Kinder Scout

Today is my last full day in Sheffield prior to my homecoming. Its sad to say the least. Since 'Le tour' was causing chaos on the roads of Yorkshire, I decided to venture into the peaks a final time, and climb Kinder Scout again. The day started with grim rain, but by the time I arrived in Edale the sun was breaking through and it had the look of a nice day.

I made my way through the small village, and on the way found a delightful family of 4 Pied Wagtails, one adult and 3 juveniles. They came quite close to me as I watched them from over the wall, so I was able to get some decent photos of them. The juveniles were hunting insects with the exception of one individual that was more interested in harassing its parent.

-Pied Wagtail

I climbed the hill making it up the top slower than last time, but still fairly quickly. The only birds I saw were Meadow Pipits, and one Kestrel. On the whole I had not expected many birds, and so it was surprise when they were in short supply.

There were a few more insects, including Small Heath and Meadow Brown on the butterfly front. The real noteworthy beast from the top was this caterpillar which I found crossing the path. For a caterpillar it was quite a monster. Sadly I had the wrong lens, but I did the best with what I could and the results are not bad. So far as I can tell, this is an Oak Eggar caterpillar, but don't hold me to that.

-Oak Eggar Caterpillar

I carried on round and came to the region where I had seen the hares previously. Sadly I failed to find any today, and the moor was very quiet. There were quite a few Meadow Pipits, also a couple of Swifts and a solitary Red Grouse.

Back on the edge of the peak the sun decided to come out and with it came one of my favourite animals, the Green Tiger Beetle. Again I lacked the lens for a good photo, but they were not very approachable, flying away if you got anywhere close. There were at least 3 in this area, but it was difficult to tell due to the flighty nature of the beetles.

-Green Tiger Beetle

Continuing round I found more of the caterpillars, with 3 in one area. These were on a more natural background than the one previously, so I tried again to grab some photos but it was difficult given the nature of the lens I had. 

-Oak Eggar Caterpillar

I finished the walk with little more wildlife. There were a couple more butterfly species with Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral added, but there were no additional birds and no more beetles were found.

But with a walk like this it is hardly about the wildlife and more about the scenery and stunning views. Having done it before I knew just how good the views were, but I had not brought the camera last time. This time I came prepared, hence the lack of the macro lens. As a result I was able to photograph the stunning views. Due to the bright nature of the clear sky, many of the photos were quite dark. But those that came out Ok I have included just to show how simply stunning a walk it really is.

-Kinder Scout Views

So not much wildlife, and no hares, but an incredible walk none the less. Sadly the wind and the clouds made it less pleasant that it had been before, the wind being a real issue in places. However, it was still a lovely morning, and a great way to spend my last day in Sheffield.

Species List:

Kinder Scout: Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Red Grouse, Swift, Swallow, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Oak Eggar Caterpillar, Green Tiger Beetle

Fairburn Ings

My time at uni is drawing near to an end for good for the summer. Since it is 'Le tour' this weekend I decided to make today my final major birding trip due to the number of road closures over the weekend. I decided to try a new site, for public transport at least, by going to Fairburn Ings RSPB. Its a site where I have had mixed fortunes before, dipping smew 3 years in a row, but I had not been for some time.

Reports showed that there were 2 spoonbills on site, that had been around for some time, which was the main reason I thought to go and have a look, but the glossy ibis that has been roving around west and South Yorkshire had recently made it is home. As a result I decided to head over that way to enjoy my last bit of proper first year birding.

Despite its steep train fare I did not have to get a bus, as I can walk to the site from Castleford, so that was a major bonus. Once out of the town you follow the canal for a short distance before going onto the RSPB land.

It was walking along the canal that I had Mallard, Swallow and Mute Swan on the canal and woodpigeon on the overhead cables over the hedge. Or so I thought. I don't really know what inspired me to check out this so obvious woodpigeon on the wires, but for some reason I gave it a thorough inspection. It was difficult from my range, and my head secretly wanted turtle dove, so I allowed myself all kinds of thoughts. When I managed to get a decent view through the bins I immediately noticed a lack of white round the neck. Woodpigeon no more. I still struggled to make anything out with my bins though, so got the camera and grabbed a record shot. I could not believe my eyes when I had a look, it was a Cuckoo, chilling on the wires. I got closer until I was right in front of it, the hedge providing a suitable hide. Its my first good shots of a Cuckoo landed, and it is also one of my best self finds. To find a Cuckoo at this time of year, on a site not reknown for its cuckoos, is something pretty special. I was well pleased with myself. I had a good look through the bins, before taking some shots and then going for the bins again. But it was between the transition of camera to bins that the bird moved off, as it was no longer there when I looked up again. I don't know where it went, but it made my day, and it was not even lunchtime.  

-Cuckoo

I continued onto the reserve, and decided to first call in at Lin Dyke Hide, as that was where the ibis and spoonbills were most frequently recorded. As I left the riverbank and headed up towards the hide I noticed 2 large white birds circling near the farm in the distance. Of course my first thought was swans, but through the bins I could see that they were not swans, they were in fact the Spoonbills that I had come to see. The scope was in my bag, and through the bins there was not much to make out except for their long neck and broad wings and tail. I grabbed a ton of record shots of the birds, since I had no idea what their next move would be, and good thing too, as they quickly dropped down below the tree line. They are my 17th lifer this year, and a bird I have long wanted to see. Sadly because of distance I could not make out the bills properly, but I had hope that over the course of the day I would find them again.

-Spoonbills

Now I was really buzzing and it was about to get even better. Not much further up than from where I saw the spoonbills I noticed a large bird fly towards me over the reeds to the right of the hide. It was clearly a heron and because the neck was tucked in from such a low flight I identified it as a bittern. A quick check with the bins showed I was right, but it also showed that the bird was coming towards me. I grabbed the camera due to the potential of some great shots, just in time for the bird to gain altitude and fly right over me. Great shots? you bet, it was without doubt the greatest view of a bittern I have ever had, beating even those birds that I have seen landed. I think it would only be right to let the pictures do the talking.

-Bittern

The bittern flew over the path and then was lost behind the trees. I had barely made it on site and already it was one of the best days birding this year, and that is saying something. I made it to the hide without further incident, but that's not saying much due to the short distance. I began looking for the ibis, or to see if the spoonbills had landed. The latter had not and the former was not to be seen. I did not want to ask other birders, as it removed some of the pride from any sighting, but from tactical eavesdropping I learned that it was in a pool just up the path.

From the hide there was good stuff to find, including many waterfowl; Common Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall and more Mute Swans. On the banks there were Lapwing, Redshank with a well grown chick and a few Little Egrets, which were showing really well. After some continued searching I found a few Little Ringed Plover on an island quite far out, and was going to announce them with pride, when I noticed a small bird right in front of the hide have a stretch. There had been a Little Ringed Plover with a well grown chick right in front of the hide all along, and nobody had noticed. They were even close enough to get some decent record shots.

-Little Ringed Plover

After my stay in the hide I decided to head up to check out the Ibis and see if it showing. I saw the small cluster of birders on the path, but could not see the bird due to the hedge. I saw the pool next and was shocked by how close it was to the path, as in really close. There were also about 10 Little Egrets on the pond, which being so close and so unfazed looked absolutely great, the best views I can ever recall having.

After a short while the ibis raised its head, it had been feeding at the back out of view. It was moving closer though, but keeping to the reeds and sedges, making it difficult to photo, or even see. This is of course the same bird that I twitched at Wombwell Ings, before exams and all that fun. That seems so long ago, and compared to how close the bird was currently seems completely independant of this encounter.

While I waited upon the ibis to yield a great view I noticed a pair of Whitethroat that had been moving around the hedge in front, probably disturbed by the small cluster of birders. I decided to back off to avoid causing them more harassment. Once back the birds started landing in very nice positions for a photo of Whitethroat for this year.

-Whitethroat

As I had mentioned before there were many Little Egrets all showing well. While photographing the Whitethroat I had noticed to my horror that my camera battery was very very low. Even so, I decided it was too good and opportunity to miss, so took a few photos of the egrets while they were in nice positions.

-Little Egret

But of course, the bird of the hour was the ibis. After waiting a little while it decided to finally come out and show itself in all its glory. It was a different perspective to the view I had got at Wombwell, here really highlighting the grey streaks on its head and the the green and purple sheen on the bird. It carried out all kinds of behavior, mainly feeding but also preening which was a different perspective of the bird.

-Glossy Ibis

I got so many better pictures of the Ibis than before, the fourth awesome bird that I have seen already today. After a while I decided to move on to try and re-find the Spoonbills further up the reserve. I had initially decided to walk along the river, but the spoonbills had changed that and I decided to walk along the road to see if I could find them further up.

Before the road I added Willow Warbler to my day list, and Wren too, which was singing with great gusto from the hedge. Once on the road the birds naturally declined. Overlooking the Spoonbill Flash I did not get many additions as most of the birds could be seen from the hide. However, there were some ducks resting hidden next to the road which I failed to see due to me being distracted by a Sedge Warbler. One of the ducks was a Pochard female, which I took a couple of photos of due to it being so close.

-Female Pochard

I continued along the road, reaching the area that overlooks the moat. However, the spoonbills could not been seen. What did impress me were the number of Cormorants. They were everywhere, on the trees, on the bank, in the water even flying overhead. I was very surprised by how many there were.

I moved off and entered the car park area of the reserve. I first headed down to the main bay lookout point near the car park to see if there was anything there, as there has been some decent stuff in the past. Today it was very quiet though, mainly eclipse mallards. There was also a female Mandarin which was different, a lovely male reed bunting giving it Gusto from the reedbed and a couple of Common Terns hunting out over the bay.

After a short stay at the feeding station my next call was the Pickup Hide for lunch. On the feeding station there were Blue Tits, Great Tits and Tree Sparrows, nothing particularly unusual, nor were there any willow tits which I really wanted to see.

Fortunately at the Pickup Hide there was a Willow Tit, a very aggressive individual that was chasing all other birds on the feeders. Besides that there was not much about. The Sand Martin wall in front of the hide was quite busy, with a few birds drifting in and out at regular intervals. There were also about 5 Avocet on the bank, I am informed a pair with chicks. A Stock Dove also joined in at one point for a drink, but it was very quiet. I tried for some record shots of the Willow Tit but it was very dark and they did not come out well. Never mind.

-Willow Tit

-Tree Sparrow

Once I had moved on from Pickup I decided to take a look at the hide overlooking the main bay before returning to Lin Dyke via the river. In that hide there was not much, but there were good numbers of Great-Crested Grebes on the lake, most of which were sleeping. On the way to the hide I also picked up Chiff-Chaff and Long-Tailed Tit, the latter being a regular at the site.

Along the river it was very quiet. There good numbers of Cormorants in the river, and a Grey Heron on the bank. It was mainly the insects along the bank that were the highlight, with many species of butterfly; Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Small and Large Skipper, Red Admiral, as well as a couple of dragonfly species; a spectacular Four-Spot Chaser and a Black-Tailed Skimmer on the path.

-Four Spot Chaser

-Black-Tailed Skimmer

 I re-arrived at Lin Dyke hide intending to stay a little while and then go and re-find the ibis. However, not long into my stay at the hide and a birder came in and informed us that the ibis had moved on, apparently we should have seen it from the hide, but failed. So I spent all my remaining time in this hide waiting for something to appear.

And right on cue the Spoonbills decided to do another flyby, but this time I opted to watch them rather than photograph them. Even through the scope it was difficult to see that beak, but I certainly got a better view than I had got before, and I was glad I saw them again before I left for the train. Once they had gone down again I returned to try and see what else was about. The fore mentioned birder had spoken about Common Sandpiper, and right on cue a Common Sand came and landed on one of the pieces of wood on the lake, another great day tick. There was a tree in the middle of the flash, and while I watched this tree became frequently covered in Sand Martins, before something would cause them to flush and they would all leave. But the real stars again were the Little Ringed Plovers, which once more were right in front of me, but I was unable to spot them for a good half an hour. It then turned into a nightmare trying to describe their location to the other birds, who could not believe how well hidden they were, despite being out in the open.

-Little-Ringed Plover

It came to the time when I had to go for the train sadly, and I departed. On the way back I picked up another Grey Heron and a Pheasant but not much. It truly had been a great day, really enjoyable. And with another lifer, and catching up with that Glossy Ibis what more could a birder really ask for.

Species List:

Fairburn Ings RSPB: Spoonbill, Bittern, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Glossy Ibis, Starling, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Blackcap, Great Tit, Robin, Common Pheasant, Black-Headed Gull, Wren, Mallard, Jackdaw, Mute Swan, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Mistle Thrush, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Kestrel, Collard Dove, Lapwing, Long-Tailed Tit, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Moorhen, Coot, Great-Crested Grebe, Jay, Common Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Pochard, Redshank, Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Stock Dove, Willow Tit, Oystercatcher, Chiffchaff, House Martin, Little-Ringed Plover, Sand Martin, Willow Warbler, Scaup, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Avocet, Sedge Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Whitethroat, Swift, Cuckoo, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Meadow Brown, Large White, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Brown Hawker, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Four-Spot Chaser, Common Toad,

Old Moor

Its taken some time to make it, but today I finally made it to Old Moor for the barn owl. I set off with the intention of spending all day there, staying until the owls showed. Upon arrival I was informed that the day before they had even been seen during the day, with the chicks sat on the edge of the box. This then seemed a pretty bulletproof tick. I may as well tell you now that the owls were not seen all day, and it seems likely that they fledged during the night, one day too late. I guess that's what I get for not going sooner.

Not knowing this I made my way straight over to the Wader Scrape Hide, no messing about, to see if they were there. I wandered in to quite crowd, but there were no owls on the box. In fairness it was the height of the day, already 12.00 and a clear, very warm day. With that in mind I settled down to await upon the owls arrival. I spent a lot of time watching the box to see if any chicks would pop out, but none did. 

The scrape was much busier than it had been last time I was here. There were, of course, masses of Black-Headed Gulls, with the occasional Lapwing thrown in. And on the water there were Tufted Duck, Mallard and Gadwall, as well as a few Teal that spent most of the day sleeping. I got out the scope for a closer look, since Green Sandpiper had been seen a lot recently. I did not find any green sands, but I did find a Greenshank, that was feeding near the back, my first since I year-ticked them at Potteric Carr.

From my tactical eavesdropping I overheard a birder talk frequently about a pair of Godwits on the mud. I spent so long trying to find these birds, before eavesdropping again while he explained their location to another birder while he explained where the Greenshank was. The Godwits, Black-Tailed, were right next to the Greenshank, so I only needed to get 1 record shot for both species.

-Black-Tailed Godwit and Greenshank

I spent a good couple of hours waiting here for the 'barn owls' to show. There was not much change in the scenery either, the only real additions being that of Avocet, with one feeding at the back, and Common Sandpiper near the front. It moved onto the near shore too eventually so I got some decent photos of it. There were also the Lesser Black-Backed Gulls on the prowl, though they attacked many Black-Headed Gulls I did not see them actually finish one off, they all seemed to get away.

-Common Sandpiper

Of course it was not just 'barn owl' that I had wanted to get, since hobby was still well and truly on the agenda, but I figured it was much much less certain than the owl, but it meant I was reluctant to leave the Wader Scrape Hide, should I miss one.

I was tempted though as apparently the Green Sandpipers had been seen on Wath Ings Hide, so I decided to take a short break over that way to see if they were there. They did not disappoint, I picked up 3 birds all showing really well, though not close. This was great to see having only picked it up as a lifer on Monday. The birds did move gradually closer, and were soon pretty close, landing on a small patch of mud in front of the hide, but not as close as they were at Potteric.

I got to watch the bird Preen, which was interesting as I saw that it wet its beak or foot every time before scratching or preening. Its probably well observed and studied but it interested me. I also got to watch one of the birds try to bring up a pellet, I assume, though I did not see it actually expel it.

I got to see so much of the bird, and this time I even heard them calling, leaving me overall much more confident with identification should I come across one at a less expected site, like back home...

-Green Sandpiper

I did not stay long, as soon as the Green Sands had moved back to their distant location I withdrew back to Wader Scrape in the hope of Hobby or Barn Owl. I awaited patiently in the hide for another substantial length of time without much happening.

After about half an hour another birder in the hide said the word I had been begging to hear for so long: 'hobby'. As soon as he said it I found the bird drifting above the tree line but coming towards us. It eventually came right up to the hide and then round, giving great views. But sadly they were also brief views. I got some shots but they came out very dark, either way they serve as record shots for the year-list of this species that I have hunted for so long. I waited to see if it would come back but no joy, I thought it had at one point, but then that bird banked with broad wings, revealing itself as a Kestrel.

-Hobby

Having finally seen Hobby, so feeling very good, I decided to head off to try and find some other stuff while I waited for evening to come on and the owls to come out. I went to the garden to see if I could find any speckled bush crickets, but could not. I did find a Nursery Web Spider though, a species I have only previously seen in Suffolk. This one was perched with web atop a nettle, showing off its large size and gold streaks.

-Nursery Web Spider

I decided to head to the Bittern Hide to see if there was anything there. but it also gave views over the reedbed in case the owl decided to show itself. I ended up spending longer in there than I had expected as I got talking a couple who asked me on their chances of seeing the bittern (Very Small). As a result I probably spent over half and hour in there, allowing me to pick up Little Egret which flew over the reeds and then over the trees, and also one of the highlights when a Kingfisher flew past the hide, brief but clear, even catching the orange underneath.

After a little while and the couple had moved on, I decided to return to Wader Scrape to see if the owls were around. The advantage of Wader Scrape is that you can see the entrance to the box in case the young decided to show. Of course they did not, and after half an hours wait, it being only half 5 I decided enough was enough and that they were not going to show. Another late birder was there too, and he also suggested that the birds had moved off, 8 at Edderthorpe apparently...

I decided to leave the reserve and head back, not wanting to mess up my public transport. But on the way out I was given another treat when I flushed from the bank the unmistakable form of a Green Woodpecker. It did not fly far, and even landed in one of the trees along the road. Because it had stuck around I could get a decent view, identifying it as a young bird, which probably explained its boldness when I was clearly out in the open. I managed to get some decent shots of the bird, certainly an improvement on the green smudge from Padleys. 

-Green Woodpecker

I had expected to walk, but too a trip to the bus stop to find out times just in case. Turns out I timed it perfectly and got one of the later buses. In the grass there were still a few Bee Orchids, but many had gone. Those that were still there were quite clear individuals too, suggesting that if the others had been picked then these may be on borrowed time.

So it had been a mixed day, dipping the owls not good, but that aside it had been a pretty incredible day. Hobby was a massive plus, my 170th species this year. And the woodpecker was a real treat at the end. I picked up a decent day species list too, see below...

Species List:

Old Moor RSPB: Starling, Dunnock, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Black-Headed Gull, Wren, Mallard, Jackdaw, Mute Swan, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Kestrel, Lapwing, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Common Teal, Shoveler, Kingfisher, Gadwall, Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Stock Dove, Oystercatcher, House Martin, Sand Martin, Swallow, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Little Egret, Avocet, Black-Tailed Godwit, Common Tern, Reed Warbler, Swift, Greenshank, Green Woodpecker, Green Sandpiper, Hobby, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone, Small Skipper, Common Blue, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Common Darter, Nursery Web Spider, Zebra Spider,