University Peregrines

After finishing at Orgreave I decided it was about time I paid a visit to the Peregrines on campus. I can't really say why I have not been yet, but yesterday they had laid their first egg so I decided why not. I turned up on site and found the box with relative ease. Once that was achieved finding the bird proved not issue, as it perched handsomely on the perch on the box. This was the female bird, but as I approached she made a retreat into the box, leaving me to wonder what next.

-Female Peregrine heading into the box

I spent about 15 mins watching the box, along with another birder who was there to watch them too. He was a local and said he had been down last year to watch them then. He then left to see if the male was on the other side of the church. He was obviously not because the birder turned up on the side of the graveyard about a minuet later.

However, after about 10 mins of him being there he started clicking his fingers and pointing, telling me that the male bird was flying in. It came right overhead and landed on the perch that the female had been on. He lasted there about 10 seconds before the female rushed out to chase him off. But that at least brought the female out of the box so we could see her again.

-Male Peregrine

-Female Peregrine

However, the male was persistent and came back round allowing me to try and get some photos of him in flight. I did not pull it off well mainly because of the trees all around which made it difficult to get a clear shot, and when he was out of the trees he was too close and therefore difficult to get a great focus on. I still managed a couple of nice shots to show just lovely these birds are.

-Peregrine Male

So that was a lovely end to the day. I will certainly be coming back to see them again. I had to leave in order to make it back for football, but I will certainly be back.

Orgreave Lakes

I decided that after my lecture today I would go to Orgreave Lakes to see what all the fuss was about. Orgreave, for anyone who does not know won the inland patchwork challenge last year and has been described as one of the best new nature reserves, though it is in fact a development site, so I dunno how long its going to remain  like this.

Its convenient to get to, only one 40 min bus journey and then your there, hence why I had enough time after lectures. The weather was fluctuating but for the whole time I was there it held out and was a rather nice day. As soon as I arrived I spotted my first year-tick of the day-Skylark, singing up very high, hence it took a few moments to locate but I managed it.

I followed the path round the two lakes and found more and more skylarks and meadow pipits too, all in good numbers. The real birds I wanted to see were ringed plover and so I was checking all the shorelines. There were Cormorants, mallards, gulls, coots, moorhens, Canada geese and mute swans, as well as Gadwall. I made my way round to the second lake following a small group of Mipits and managed to track down some skylarks that were less flighty

-Skylark

The second lake was bigger but still had a good variety of wildfowl on offer, including tufted duck and goosander. There was quite a big goosander flock and they drifted in quite close so I was able to get a record shot.

-Goosander

I followed the path but it lingered nearer the river now rather than the ponds, there was less here, but still stuff to be had. The highlight was a pair of teal, as well as gadwall and mallards.

I reached the point at which the lakes stopped but the site carried on, and as I had never been before I decided to carry on going up the river. I did not get very far, but on that bit of the walk I spotted lapwings on the far fields and there were a lot off bumble-bees next to the path. But the highlight of this part of the walk as that 3 hirundines flew over me. They were not swallows and seemed quite dark so I reckon house martin, though only sand martins were recorded from the site today. Either way its my first Hirundines of the year so that was very exciting.

I then turned back and continued walking around the lakes. I continued to scout the shores and eventually got lucky when I spotted a small brown bird feeding on the water edge. I got closer and was please to find that it was a ringed plover, no less than the bird I had wanted. However, there was a twist in the tail because as I approached I began to realise that this was not actually a ringed plover but a little ringed plover, a species I am very unfamiliar with. I only realised what it was a few mins before it took off. They had not been recorded at the site yet this year, so I wondered if I was the one that had found the first, but when I got home I found that somebody had been earlier and found them first. I say them because they spotted 2, whereas I only found the one.

-Little Ringed Plover

I continued on the way round and added to my list oystercatcher, wigeon and actual ringed plover. I found a pair of ringed plovers on the far side of the first lake, so that was nice, actually finding the birds I had wanted to see. This time there was no doubt, the orange on the bill was unmistakable through the bins. They were quite flighty and there was a dog running around so I was unable to get particularly close. But either way I managed a record shot.

-Ringed Plover

I decided to wander back so that I was not late for football, and I had seen the site and wandered round. I was well impressed, even as I was leaving I spotted another teal on the river which was quite close, or at least close enough for me to get a record shot.

-Common Teal

I was almost out when I decided to check out a marshy area for jack snipe. I found none but did flush a female reed  bunting which was nice, another species for the day. But that was not the highlight, as I also found my first identifiable butterfly of the year; small tortoiseshell. I realise now though that I had the wrong lens on as I had been photographing birds, and so was unable to get a great shot of it, either way I still managed a shot to record this, my second butterfly of the year.

-Small Tortoiseshell

And that was that. I was pretty impressed with the site and will defiantly be coming back multiple times due to the ease of getting there. And I had recorded 4 year ticks for the day, bringing me to the bumper score of 88!

Endcliffe Park through to Forge Dam

Even though the weather was not great, it had been so long since I went birding that I decided to go for a walk in Endcliffe park to use the afternoon productively. However, I had a great time and saw some smashing birds, so here it is in full, rather than an add on to a weekly update.

No sooner had I arrived at the park that did a treecreeper fly right by me and land on a nearby tree. I was very excited but by the time I had gotten the camera out the bird was already some way up the tree and I was unable to get any really good shots

-Treecreeper

I wandered around the ponds in the park before wandering up the river bu there were only really mallards, moorhens and black-headed gulls. There were reports of a mandarin but I never found it.

Next I wandered up river, away from the park in the hope of finding dipper. I did not find any dipper but I did find 3 Grey Wagtails, including one that was in stunning plumage, possibly the most vivid and striking grey wagtail I have ever seen. Sadly it was too dark to get the photos I really wanted given how close I was but those I got still came out OK with Photoshop!

-Grey Wagtail

On one side of the path was the river, and on the other is a stagnant ditch, and it was in this that I spotted a very large Carrion Crow catching things in the mud. I was able to get very close to it before a dog walker scared it off, but its a bird I rarely stop to watch and as a result my library is pretty bare of them, so to be able to have views like I got of this individual was pretty special.

-Carrion Crow

I made it to Forge Dam on the outskirts of the peaks where there was a cafe and a rather impressive rookery, with about 30 pairs, and a male blackcap, though it was very flighty and I managed no photos. While I was wandering around the dam itself I heard a Chiffchaff calling, my first of the year. I decided to carry on the walk in an attempt to find it. I did not find that individual but further up I found another that was flighty but I managed to track down and get some shots of my 84th bird of the year and first Chiffchaff.

-Chiffchaff

I also flushed a song thrush in the same place, as well as spotting a Long-Tailed tit, though there were many of the latter on the walk at various points. 

-Long-Tailed Tit

Once I lost the Chiffchaff I decided it would be idea to head back to try and get some work done. On the way back I decided to take some shots of the rookery, since its the first rookery I have found this year.

-Rooks

On the walk back through Whitely Woods I found a mixed tit flock feeding in a cluster of holly trees. There seemed to be a mixture of random birds rather than a tit flock; a great tit, a robin, a blackbird, possibly another chiffchaff, a nuthatch, though not strictly with the flock but in the same vicinity and a goldcrest, which was very nice to find. 

-Nuthatch

-Goldcrest

There was not as much on the walk back, only one grey wagtail, but just before the park I found a goldfinch having a drink which was nice to see since I had been hearing them all afternoon

So there we got then, it was nice to get out of the flat and get back birding again, and I had gotten more than I had bargained for

Uni Semester 2 Week 5

Despite the nice weather, this turned into a very quiet week. There was really not much going on and due to other commitments and the 6 nations I was also not able to get away birding this weekend, which was disappointing

Monday
Whilst wandering back from the village shop on what was a lovely morning I spotted a jay flying between the trees in the student village. It was only a brief view but when its a bird as shy and beautiful as a jay it is always worth reporting

Uni Semester 2 Week 4

Tuesday
Between lectures we sat in the cafe in the students union to kill time, and as we were sat there I spotted a Sparrowhawk gliding lazily past the window sending the pigeons crazy. The view was brief but it was something to write about.

Thursday
Wandering back at about 3.00 Friday morning I was surprised by the fact that about 10 different robins seemed to be singing. Even though this phenomenon has been described it still seems to bizarre when your there surrounded by it.

Friday
Walking to football on Friday late afternoon I spotted a very drowsy looking tree bumblebee near Broomhill. Its my first of the year, which was exciting, a sign that spring is well on its way

Sunday
Walking to Church this evening I encountered a common frog sat on the pavement, my first of the year. I decided it would probably be a better idea to move it from the pavement, even though it would mean touching it with naked hands, than leaving it there to be trod on. It was a lovely looking frog, rather large too.

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