University Birdwatching

As per for a January, most of my time is being spent in the library revising or procrastinating. My chosen spot has a stunning view out over Sheffield and that means I get to watch birds flying over, which compensates for the lack of birding I get to do otherwise.

January 10th
Pretty sweet to get Peregrine on the yearlist this morning when one of the church birds flew around the window before heading back down towards the church. Always a pleasure to see, and makes spending time in the library a lot more bearable...

January 15th
Today I had a Common Buzzard fly N over the IC. I glanced up from my notes and there it was, this great beast of a bird being mobbed by crows as it leisurely flew by. Its a library tick for me there, the first one of the exam period.

January 16th
The Buzzard flew back again today before soaring away towards Attercliffe but still more than view-able from my vantage point. I also had a Collard Dove fly by which is only my second library record.

January 17th
Today was a real bumper day. There was a reasonable snowfall overnight though it quickly melted away. It all happened in the morning. I was glancing out of the window when I noticed a large Skein of Pink-footed Geese flying West. I was thrilled, a yeartick and a superb library bird. Then, half an hour later, a second, but more distant and higher skein of around 50 birds. About 5 minuets later a third Skein went over of around 70 birds. What a morning, I was buzzing. In addition there was also a flyby from the female Peregrine. Winning.
I tried to grab a shot of the geese with my phone, but the camera on it leaves a lot to be desired and as such you can hardly make out the geese, although you can make out the individual pixels, which is always what you want from a photo...

-Pink-footed Geese

January 21st

Despite the clear conditions today was really very quiet. I did get superb views of a nice female Sparrowhawk fly past the window at eye level though. A real sweet treat.

January 23rd
I had two Peregrines flying round the window. Granted one was only brief but the other stuck around, perching up on the high rise buildings and attacking the local pigeons. It did not catch any though. I have spent many hours up here and I've still never seen any peregrine catch a pigeon despite multiple attempts. Also had 2 Great Tits in the trees in the center of the roundabout.

All things considered its not been a horrific couple of weeks bird wise, with a few nice things to keep the hours tolerable.

Orgreave Lakes

This years revision break was not as extravagant as last years. I decided I'd had enough of the library and needed to spend a day in the fresh air. What better way that to try my luck at a pair of Black Redstarts near Orgreave lakes. I arrived early morning to the news that the male was still present but had gone off according to birders on site. I spent two mins looking where it had apparently gone and immediately refound it. It was very mobile and at no point did I get an outstanding clear view, but its my first adult male Black Redstart and a stunning bird.

Not long after it was lost again and in my attempts to try and refind it I stumbled across the female bird feeding down one of the side roads with some Dunnocks. It was a far more obliging bird but in the gloom I labored to get a decent photo. In the end I managed a couple of record shots of the bird which I am very happy with. A morning well spent I would say. 

-Female Black Redstart

After a while I decided to give up on the male and head over to Orgreave lakes themselves. Being so early in the year I was blessed with a host of yearticks. The best of these was a nice flock of around 40 Siskin feeding in the alders near the track and the host of waterbirds. By far the most abundant bird were the Pochards, which are now a red listed species but very abundant at Orgreave.

-Siskin

-Pochard and Goosander

Whilst at Orgreave I managed to get two patch ticks, something I had not counted on. The first was a bird that has been around all winter but only now connected, a beautiful Short-eared Owl. Another birder I saw let me know he had seen it around and as we talked I picked it out quartering over the hill and then beyond, lost to view. I headed up the hill for a look and was delighted to see it perched up in a tree. It was not bothered at all about the passing lorries but decided not to risk getting any closer. What a superb bird, and probably the best view I have ever had of one.

The second patch tick was a solitary Lesser Redpoll. Just as I was finishing walking round a lake I heard a finch calling overhead and considered that it might be a redpoll. So when it landed I was pleased to see I had been right, and that I could add another species to my patch list for here.

-Short-eared Owl

On the way back I decided to try my luck at the gulls in Attercliffe to see if there was anything unusual among them. Sadly there was not, only commoner large gull species, but it was still a nice way to end the afternoon. More often than not when I try here the large gulls just don't bother landing at all.

-Herring and Great Black-backed Gull

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Skylark, Magpie, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Dunnock, Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Starling, Carrion Crow, Robin, Black Redstart, Blackbird, Siskin, Blue Tit, Fieldfare, Long-tailed Tit, Pochard, Coot, Goldeneye, Great-crested Grebe, Herring Gull, Mute Swan, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Goosander, Cormorant, Great Black-backed Gull, Short-eared Owl, Grey Heron, Common Teal, Feral Pigeon, Stonechat, Lesser Redpoll, Grey Wagtail, Great Tit

Attercliffe: Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Mallard, 

Soil Hill 01.01 - 06.01

Since returning home for Chirstmas I did not see the sun shine in all of my three weeks. This tragic turn of events did not help me kick start my effort to earn Soil Hill some recognition through the Patchwork Challenge competition. Perhaps unsurprisingly by the time I return to university on the 6th of January I had only amassed 18 species, each of which was only a solitary point.

01.01

To be fair, my small assembledge of species did get a very good start by Soil Hill standards. I was hanging after New Years and so took some time to make it up to the Hill. Even as I arrived the ball was set rolling with a flock of around 20 Golden Plovers flying overhead. I have not seen any up there for a few years now, so that was a very welcome start. Other species were all usual, but a nice bonus came in the form of four Roe Deer in the lower fields. They were spooked by traffic and ran straight towards me, coming as close as five meters away. The light was poor and so I gathered no photos, but take it from me the views were impressive. 

-Golden Plover

-Roe Deer

Species List

Soil Hill: Common Gull, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Golden Plover, Jackdaw, Black-Headed Gull, Canada Goose, Skylark, Goldfinch, Starling, Roe Deer

03.01

It rained, and there is little more to say than that. Mallard was a nice species to have seen though...

Species List

Soil Hill: Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Mallard

05.01

The fog had now also become an issue as well as the rain. Wren was a good bird on the summit today. However, the real winners were down the far slope. I knew flock of Fieldfare had been residing around the bottom fields and but I would have to descend in order to see them through the fog. At the top of the slope I was surprised to see a few Fieldfare in the trees adjacent to the slope. I though that was pretty good, but somehow they saw me through the fog, and about 20 birds all took off from within the fog and then vanished back into it. However, among the 20 or so Fieldfare I picked out a smaller Redwing which is apparently not a patch tick according to my trusty Soil Hill list, but I can't remember the last time I saw one here, and its a fine record for patchwork challenge. 

Species List:

Soil Hill: Blackbird, Wren, Mallard, Fieldfare, Redwing

06.01

I had a quick look round the hill in the rain before I set off back to Sheffield. The only thing that made it worthwhile was a Lapwing on the top. Another species to have safely under the belt. 

Species List

Soil Hill: Magpie, Carrion Crow, Wren, Lapwing

Happy New Year

Well, 2015 draws to a close. The first two thirds of the year were fantastic. I got all over the country seeing all kinds of incredible birds and other wildlife, giving my life list a good kick. Sadly the Autumn was incredibly lacking as my days in the field became days in the lab and all the joys of a fantastic Autumn went flying by. The being said, my resolution at the end of last year was to focus on my life list and go for more serious twitches, and I think its fair to say I have done that, having twitched as far north as Aberdeen and as far south as Hampshire. Its also worht mentioning that I got myself a Swaro scope this year, and the difference that has made to my birding has been incredible. Seawatching is now so different to what it once was. Its all been a good do I would say...

Megas
I had hoped to get more Megas than I did, but 6 is not a bad haul. 3 of those were waders, 2 were ducks and the final one was the late Crag Martin in Chesterfield. The standout of those? Easily the Harlequin Duck, which is to date the best bird I have ever seen, not just because its an awesome bird, but it performed outstandingly and I had to put so much into getting there to see it. Also shout out to the Black Scoter, which I refound and then sold a photo of, and the Hudsonian Godwit after I ran out of lectures to see it.

-Harlequin Duck, Aberdeen (17.01.2015)

-Black Scoter, Cheswick Sands (21.02.2015)

-Hudsonian Godwit, Meare Heath (30.04.2015)

Lifers
Some cracking birds have been added to the life list this year. Obviously its not just been Megas that I've gone after but a host of scarce and rarer species too. 32 species have been added onto the life list. Highlights are hard to choose, but first shoutout must go to the Lady Amherst Pheasant, a bird with impending extinction in this country. 6 hours wait for 10 seconds of bird was hardly worth it but I've seen it now. A few tarts have fallen too, like Long-Tailed Duck and Woodlark. I also got a self found lifer, which are few and far between these days, when I stumbled across that Caspian Gull at Spurn. Not only that, but its my first ever description species, so that was very exciting. A few scarcer species really tarted themselves out allowing me to get some cracking shots. Red-footed Falcon, Sabines Gull, Laughing Gull and Bee Eater the real stars. And a final mention to the Feas Petrel, what a bird to have seen.

-Caspian Gull, Kilnsea Wetlands (09.09.2015)

-Laughing Gull, New Brighton (06.02.2015)

-European Bee-Eater, Kilnsea (13.06.2015)

-Red-Footed Falcon, Chatterley Whitfield Colliery (28.07.2015)

Soil Hill

Despite all the Megas and the twitching, I think the place where I really got to grips with my birding was Soil Hill. Learning to drive over the summer meant I had plenty of time to check the hill for any birds, and I was rewarded with some real goodies. My site list got a tremendous boost picking up 16 patch ticks, most of which were unusual records. The best bird I found up there was undoubtedly the Nuthatch (Patch first), but special mention to Common Tern (1st North Halifax Record for 2 Years), Red Kite, Grasshopper Warbler, Tree Pipit, Spotted Flycatcher and Twite. Additional patch ticks included: Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Oystercatcher, Greenfinch, Willow Warbler, Little Owl, Sand Martin, Canada Goose, Siskin, 

-Nuthatch

-Cuckoo

-Spotted Flycatcher

Review

So a full breakdown of the yearlist

I clocked out this year on 227 species, but only one additional species after September, leaving me to wonder just how many I could have got if I had time in the Autumn. Still, its an improvement on last years total and thats what I was going for really. A full list of lifers now:

Harlequin Duck, Great Grey Shrike, Laughing Gull, Surf Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck, Black Scoter, American Wigeon, Bean Goose, Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Black Winged Stilt, Black-crowned Night Heron, Hudsonian Godwit, Montagu's Harrier, Red-throated Pipit, Lesser Scaup, Wood Warbler, Greater Yellowlegs, Red-necked Phalarope, Alpine Swift, European Bee-eater, Grasshopper Warbler, Marsh Warbler, White-winged Black Tern, Woodlark, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Red-footed Falcon, Sabines Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Black Stork, Mealy Redpoll, Feas Petrel, Caspian Gull, Crag Martin, 

And the complete yearlist: 

Dunnock, Blue Tit, Black-Headed Gull, Blackbird, Robin, Common Gull, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Great Tit, Starling, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Great Northern Diver, Treecreeper, Feral Pigeon, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Long-Tailed Tit, Kestrel, Herring Gull, Nuthatch, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Wren, Little Grebe, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Mallard, Rook, Yellowhammer, Fieldfare, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Collard Dove, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Mute Swan, Hooded Crow, Graylag Goose, Pheasant, Common Buzzard, Curlew, Goosander, Greenfinch, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Dipper, Goldeneye, Moorhen, Harlequin Duck, Pink-Footed Goose, Meadow Pipit, Gadwall, Wigeon, Coot, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Skylark, Reed Bunting, Golden Plover, Pochard, Stonechat, Linnet, Snow Bunting, Water Rail, Common Snipe, Bullfinch, Song Thrush, Willow Tit, Tree Sparrow, Brambling, Canada Goose, Shoveler, Barn Owl, Sanderling, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull, Purple Sandpiper, Knot, Dunlin, Red Grouse, Great Grey Shrike, Jay, Laughing Gull, Kingfisher, Smew, Shelduck, Surf Scoter, Fulmar, Rock Pipit, Gannet, Common Scoter, Eider, Guillemot, Stock Dove, Red-Throated Diver, Mandarin, Red Kite, Slavonian Grebe, Long-Tailed Duck, Black Scoter, Black-Throated Diver, Ringed Plover, Red-Breasted Merganser, American Wigeon, Tawny Owl, Little Egret, Kittiwake, Pintail, Bean Goose, Whimbrel, Glaucous Gull, Little Ringed Plover, Chiffchaff, Whooper Swan, Little Owl, Barnacle Goose, Woodcock, Red-Legged Partridge, Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Green Woodpecker, Firecrest, Swallow, Siskin, Osprey, Egyptian Goose, Northern Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Ring Ouzel, House Martin, Sand Martin, Common Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, Black Winged Stilt, Avocet, Green Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier, Common Tern, Garganey, Whitethroat, Red Crested Pochard, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Cettis Warbler, Black-Tailed Godwit, Hudsonian Godwit, Sedge Warbler, Swift, Montagu's Harrier, Raven, Red-throated Pipit, Black Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Lesser Scaup, Black-Necked Grebe, Wood Warbler, Whinchat, Cuckoo, Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Grey Partridge, Spotted Flycatcher, Hobby, Brent Goose, Little Tern, Reed Warbler, Ring-Necked Parakeet, Greater Yellowlegs, Sandwich Tern, Red-Necked Phalarope, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Crossbill, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Lesser Redpoll, Alpine Swift, European Bee Eater, Puffin, Tree Pipit, Grasshopper Warbler, Corn Bunting, Marsh Warbler, Razorbill, Arctic Tern, Merlin, Spotted Redshank, Bearded Tit, Short-Eared Owl, Long-Eared Owl, Bittern, Twite, White-Winged Black Tern, Great White Egret, Greenshank, Woodlark, Dartford Warbler, Arctic Skua, Shag, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Balearic Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Nightjar, Yellow-legged Gull, Red-footed Falcon, Sabines Gull, Ring-Billed Gull, Great Skua, Little Gull, Sooty Shearwater, Pomarine Skua, Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Black Stork, Garden Warbler, Hen Harrier, Ruff, Mealy Redpoll, Feas Petrel, Caspian Gull, Crag Martin

Even if the final total was less than I would have liked, without driving its still a pretty reasonable total. It gives me something to aim for in 2016.

None Birds

The number of invertebrates has increased since last year, largely as a result of the holiday down in Dorset. That being said, I only managed to get one butterfly lifer, although it is probably the most local butterfly species in the UK in Lulworth Skipper. A much needed addition to my butterfly list. Despite seeing plenty of dragonfly species there were no new additions to my dragonfly list. Moths had a great year, with 2 new Hawkmoth ticks, and a host of other nice species from down in Dorset. They were the real invert winners. 

Reptiles had a massive boost this year from Dorset, seeing all British species except adder. Mammals dropped off with nothing major to report there, although Otter and Sika Deer were obviously fantastic to see. 

-Lulworth Skipper

-Convolvulus Hawkmoth

-Yellow-legged Clearwing Moth

-Smooth Snake

2015 has been quite a year, and hopefully 2016 will also be awesome

Soil Hill

Its been a while since this was updated, but with shorter daylight hours and a huge increase in workload, it has been impossible to get out birding. Those few trips I have made have seen nothing new or out of the ordinary and so have not been posted.
 But now, with the Christmas holidays here, I was finally able to get out and about. Granted, this only happened when the weather was decent, and that has not been particularly often. I've been up to Soil Hill in the hope of landing a few nice things, but that has not been the case and right now any birds would do...

20.12.2015
Having arrived back on Friday I would have hoped to have got out a few times, but sadly not as a result of relentless rain. However there was a clear spell on the Sunday and I made my way up. It was nice to bump into Brian Sumner up there as well, although he had not seen much either. I did flush a Common Snipe which I was pretty pleased about, although to present its the only decent bird I've seen up there this time...
Species List
Soil Hill: Common Snipe, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Goldfinch, Starling, Black-Headed Gull

24.12.2015
Whilst the rain might have let up, the wind never did and continued with impressive force
Species List
Soil Hill: Blackbird, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Common Gull

27.12.2015
Another Sunday afternoon up. Saw Brian up there and there was a marked improvement in the numbers of birds, despite the wind still being incredbily strong. The highlight was an impressive number of Fieldfare flying over the hill, around 40 birds in total, which is the largest flock I have seen up there.
Species List
Soil Hill: Goldfinch, Lapwing, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Meadow Pipit, Fieldfare, Common Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Feral Pigeon,

29.12.2015
A last trip to Soil Hill before storm Frank hit. Sadly not a single bird on the top and a general shortage of birds within my recording area too.
Species List
Soil Hill: Magpie, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon, Common Gull,

Bolton Abbey

Today was actually sunny for once, and we decided to go for a family walk along the river at Bolton Abbey. I can't say I was expecting a great number of bird species, but there were a few nice things to be getting along with.

On the walk up there was a smart male Goosander fishing close to the shore. I got the camera ready but a couple walking on the beach spooked it and it swam to the far bank. On the walk back there were a number of nice things to be getting along with. A smart Male Mandarin was grazing with mallards along the riverbank. There was also a Common Buzzard soaring, presumably enjoying the fact that it was not hunkered down with the rain. And finally there was a smart Little Grebe fishing near the road bridge. This is the first time I have seen this species here, and a patch tick is always nice.

Species List

Bolton Abbey: House Sparrow, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Grey Wagtail, Goosander, Mallard, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Grey Heron, Common Buzzard, Mandarin, Little Grebe, Pied Wagtail, Nuthatch, Redwing, 

Chesterfield

You know whats coming. 

As soon as the news of a Crag Martin in Chesterfield broke on the Sunday I was off like a shot, but due to public transport the bird left for its second and final time 5 minuets before I arrived on site. I was pretty gutted but waited 3 hours til dark to see if it would roost. It did not, and I considered that that then...

Until this morning, when I awoke to see it had been seen again, despite not being seen to roost. I waited for a second news update and then went again. This time though I was in luck, and as soon as I rounded the corner to the famous crooked spire I could see the bird. Sadly the weather and light were appalling, but when the bird flew with the church spire behind it you could make out the features on it and when it banked the tail 'windows' showed up very nicely, a real stunner. 

I tried to get some photos but the bird was just moving too fast and the light was not helpful. The situation took a turn for the worse after nearly 400 photos when my camera viewfinder blacked out. I thought I had broken it, but as I found out when I got home I just flicked a switch by accident, It was a bummer though, as the light did improve as the morning wore on.  

-Crooked Spire of Chesterfield

-Crag Martin

It spent most of its time whizzing round the spire at some speed. On two occasions it did land briefly, but briefly would be putting it mildly as it was not long at all. It dissapeared for an hour between 12 and 1, but it came back better than before, flying low over our heads, and giving pretty sweet views through the bins. 

-Crag Martin

What a day it was, and over the course of the day I got to bump into a few NGB and a few of the Spurn birders which was a nice addition, especially yesterday when I thought I missed it. Shout-out to Clive who gave me a lift back to Sheffield after. What a super day

I thought I had made it back for my lectures, but as it turned out I had got the times wrong and ended up missing them anyway, so compensated by spending the rest of the day in Library trying to finish my essay for Wednesdays deadline. The things we do for birds...

Species List:

Chesterfield: Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Crag Martin, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Herring Gull, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Sparrowhawk, Long-tailed Tit

Orgreave Lakes

Another chance to go out and do some birding at long last. I thought I might get a couple of patch ticks when 20 mins before I arrived Mark tweeted that he had a a SEO and a couple of YLG. Sadly I connected with neither, despite searching through the gulls desperately. A juvenile gull had me for a moment, as it appeared to have a pale rump. Sadly in photos though it was not a clear rump, and the bird was just a Herring Gull. There were a few adult Herring Gulls but they were distinctly pale and it was possible to rule out YLG without even seeing the legs themselves. There were quite a large number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, the majority of which were adults.

-Lesser Black-backed Gull

Other birds on site of note included an impressive number of Redwings feeding on the berries at the south side of the site. There was a massive flock of around 50-100 Linnet with a couple of Goldfinch feeding on the thistles. I though I had heard twite, and saw the birds calling but they only called once and I could get nothing more on it, and as such I do not intend to make anything of it, whatever they were.

Species List:
Orgreave Lakes: Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, House Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Kestrel, Woodpigeon, Lapwing, Skylark, Goldfinch, Magpie, Long-tailed Tit, Canada Goose, Greenfinch, Redwing, Jackdaw, Pochard, Mallard, Grey Heron, Graylag Goose, Coot, Gadwall, Wigeon, Starling, Feral Pigeon, Tufted Duck, Meadow Pipit, Common Gull, Linnet, Teal, Mute Swan, Jay, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Shoveler, Herring Gull,

Orgreave Lakes

Sadly I have been unable to get out birding as much as I would like, but when the weekends come around there's not been anything to twitch, and so the patch has been the only thing on the agenda. Its been a little slow but there's been plenty of birds and that's all that's needed after a hard week in uni.

Highlights included a nice female Goosander, as well as plenty of other wildfowl, especially Pochard. An approachable stonechat was only the second I have ever seen on patch, and the same is true of a pair of Siskin that flew over. I also got to patch tick Redwing, as there were a large number 'seeping' in the bushes at the south end of the site. Overall a nice day out with a patch tick and a host of other birds to show for it. 

-Stonechat

-Redwing

Species List:
Orgreave Lakes: Kestrel, Skylark, Magpie, Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Carrion Crow, Jay, Lapwing, Common Buzzard, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Coot, Pochard, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Grey Heron, Linnet, Stonechat, Feral Pigeon, Cormorant, Goosander, Reed Bunting, Gadwall, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Mute Swan, Redwing, Siskin, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Robin,

Updates

Apologies for the lack of activity recently. Its been pretty much all deadlines since arriving back at uni for my third and final year.
The Library has been pretty nice Peregrine wise, with at least one bird still chilling around the rooftops that can be seen from the fourth floor. Its been pretty awesome, though I've not seen it nail a pigeon, which is something of a disappointment.
Apart from that there has been nothing much. I have been down to Orgreave Lakes a couple of times but each time has been a pretty familiar set of species and as such not really worth writing a piece on. A few quick highlights:
30th September for a quick afternoon look. Had to collect insects for my field course but I managed a few bits and pieces, such as Bullfinch and a very late calling chiffchaff. Also a Kingfisher which was nice.
10th October and back down mainly to try and catch insects but also to see if there was anything about. As I was leaving I got a couple of nice things, first a Peregrine flew over the grassland and then a Snipe flew overhead and over the river. Not too shabby.