some degree of protection from the elements, though the hide had a tin roof, so the rain made quite a din.

  So here is my list of birds seen from the hide, the top 6 are year ticks this year:

-Common Teal

-Shoveler

-Pochard

-Redshank

-Goldeneye

-Kingfisher, brief view but still awesome to see

-Great Crested Grebe

-Mute Swan

-Mallard

-Coot

-Moorhen

-Black Headed Gull

-Common Gull

-Lesser-Black Backed Gull

-Long-Tailed Tit

-Bullfinch

-Lapwing

-Cormorant

-Birds on the Nature Reserve

  Sadly though no sign of Smew. After a good hour in the hide I decided to move on and see what else was about on the site. I decided to make my way round the main lake to get to the top lake to see if it was up there. The main lake was sparse on birdlife, but still had some good stuff

-Canada Geese

-Mallard

-Goosander

-Coot

-Tufted Duck

-Goldeneye

-Black Headed Gull

-Grey Heron

  Some good birds but by now I had all but given up on the Smew, making it my 5th Smew related dip in a row. I made it to the top pool in terrible conditions. There were plenty of birds here, including another year tick: Gadwall

-Gadwall

-Tufted Duck

-Grey Heron - Fishing

-Pochard

-Usual Suspects

  And that seemed to be that. However, all Smew hope was not lost, for though my research had been futile I had read somewhere that it was on the river, twitter or somewhere like that, so that was where I made my last stop, useful since it goes alongside the top pool. There were a few Goldeneye quite close on the river, so I took a few shots to fill out this rather wordy post

-Goldeneye

But then, under the bridge I spotted a small white bird in the water. Could it be or was it another Gull, I raised my bins, water on the lens made identification inconclusive. I got closer, raised the bins again, still only a white speck, but now seemed very hopeful, I got closer again and yes, there it was. A stunning drake Smew, finally setting the record straight.

I was able to get as stunning view through the scope and get a few record shots. I watched it for about 5 mins before decided to get a bit closer, nearer the road bridge. I got to the bridge but the bird had gone, and despite my best efforts I failed to re-locate it.

That left the sighting a tad bittersweet, A stunning bird, but I would rather have been able to watch it for longer and really appreciate its beauty, but it was not to be. I managed some record shots and got a stunning view through the scope, but my Smew tick will now forever be known as 'the five minuet Smew'!

-Stunning Drake Smew

Overall it was a really good day, and great to see the Smew, even if it was brief 

Return to Broomhead

The exams are finally finished, over, done!!

So what better way to celebrate finishing my last exam than a trip to Broomhead Reservoir to hopefully catch-up with some 2 Barred Crossbills. My final exam finished at 10.00 and then it was all systems go birding. I made my way quickly up to Broomhead, since I was later than I had been before. And this time I had a new piece of kit. With my Christmas money I had invested in a new 500ml lens, and now was eager to put it through its paces with some birding.
  I arrived at the lower reser with not much going on, a winter Great Crested Grebe, 4 Cormorants and a usual assortment of mallards. The top reser, Broomhead, was much quieter. I reached the spot where the TBC had been but there was no sign, so made my way round to the feeding station since I had not visited the site last time.
  On the way I bumped into a Bradford birder, who had already seen them that morning. Shout out to Fred Drake, it was nice to see a familiar face. At the feeding station there were good numbers of common crossbills in cracking light, so I was able to get some record shots of them, finally!

-Common Crossbill

 Sadly no TBC's but I really had wanted some photos of common crossbills. After a bit I made my way back to the larches, nothing doing there over lunch. I then returned to the feeding station where I learned that the TBC's had turned up after I left, but they had also since departed. 

  I made my way there anyway and got cracking views of Coal Tits and Long-Tailed Tits especially, but also Nuthatch, Great Tit, Blue Tit and GSW. after that I made my way back to the larches, nothing doing so I decided to head home, not a bad afternoon to celebrate though...

  On the reser on the way back there were a few gulls starting to roost, all 3 species present were year ticks: 

Herring Gull

Greater Black Backed Gull

Lesser Black Backed Gull

So that was good too. Overall a really good day, despite missing the TBC's