Birding Afloat

Full-Day

2012-01-29T18:49:00.001Z

♀Smew

After a pretty lazy Saturday I managed to complete a full days birding today with Brandon Marsh first thing, followed by a trip with Dee across to Rutland Water in Leicestershire!

A foggy start when I left the marina at around 7am this morning for Brandon and as I walked to the car I could clearly hear one or two Skylarks in the adjacent field, several Fieldfare were also calling nearby.

When I arrived at Brandon the early fog had thankfully risen sufficiently to check out Newlands reed bed and East Marsh Pool. I've not personally had any sightings this year of our wintering Bittern, in fact Derek Bennett another member of the Brandon team, is the only person who's made contact with the bird thus far with a brief view last Thursday, just nice to know its still around.

Bewick Swan

The pool itself had the usual good numbers of Lapwing, Teal, Shoveler and Tufted Duck, and this mornings count also included 4 Pochard, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Wigeon, 5 Snipe and a pair of Goldeneye. Also recorded of note during my brief stay were ♂♀Bullfinch, Cetti's Warbler, 3 singing Song Thrush, 2 Siskin and 4 Lesser Redpoll.

After picking Dee up back at the marina we set off for Rutland Water arriving just before midday, a highlight on route was our first Red Kite of the year when one floated over us at Caldecott just prior to our arrival. The first species of note at Rutland were 4 Bewick Swans, visible from the Birdwatching Centre. From here we set off North towards lagoons 3 and 4, picking up Siskin, Green Woodpecker and a small flock of Long-tailed Tit on route.

Lagoon 4 itself was remarkably quiet, with the exception of a good number of Mute Swans and Greylag Geese, but the hide was quiet so we enjoyed some of our packed lunch and coffee before moving on, registering of note Little Grebe, Kestrel and Great Black-backed Gull. When we arrived at Lagoon 3 the heavens opened and so we settled down for a good scan coming up with: Water Rail, 2 Redhead and 1 ♂Smew, ♂Scaup, Little Egret, 8 Snipe amongst the many Goldeneye, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler and exceptional numbers of Gadwall.

Little Egret

During a visit to Lapwing Hide, which overlooks the vast South Arm of the reserve, we failed to connect with a reported Slavonian Grebe, but did manage some excellent numbers of ♂♀Goldeneye. A hot chocolate back at the centre overlooking Lagoon 1 from the raised seating area produced our 4th year-first of the day, when a ♂Stonechat made a brief appearance on top of one of the Bulrushes ending a decent session.

Despite the poor light I've posted a few distant images of the day, hope you enjoy!

Norfolk Day 2 (Sunday)

2012-01-24T09:32:00.000Z

Black-tailed Godwit @ Titchwell

Day two of my Norfolk weekend and after a Full-English at the hotel in Hunstanton to set me up for the day I decided to make my way back along the A149 towards Salthouse. My first stop was the Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve at Holme Dunes.

If anything, the wind today had actually increased in strength and as I joined the perimeter path overlooking the sea shore it was apparent that once again the birding would be difficult. Dodging the early morning showers I managed a great selection of shore birds including Spotted Redshank, Sanderling, Knot, Ruff, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Redshank and both Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit. I continued North and a scan of the fields produced both ♂♀Marsh Harrier, the usual selection of Geese which included a single Ross's, probably the same one recently seen at Holkham, plus Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Short-eared Owl were also recorded. A sea-watch gave up Goldeneye, Red-Necked Grebe and passing low over the beach, 3 Snow Bunting.

Snow Bunting @ Salthouse

A visit to RSPB Titchwell next for a better look at the Coues Arctic Redpoll, and after achieving some much improved views of this long stayer a walk to the seafront. This proved to be harder than it sounded and I was battered and bruised from the unrelenting gale by the time I reached the sea. Having said that it was completely worth it recording 2 Long-tailed Duck and Great-northern Diver. The usual shore birds were on offer and deciding not to visit the busy hides I'd further added Water Rail, Bittern, Little Egret, and a brave Marsh Harrier mastering the wind.

Another stop at Burnham Overy where the Laplands were showing occasionally and this time a walk down to the shore, which was hard work in the ever present gale. The surrounding fields held around 250 Golden Plover, 500+ Wigeon and endless counts of Curlew, plus Yellowhammer, Brent, Pink-footed, European White-fronted and Egyptian Geese.

Rough-legged Buzzard

I continued working my way along the A149, deciding to stay local and not venturing further afield for such gems as Great Grey Shrike at Fakenham, or Waxwings in Norwich. I paused for an hour at Holkham Freshwater sheltering behind some large Hawthorn, picking up Marsh Harrier and finally getting yesterdays bogey bird Rough-legged Buzzard, as one finally drifted by!

Stiffkey and Wells were next, no sign of the reported Glaucous Gull, but I did manage the Black Brant on the playing fields at Wells. I continued on for a second look for the Arctic Redpolls at Kelling, in a street aptly named 'The Street'. I must say that this is not my kind of birding and after finally being able to get a sniff of a view in-between the photographers and birders I came away with both Mealy and Arctic ticks!!

Another stop at Salthouse for coffee on route back to the hotel and I ended my weekend at Burnham Overy once more, in the hope of Owls in the fading light. I was rewarded with 2 Barn Owls which drifted across the fields, a pleasant end to the trip!

*I've uploaded a few of my images of the weekend to my Flickr Site!

Norfolk Day 1 (Saturday)

2012-01-23T20:27:00.000Z

Tundra Bean Goose (Holkham)

Having dropped Dee off at Luton Airport for her early morning flight up to Scotland I made my way across to Norfolk for a weekends solo birding.

My first stop was Holkham and another shot at the reported Shore Larks, something that myself and a few of the Brandon team had failed to pick up on a few weeks early. As I drove up St Anne's Lane towards the car park the usual congregation of Pink-footed Geese were on site and by the time I entered the pine wood on route to the sea shore, I'd recorded several Grey Partridge, plus Marsh Harrier and Peregrine. At least 2 Goldcrest in the pines before I emerged on to the salt flats and it was immediately apparent that the birding was going to be extremely difficult in a very strong north-westerly.

Battling my way across the flats towards the beach area I recorded many Skylark, mingled in with the odd Meadow Pipit, but alas, another blow out on the Shore Larks. A brief sea-watch produced Red-breasted Merganser and Razorbill, the beach held Sanderling, Redshank and Oystercatcher, but to be honest I was glad to get back to the comfort of the car having even battled to keep the tripod upright!

**Greenland White fronted

My next stop was a few miles further up the A149 at Holkham Freshwater Marsh, where I met up with a couple of Hertfordshire birders already on site, they'd already done the hard work and within minutes I'd recorded 200+ Brent Geese, around 75 White-fronted, along with 2 Greenland White-fronted, 27 Barnacle Geese and 4 Egyptian. A scan for the local Rough-legged Buzzard came up a blank but during the search a Common Buzzard and a second Marsh Harrier of the day were recorded.

A little further on and a stop at Burnham Overy for a shot at the Lapland Buntings, which from my observations today are mingled in with a large flock of Linnet, Meadow Pipit and Skylark. I'm not sure that the bird-guides report of at least 64 is that accurate. Myself and several other birders did manage to pick out at least 8 birds but it's extremely hard work and when the birds return to the stubble field they completely disappear from view! The local Rough-legged Buzzard, often seen from this vantage point, and indeed seen earlier, still remained absent from my list. Other birds of note during my 60 minute observation were 4 Grey Partridge, 2 Yellowhammer and a solitary day hunting Barn Owl.

My intention from here was to move on to Titchwell but having been given a few tip offs from birders I'd met earlier I decided to back track to Holkham, where a Tundra Bean Goose was now showing well. The guys also told me of a remarkable situation further up the coast at Kelling, where apparently 2 Coues Arctic Redpoll were showing in someones garden!

Snow Buntings at Salthouse

Tundra duly recorded and photographed I made the drive across to Kelling, with a brief stop at Cley, great timing, recording my first UK Glaucous Gull (Juv) for some time, Water Pipit and taking a second peak of the month at the Western Sandpiper.

What greeted me at Kelling was surreal to say the least, a group of birders, with the owners permission, staring from the road at his garden feeders, where apparently 2 Arctic and several Mealy are regular visitors, sadly not during my brief stay!

With light fading a stop off at Salthouse and the company of at least 15 or so Snow Buntings and an excellent Latte from the white van man, pure bliss!

**Greenland Image taken by Tony Collins just prior to my arrival

Stick To Birding!

2012-01-17T18:49:00.000Z

Our Dedicated Leader!

Knowing full well that the pools at Brandon Marsh were likely to be frozen after last nights -6C I decided to take a tour of the reserve with the sole aim of giving my camera the priority over birding for a change.

I arrived a little later than normal and had completely forgotten that JR had chosen this morning to complete a check of the three Tawny Owl boxes located on site. A perfect opportunity for some close up Tawny photographs of JR checking and ringing any new arrivals. Unfortunately luck was not on our side as all three boxes were vacant, with the exception of some Stock Dove leftovers! A small bonus was that during the walk 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were heard drumming, my first of the year!

Best Of The Day

Notwithstanding I decided to continue my tour of the remainder of the reserve, which I have to say had very little movement during my whole visit. The path leading away from Wright Hide had a small number of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll, far too high in the canopy for any decent shots and directly in the sun. Big Hide and Carlton Hide had little to offer on the photographic side but a small unfrozen area held the usual waterfowl, including 15 Wigeon. I did manage a distant Kestrel, a low flying Sparrowhawk and around 20 or so Golden Plover at Carlton, but they didn't bother stopping and continued on overhead.

The best of the day was at Steetley Hide on the west marsh. A Buzzard perched in a tree opposite on arrival and then Peter and I enjoyed a hive of activity, when a flock of around 40+ Siskin dropped in accompanied by several Lesser Redpoll and Goldfinch. During our short halcyon period we also recorded 3 Treecreepers and a small Long-tailed Tit flock, I also managed a very brief view of Goldcrest but as for pictures, well the light had gone and most of the birds were playing hide and seek. I think I'll stick to my birding as a priority!!

How Obvious Can It Be!

Finally, a quick thank you to those of you who've emailed me regarding the idiots at Brandon on Sunday taking photographs from a restricted conservation area. Your outrage at their behaviour is evident and I would also ask that anyone who may know these individuals, or indeed have any photographs of them, should contact me via email. We visited the area this morning and could clearly see it had been breached!

Long Day!

2012-01-16T10:04:00.001Z

Brief Video Of Phase 3

I watched the sun rise at Brandon Marsh on Sunday morning and then I watched it set over the Grandborough valley later, while watching Short-eared Owls!

A few of the team decided to have a dawn walk around the new phase 3 reed bed area at Brandon, which is now looking brilliant, with all ditches full of water and the base work for the new hide and osprey pole now in place. The back-breaking job of planting the new reeds will take place in the spring. Access to a new observation point overlooking the area will be available at a future date, by a path leading beyond the Carlton Hide.

As we made our way back to the public area a Peregrine arrived, perching in the 'big dead tree', before making off north towards New Hare Covert. A single Barnacle Goose was also in amongst the Canada flock as around 60 or so passed overhead. Most of the pools were frozen after a few nights hard frost but the recent 3 Shelduck were still on site, plus around 15 Wigeon, 9 Snipe and good numbers of Teal and Shoveler.

The majority of Fieldfare and Redwing have now moved on to the surrounding fields, having completely exhausted the berry stock on site, and are now feeding on windfall, worms and anything else they can get their beaks in to, and this probably explains not a single Redwing sighting at Brandon today! However, of note: Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and 22 Cormorant were all recorded, plus various numbers of Lesser Redpoll and Siskin in the surrounding Alder.

Back aboard and in the late afternoon Dee and I decided to check out an area only 10 minutes from the marina, where Short-eared Owls had been reported, and thank you to RM for the information. We enjoyed a lovely walk and were rewarded with 3 birds, sadly not in flight but roosting atop the hedgerow, still an awesome sight nevertheless. Also recorded on our walk were: 6 Yellowhammer, 4 Linnet, 2 Tree Sparrow and a single Golden Plover. In the distance 2 huge roosts of Jackdaw and Starling could be seen. The starlings giving their usual stunning display!

Finally, I received some bitter sweet news from Brandon Marsh Birding sightings update! The good news: It appears we now have 2 Bittern on site thanks to Gary Hobbs observations. The bad news: More irresponsible behaviour from a mindless minority of idiot photographers who occasionally frequent the site. When two individuals were seen actually standing at the Sand Martin structure taking photographs, and of course scattering everything on East Marsh Pool, much to the annoyance of everyone in the surounding hides.

In answer to the many Tweets and Emails I've already had on the incident, yes, they would have to pass a barrier to get across to this area which absolutely states 'Conservation Area No Entry' How hard can it be!

On The Patch

2012-01-13T21:15:00.000Z

♂Smew at Draycote Today!

After our away day in Norfolk it was back to Brandon Marsh on Thursday with the work party volunteers. The morning was spent dealing with probably the biggest tree I've ever dropped, when we dealt with a huge Willow in Horsetail Glade, which was leaning dangerously towards the footpath.

On the birding front I spent a short while in Big Hide before starting work, being entertained by a very energetic Peregrine which had the Gulls, circa500 Lapwing and Waterfowl darting around East Marsh Pool. At one time the birds were flying so close to the water to evade him that you could see the water literately shuddering due to the downward airflow! The bird left empty handed, perching high in a tree and offering some excellent views.

Also of note on East Marsh Pool were: 3 Shelduck, 1 Barnacle Goose, 5 Goldeneye 2♂ of which 1 was juvenile + 3♀, 11 Snipe and 22 Wigeon. During work around 90 Golden Plover were seen in flight over the 'Tip' area and when I returned after work at around 3pm to Big Hide, most likely the same Peregrine made another unsuccessful attempt, plus I had 1 Raven over and my first Kingfisher of the year.

When I woke this morning at around 6am I decided to have a trawl locally to see if any Owls were on the patch and then pay a visit to Draycote Water at first light. I love these crystal clear crispy mornings, something that we don't seem to have had a lot of this winter. I also wanted to see if I could spot Mercury, which is currently low in the east just before dawn. Did you know that statistics show that only 1% of the population of the UK have apparently ever seen Mercury?

No sign of any of the Marina's Tawny Owl population, which have been quite elusive of late, but I did manage one of the Little Owls which was perched in his usual spot atop one of the telephone poles. A search of the adjacent fields produced a quartering Barn Owl and by the time I reached Napton Reservoir the mist had descended, ruling out any chance of spotting a rarity!

Checking the live Draycote Weather Station Cam on my Ipad all seemed clear and yes you guessed it, by the time I reached Farborough Bank the mist had duly descended. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long before the sun burnt most of it off and I was off and running. For my second consecutive visit I managed to dip on the Red-breasted Merganser, but did however make contact with my first ♂Smew of the year, when I finally caught up with the recent arrival near the Valve Tower. Other birds of note for the day were a singing Skylark, a half dozen Goosander, Yellow-legged Gull and around 25 Yellowhammer, which were in trees across the field at the back of the 'Inlet'. (Draycote Water Map)

Oh and finally I never managed to make contact with Mercury, apparently January 16th is a more favourable date.

Norfolk Away Day!

2012-01-10T10:43:00.000Z

Pale-Bellied Brent (top-left)

A change of scenery yesterday with Paul, Derek and Jim and a very enjoyable day trip to the Norfolk coast.

We decided to begin our day at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Cley Marshes and try for the long staying Western Sandpiper. Quite a rarity to the UK having been blown in all the way from America. We'd determined that the best viewing would be from the Teal Hide, a hide which overlooks Pat's Pool, an area apparently favoured by the bird.

On the walk down to the hide a single Snipe, plus a group of Brent Geese were in flight, showing a lighter Pale-bellied Brent, which I luckily managed to pick up on camera.

On arrival at the hide we were informed that the Sandpiper had just been seen among a small flock of Dunlin but unfortunately had moved in to an area just out of sight from the hide. Not only this but a few seconds later a Sparrowhawk caused complete havoc and the sky was filled with around C50 Black-tailed Godwit, at least 2000 Golden Plover, 18 Avocet, plus various numbers of Lapwing, Ruff, Wigeon, Pintail and Teal. Fortunately, around 45 minutes later order had been restored and we finally made contact with this 'miniature Dunlin like bird' which seems to scurry around in the traditional style of a Sanderling!

Turnstone

After this eventual success a short drive up the coast to Salthouse for a quick look out to sea and a scan of the surrounding shingle and pools. The sea-watch produced very little of note, the highlights here being Great Black-backed Gull and Guillemot, but the pools and shingle yielded 7 Snow Bunting, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, plus a dozen or so Turnstone and a lone Redshank. A little tip! If the coffee man is in the car park make sure you try one, best coffee I've tasted in years!!

1000's of Pinkies at Holkham

Next, a drive to Holkham and on arrival here the astonishing site of thousands and thousands of Pink-footed Geese, both the sky and fields awash with these astonishing birds. In the surrounding fields we also managed to pick up Common Buzzard and both Red-legged and Grey Partridge.

A walk through the pines and down to the beach and salt marsh gave up Coal Tit and Goldcrest, but unfortunately on arrival at the dunes we'd not been able to make contact with a reported 4 Shore Lark, Skylark, Linnet and Meadow Pipit the best we could muster. Running short on time a brief sea-watch had several Red-breasted Merganser and a group of possible Scoter, too distant to confirm, I'm certain I also had Gannet. The beach had of note, Oystercatcher and around 60 Sanderling.

Grey Partridge

Back near the car park better views of Grey Partridge, plus a lone Ross's Goose, easily identifiable among the Pinkies, being a white goose. A surprise wintering Chiffchaff flitting in and out of a hawthorn as we tried in vain to confirm a distant Buzzard, other surrounding birders adamant it was the local Rough-legged, but not for us!! Too distant for absolute confirmation.

With light fading our final destination of the day was RSPB Tichwell and with Jim desperate to clock the reported Arctic Redpoll we made straight for its last reported position. In conclusion we did manage a lighter bird among a flock of Lesser Redpoll, which a few other birders insisted was the bird, but we've personally recorded it as a probable but unsatisfactory view as they were spooked only minutes after making contact!!

With clear blue sky and a setting sun over Tichwell, the final stage of our Norfolk visit was just brilliant recording: 2 Little Grebe, C500 Golden Plover, Bittern, 3 Spoonbill, 3 Little Egret, 4 Marsh Harrier, Barn Owl, 7 Ruff, Spotted Redshank and my first Norfolk Chinese Water Deer.

Quick Update!

2012-01-05T18:08:00.000Z

It's just nice to be able to comprise a blog entry without being hammered by force 10 gales, the last 24hrs have been bumpy to say the least, but thankfully it's now starting to abate.

When I arrived at Brandon Marsh this morning to join the works team I decided to go straight to Big Hide, with the wind gusting and the threat of more heavy rain forecast I was taking no chances.

When I arrived at the hide in near darkness Martin Durkin, another Brandon regular, informed me that only minutes before three Otters had passed right in front of him heading right to left. I couldn't believe my ears, you know how it goes, "you should have been here 5 minutes earlier"! Making a quick decision I decided that they were probably heading for the River Avon, which runs the perimeter of the reserve, and that to do this they must pass through Carlton Pool.

There is in fact an inlet between Big Hide and Carlton Hide and so at break neck speed I decided to check here first. Sure enough as Martin came scurrying behind me the three Otters appeared, the sun not yet up it was difficult to make out what the three comprised of before they moved off, but sure enough Otters!!

Settling in at Carlton Hide Martin and I were joined by Mike Lee, another team member who thankfully had his phone switched on, and to our delight the three appeared out of the reeds towards the back of the pool a short while later. A truly amazing 5 minutes watching these incredible mammals determined that this was likely to be a mother and two pups. My first Otters at Brandon, and indeed my first in England! Sadly, no chance of any photographs due to the light so I've posted a library image of some I took earlier this year in Canada!

Bike Birder!

2012-01-04T20:59:00.000Z

Today's Route

In the spirit of adventure and my new healthy regime I decided to take the new bike for a spin this morning around the local patch before this afternoon's rain arrived.

I actually ended up at Draycote Water some 7 miles later! Although it was the long term plan to achieve this goal I can't believe I did it at the first attempt! I'm certainly suffering now I can tell you.

After setting off from the marina onto the Shuckburgh Road the usual House Sparrow population were in evidence as I turned onto Tomlow Road by Crossroads Garage. I decided to give Napton Reservoir a miss and as I passed the turn off a Kestrel was sitting on the telegraph pole and a Buzzard was enjoying hanging in the wind. The whole area is awash with Fieldfare and Redwing and almost every field has masses of these winter visitors, often accompanied by groups of Starling and the odd Skylark.

Crossing the Grand Union Canal at Callas Lane bridge I paused for a moment to check out some smaller birds in the hawthorn and perhaps get some photos. Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Goldfinch were all recorded, plus 2 Tree Sparrow, but the light was too poor for any decent shots. Just as I was about to move on a lone Raven flew overhead but my attempts of a decent image proved disastrous.

The worst part of the journey was joining the A426 at Millbank Spinney, where I stopped to seek out a Great Spotted Woodpecker who gave himself up by noisily hacking away high up at the branch of an Oak tree.

Arriving at Draycote, it was a hillier ride than I'd anticipated, the wind had picked up but it remained dry. I decided to head off anti-clockwise along Farborough Bank, picking up a good selection of waterfowl, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Teal, Great-crested and Little Grebe, several pairs of Goldeneye, plus a couple of Gadwall were in amongst the many Coot.

Farborough Spit produced very little apart from around 30+ Lapwing, in fact these were the only waders I saw all day. Sadly I've not yet devised a method of carrying my scope and scanning the islands and central waters proved difficult with just my binoculars. When I eventually arrived at the Valve Tower I met up with Keith Foster, another member of the Brandon team, but between us we couldn't manage anything decent. Plenty of male and female Goosander were sheltering here from the wind, but no sign of the recent Red-breasted Merganser, Iceland or Glaucous Gulls.

Yellow-legged Gull

The cycle home produced hundreds more winter Thrush's and stopping at several fields, where many Gulls were feeding, I did pick out a very attractive looking Yellow-legged Gull. My final bird of note was a stunning Sparrowhawk, which flew alongside me for a good while as I approached the canal bridge on Tomlow Road, before heading off towards a very flighty Finch flock.

I eventually arrived back at the marina a complete wreck, having completed 18 miles in total, but have to say that biking is a great way to bird and I think I may change my twitter account to bikebirder!

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T18:08:00.000Z

The Humble House Sparrow

With family and friends taking precedence over birding during the festive period it was great to finally get back out into the field today! A great start too as sitting atop one of the marina telephone poles as I walked to the car, a Little Owl was clearly silhouetted against the brightening sky.

My first stop was Brandon Marsh and looking at the weather forecast for the week ahead I probably picked the best day, a chilly start with clear skies, something we don't seem to see much of these days.

A check from the road bridge looking across Sheepfield before entering the reserve produced an early Kestrel but sadly no Owls. Passing the Sheepfield gate a Song Thrush was happily singing and 5 Jackdaw passed overhead. New Hare Covert had 5 long-tailed Tit, Nuthatch, Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker, and by the time I reached the Newlands bench 2 Raven came cronking over and several Feildfare, Siskin, Goldfinch and Redwing had also been recorded.

As I approached the Wright Hide a Buzzard was seen taking flight from New Hare Covert, and a small wader was in flight along with the circa 500 Lapwing flock, which had been spooked by a Sparrowhawk seen heading east. A scan from within the hide confirmed 3 Dunlin and also recorded on East Marsh Pool were 14 Wigeon, 4 Pochard and a pair of Goldeneye. Shoveler, Tufted Duck and Teal were in good numbers plus a lone Great Crested Grebe, my first at Brandon for some time. Mixed in with around 150 Black-headed Gulls was a single Herring Gull, 3 Common Gull and 2 Lesser Black Backed.

At Big Hide I managed to pick up 8 Snipe, camouflaged nicely on Wigeon Bank in the short reed near the waters edge. On my return to the car 4 Lesser Redpoll were feeding on the Alder near the volunteers car park.

This afternoon Dee and I cycled around the local patch which was alive with literally hundred's of Fieldfare. A Kestrel was perched near the turn towards Napton Reservoir and Stockton Road held around 25 House Sparrows as we approached the Crossroads Garage. A brief view of 5 of the marina's Tree Sparrow population and a lone Yellowhammer as we cycled back down the path towards our mooring.

Some excellent views of the International Space Station as it headed east around 16:55 ended an excellent day.

Dream, Nightmare & Reality!

2011-12-21T09:44:00.000Z

Things have remained particularly quiet over the past week both locally and at Brandon Marsh, as you would probably expect at this time of year, and so finding things to blog about without becoming repetitive becomes somewhat of a challenge. With this in mind I thought a a few paragraphs on what kind of a year it's been for me on the birding front was in order.

Firstly, I'm not actually that good at making lists and so I can't specifically tell you how many species I've recorded this year. What I can tell you is that like all birders my year has had it's highs and lows. For those who know me, they'll tell you of my passion for Canada, the country I was married in during 2009 and which I visit each year with my lovely wife Dee. It was therefore an absolute dream to get the opportunity to live in Vancouver once more in March and April of this year thanks to Dee's work. During this time I walked many miles a day, met some great new friends and visited some stunning birding locations with amazing results. I just can't wait to return in May 2012.

Closer to home and with Dee's parents living in France we always take up the opportunity to visit, who can refuse, with great food, great conversation and great birding. However, this year a trip to France proved to be my worst nightmare. Hours before we were due to fly I trapped my femoral nerve pretty badly and unfortunately not only did I spend almost the entire week in bed during our visit, it practically wiped out my entire summer! Thankfully, it's a situation I'm now able to manage, although it still has it's moments.

To Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve and in fact this week sees my third anniversary since joining the voluntary conservation team, some would say that they can't remember a time when I wasn't at Brandon! Do I take this as a compliment or otherwise? In reality Brandon is a place where I spend endless hours working and birding and I'm proud to be a part of a team of people who devote hours of their time and energy managing and creating an environment for the benefit of our amazing British wildlife. Inspirational, enthusiastic individuals, who work hard, take criticism on the chin (not everyone understands conservation) and who are passionate about the work they do, and long may it continue. Sadly, in the three short years that I've been involved at Brandon Marsh we've lost three amazing characters, and so at this time of year I think a brief pause to remember Ted Jury, Roger Porter and Bob Rothwell, who it was a privilege to know and who are sorely missed.

Finally, a big thank you for all the emails in relation to my previous post regarding the Boundary Bay Snowy Owls, it seems that most, although not all agree! Thank you too for the Christmas wishes Dee and I have received over recent weeks and we both wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Very frustrating!

2011-12-18T14:41:00.000Z

Snowy Owl

For the past week or so I've been receiving emails and some fantastic images from my birding buddies over in Canada.

Most of the excitement has been regrading up to 70 Snowy Owls, which have drifted down from their regular hunting grounds in Northern Canada and the Arctic in search of food.

The majority of the fall has been at an area known as Boundary Bay, an area renown for holding some of the largest populations of wintering Raptors in Canada and one of my favourite birding locations when visiting. Sadly though it appears that the problems we have here in the UK with a minority of mindless photographers, striving for the ultimate shot with no regard for the animal, seems to be a major problem in Canada now too!

I've been horrified by some of the emails I've received over the weekend, summed up by the news item below.

What can you say about these mindless idiots who appear to have no regard for anything other than themselves. These birds are obviously at the point of exhaustion and the last thing they need is to be spooked from pillar to post while they attempt to recuperate! I know that personally I've been criticised in the past for suppressing various sightings, Long-eared Owls at Brandon for example, but is it any wonder with these idiots always a threat!

Anyway back to the UK and a chilly morning at Brandon Marsh produced three highlights for the day. Firstly, excellent views of a Peregrine attacking the Lapwing population. Secondly, good views from the Wright Hide of a Bittern on the front edge of the reeds in front of Big Hide. Finally, some very tasty and welcome mince pies with our morning coffee in Big Hide, supplied by our steely eyed Bittern spotter, Jeff Hood.

Oh yes, worth a mention to tune in to Countryfile tonight (BBC1 @ 7pm) where it's quite possible that some of the footage taken at Brandon Marsh a few weeks ago may be used!

A New addition!

2011-12-13T18:54:00.000Z

A New Addition Overnight!

Enjoying a coffee this morning at around 6am, after a rather bumpy night, the rain still battering down and the wind still hammering the boat, I was somewhat surprised around 45 minutes later when I stepped onto the pontoon in crystal clear skies and a relatively calm water!

I was further surprised when I noticed that a lone ♂Mandarin Duck had joined with the local Mallard population during the night. In fact my birding day had gotten off to an excellent start by the time I reached the car, when silhouetted against the clear brightening Eastern sky a Woodcock overflew the marina.

Brandon Marsh this morning had received a very welcome overnight dumping of rain and as I drove past the top reed bed a very early Buzzard was making it's way across. I made my way around my usual route and it was soon apparent that a feeding frenzy was taking place. Excellent numbers of Lesser Redpoll and Siskin were feeding high amongst the Alder, and the few remaining Hawthorn berries were being greedily devoured by Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackbirds and Bullfinch. New Hare Covert produced 2 Goldcrest and a single Great-spotted Woodpecker.

Lots Of Fieldfare Locally!

Passing the golf course a ♀Muntjac Deer made a dart across for the relative cover of New Hare Covert and both Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler were heard calling. East Marsh Pool, which now has excellent water levels produced the usual suspects, the best of which were: Kingfisher, 2 pair of Goldeneye, 18 Golden Plover, 9 Snipe, 6 Wigeon and a very pristine looking Yellow-legged Gull amongst the Gull population. Also seen of note during my visit were: Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Willow Tit, Coal Tit and Nuthatch.

With time to spare before my car was due it's MOT I took the opportunity for a walk around a very blowy and somewhat biting Napton Reservoir. Here most of the waterfowl were sensibly taking cover at the top end of the water, with around 50 or so Tufted Duck, 75+ Wigeon, 8 Gadwall and probably the whole Counties allocation of Coot!

A walk to the top end of the reed bed produced at least 75 Fieldfare and the best of the visit, when I inadvertently flushed a Jack Snipe, which was also taking cover from the now buffeting winds. On my return to the marina our new resident Mandarin was still on site, offering good photographic opportunities and my final bird of a very enjoyable day out was a cronking Raven over!

Little About!

2011-12-11T15:08:00.001Z

One Less Water Vole!

A week on from my last post and despite high hopes very little new on offer around the patch. My birding depression was not helped either by an email I received from my mate Derek Killby in Vancouver, Canada this morning. This read like a who's who of species, the best being 28 Snowy Owls he came across at Boundary Bay, Delta, a place I've visited several times over previous years.

Brandon Marsh over the past several days has been reasonably quiet too, the exception being Tuesday when I managed my best view thus far this winter of a Bittern, when one took flight from the reeds in front of big hide. Several arse end images the best I could muster as the bird flew across towards Newlands, catching me completely by surprise.

On the same morning I witnessed first hand the demise of one of the recently released Water Voles, when I was stunned to see a Heron pluck one from the grass at Carlton Hide. Still plenty of winter visitors on offer though, with several good flocks of Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Fieldfare and Redwing. The daily visit of Golden Plover, numbers usually ranging from 30 to a very healthy 175 continues, although today's visit only saw a count of 9.

Closer to home a tour of the marina and surrounding areas this morning didn't manage any surprises, although a count of 8 Skylark in the adjacent field was welcome. Also recorded were: 6 Red-legged Partridge, 4 Yellowhammer, 32 Goldfinch, 38 Linnet, 11 Tree Sparrow, 2 Bullfinch ♂♀, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Kestrel and a lone Buzzard.

Finally, I've now started to upload a few of my photographs onto Flickr and these can be accessed by clicking the link on the header bar above labelled 'My New Photostream'.

Two Winter Firsts

2011-12-04T14:18:00.001Z

Click On Image To Enlarge

An interesting end to the week, a week in which I've rubbed shoulders with a household name and recorded my first Bittern and Jack Snipe sightings of the winter.

On Thursday afternoon the BBC Countryfile team were recording at Brandon Marsh for the up coming Christmas episode. With a working knowledge of the reserve a few of the conservation team members were in attendance, which included yours truly. In the late afternoon I was lucky enough to accompany John Craven in a search for Holly and Ivy. Fortunately, with only two Holly Bushes on the whole reserve, my first hand knowledge came in very handy. I'm just glad that I took them to the female of the species, as I couldn't remember initially if it was laden with berries or not. Thankfully my embarrassment was spared, no need to panic either, as you will definitely not be seeing me on the big screen!

Today's visit to Brandon turned up a couple of winter firsts with amazingly only my first brief glimpse of Bittern this winter, when one bird took flight across the reeds as I passed the 'Olive Wood' bench at around 8am. East Marsh Pool still has the 2 long staying pairs of Goldeneye and an amazing count of at least 140 Golden Plover. Golden Plover have now been visiting regularly at Brandon for over a month, an unprecedented sequence as prior to this these birds were a very infrequent visitor. Snipe and Pochard numbers were down on previous counts with only 3 and 17 respectively.

Carlton Hide produced Kingfisher and Water Rail, with a Common Buzzard and Mistle Thrush sharing the big dead tree for a while. However, the best was my first Jack Snipe at Brandon this winter, when one was seen briefly to the rear of the island, before bobbing back into the undergrowth.

Also of note today: Willow Tit (1), Siskin (8), Lesser Redpoll (6), Fieldfare (11), Redwing (11), Sparrowhawk (1), Kestrel (2), Coal Tit (2), Nuthatch (1), Bullfinch (6 - 3♀ + 3♂), Goldcrest (2). A second glimpse at East Marsh Hide, of probably the same Bittern seen earlier, shortly before I headed off to the nature centre for breakfast at 11am.

Locally the Marina still has various numbers of Linnet, Goldfinch and at least 100 Fieldfare are still in the locality, this evenings Pied Wagtail roost had circa 150 birds, a slight reduction from previous nights. The Long-eared Owl mentioned in my previous post is still showing in its regular daytime roost. Finally, with no decent photographic opportunities today I've enclosed the above picture which I took yesterday at the marina, when I noticed our resident Mute Swans having a clean in the winter sun.

Time To Reflect

2011-11-29T16:01:00.000Z

With the autumn migration over and the likelihood of any further rarities dropping in diminishing by the day, it's time to reflect on what kind of autumn it's been, putting aside the fact that it's possibly been one of the warmest on record.

I suppose from a national perspective it will probably go down as one the best ever for rare and scarce migrants, although not being a twitcher I contented myself by reading the many reports from around the country. The late part of September saw the remnants of two Atlantic hurricanes hit UK shores, bringing with it North American waders and land birds. A flock of 26 Buff-breasted Sandpipers gathered in Wexford, whilst on the Isle of Scilly an early Red-eyed Vireo was joined by Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler and Baltimore Oriole.

My personal best during this time was my first local inland Gannet, when one dropped in at Draycote Water.At the beginning of October high pressure stretched from the UK all the way to North Africa and the resulting winds provided ideal conditions for our departing summer visitors. From the middle of October the winds turned more easterly and continued on and off until the end of the month. Despite Redwing and Fieldfare entering the country in their thousands accompanied by some early Waxwing, the highlight would have to be the 50 Short-eared Owls which made landfall at Tichwell, Norfolk on the 13th.

From a personal perspective I managed some of my very own migration highlights with Short-eared Owl at Brandon Marsh, plus Crossbills at Napton Reservoir and two very early Bewick Swans on my own doorstep, when I discovered two birds resting at the marina.

Long-eared Owl (Library Image 2010)

In November I managed a week on the Lincolnshire coast with my wife Dee and here we managed further migration highlights when we were lucky enough to see a Short-eared Owl make Landfall at Donna Nook and on the same day recorded Snow Bunting, Lapland Bunting and Merlin. Also seen of note during our stay was my first UK Arctic Redpoll at Spurn, accompanied by Brambling, Long-eared Owl, Wood Lark and my first Whooper Swans, Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese of the autumn at Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore.

All in all I'm quite happy with my lot for the autumn migration, which also includes good numbers of Lesser Redpoll and Siskin, and over the past several days a trawl of my local Long-eared Owl roosts has also turned up my first local bird of the autumn!

Draycote Today!

2011-11-23T19:58:00.000Z

White Fronted!

After three attempts I finally caught up with a local Short-eared Owl this morning which a fellow boater had put me on to quartering a field off the Napton to Stockton road. It's great to have one on the local patch and I just hope it decides to hang around for a while longer.

The gloom had finally lifted overnight producing a slight frost and a crisp start to the day so I decided to head off to Draycote Water for a wander. I opted to park in the main car park today instead of my usual parking spot at Thurlaston, and on arrival I met up with the Draycote guru's Richard and Bob and decided to let them accompany me around 'The Pond' :)

I have to say that although the birding wasn't that prolific I really enjoyed the time spend with the guys, which included lots of banter, most of which was at my expense! I won't mention the missing White-fronted Geese, oops!!

It was quite a surprise for me to see how the reservoir had decreased even further in water mass since my last visit several weeks ago, something that must surely be of great concern for Severn Trent Water.

A walk along Farborough Bank up to the Spit produced of note ♂ and ♀ Goosander, a lone Yellow-legged Gull out on one of the islands, shortly after followed by a single ♀Common Scoter, which remained distant. Lapwing were in excellent numbers and a huge flock seen across towards Draycote Bank had 7 Dunlin within.

Fly Agaric @ Brandon!

A decision to backtrack for a look at Rainbow corner turned up around 45 Golden Plover over, an extremely agile Peregrine, which attempted but failed to take a Wood Pigeon mid flight, and a few remaining Skylark heading south.

Having failed to locate the recent White-fronted Geese a decision to return to Farborough spit proved successful with 10 birds located in the field below the bank.

Time spent scrutinising the surrounding field proved fruitful with Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard and Richard managed a lone Grey Partridge, which was accompanied by 5 Red-legged, of interest too were around 15 Guinea-fowl which were fun to see.

After departing Draycote and lunch at Brandon Marsh I managed once again to miss the Bittern by minutes on East Marsh Pool. In the hour or so I spent at East Marsh I managed the 2♂ and 2♀ Goldeneye, which are still on site, and finished with: 132 Golden Plover, 6 Wigeon, 6 Gadwall, 22 Pochard, 9 Snipe, 26 Common Gull, 9 Lesser black-backed Gull, plus excellent numbers of Teal and Shoveler. The walk back to the nature centre yielded: 5 Lesser Redpoll, 4 Siskin, 2♀ Bullfinch, and small numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare.

Gloomy Day

2011-11-22T16:57:00.001Z

Resident Swan Family

With heavy rain pounding on the boat roof at around 5am and the forecast of yet more fog and low cloud I made a concious decision to turn over and have a lay in this morning.

I also decided to take a look at a nearby field after a text message last night tipped me off regarding a Short-eared Owl seen at dusk, and so didn't arrive at Brandon Marsh until just after 9am, no Owls in sight!

Not the best decision I've made when a phone call from Brandon came through with news of a Bittern showing well on East Marsh early on. Needless to say I've still not as yet made contact this autumn, but hey it's early days.

Despite the gloom Brandon had it's moments, the best of which were the 2♂ and 2♀ Goldeneye, still around from Saturday, plus 4 Cetti's Warbler heard, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 5 Siskin, 1 Kingfisher, 87 Golden Plover, a half dozen Wigeon and a brief glimpse of a Chiffchaff from the Big Hide. Carlton Hide, which I'm glad to say is now filling back up nicely with water, held 5 Snipe and a single Water Rail. The escaped New Zealand Scaup was also around at West Marsh and 6 Skylark flew south on the walk down.

Lots of mixed Thrush flocks today which included excellent numbers of Blackbird, at least 20 or so of which had black beaks, more likely 1st winter Scandinavian. It's also worth noting that 3 Song Thrush were heard singing too.

A stop off at Napton Reservoir on route home, nearly crushing 6 Red-legged Partridge who ran out in front of me, produced circa 70 Wigeon, Great Crested and Little grebe, a lone Grey Wagtail and a huge flock of around 150 Fieldfare, with smaller numbers of Redwing mixed in.

Despite the unfortunate extraction (don't get me started!) of a huge amount of reed bed back at the marina, the Pied Wagtail roost still contained good numbers with around 250, and as the weather finally broke to the west the sky was awash with literally thousands of Gulls heading for the Draycote roost!

Posted above is a picture of our resident Mute Swan family taken from my window, which I thought would brighten up this post on an otherwise gloomy day!

Hectic Week

2011-11-19T13:19:00.001Z

Barnacle

It's been such a hectic week I haven't even had the time to update the blog with details of our last day before coming home from Lincolnshire last weekend, when we visited RSPB Freiston Shore on the Friday.

One of the main reasons for my lack of blog time has been the work involved in finishing a presentation that I gave at Brandon Marsh on Wednesday evening, which covered my birding exploits in Canada. I have to say that it was really enjoyable to relive the moments of our RV tour last September and it was a good turnout too!

Freiston Shore for those who have not visited before lies around 4-miles east of Boston and consists of salt marsh, lagoons and off shore flats. Dee and I visited last year and thought it would be a nice end to our trip. The weather certainly didn't improve during our whole week and as it started, it finished with low cloud, mist and a cold easterly.

The highlights of the day was a healthy population of Tree Sparrows and good mixed flocks, which consisted of Goldfinch, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll. The lagoons held excellent numbers of Wigeon, Shelduck, Little Grebe and Teal, the surrounding marsh had Brent Geese, Pink-footed and 8 Barnacle Geese, which were our first of the week.

A walk out to the observation point which looks out to the distant sea, (once again the tides were unfavourable), yielded Marsh Harrier, Merlin and plenty of Redshank and Curlew. Finally, a small tidal pool at the rear held a lone Black-necked Grebe, a good end to the week.

When I stepped off the boat this morning on route to Brandon Marsh it was a crystal clear sky, by the time I arrived at Brandon some 30 minutes later the mist had rolled in making observation difficult. I'm definitely ready for those Atlantic lows to start taking control. I spent a half hour vigil overlooking Sheep field in the hope of Short-eared and Barn Owl, but alas it wasn't to be.

However, things improved when I accidentally flushed my first Woodcock of the autumn when one took flight right in front of me. Despite several sightings of Bittern over the previous week the bird continues to evade me, although a few of the other chaps in the conservation team have managed views. I'll never here the last of that one!!!

Also of note during my early visit were: 2♀ and 2♂ Goldeneye, Gadwall (5), Snipe (9), Golden Plover (32-over), Cetti's Warbler (7-heard), Goldcrest (2), plus various numbers of Pochard, Teal, Tufted and Shoveler on the pools, with Siskin, Redwing, Fieldfare, Lesser Redpoll, Kestrel and Buzzard elsewhere.

While completing my boating chores after arriving home a large group of around 150 Fieldfare took flight from the direction of Napton Reservoir, closely followed by a couple of Sparrowhawk s!!

Foggy Spurn!

2011-11-11T08:49:00.001Z

Spurn (Seen on a clear day!!)

Spurn Point is somewhere that I’ve heard lots about but strangely enough have never visited. Spurn is a very unique place in the British Isles, only three and a half miles long and down to only fifty meters wide in places with the sea either side.

Extending out into the Humber Estuary from the Yorkshire coast it has always had a big affect to the navigation of all vessels over the years. Help to some and a danger or hindrance to others. This alone makes Spurn a unique place. Bird observations have taken place here since 1938. This included a roll-call of species, the beginnings of a recording system, which later became standard in bird observatories and continues today at Spurn.

The day did not start well! Having been informed by the local weather forecast (and someone who will remain nameless) that today was probably the best day to visit, as soon as we left the outskirts of Hull, having earlier crossed the Humber Bridge in lovely morning sunshine, the fog blew in!

Having relieved us of our £3 a very nice guy from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust proceeded to make me feel even better by informing us that only an hour before our arrival the sky had been a lovely blue and that the fog had only just rolled in off the sea!

Notwithstanding, we continued on and decided to check out Chalk Bank hides, which overlook the estuary. Here we scanned the fog, Dee picking out a single Little Egret in the scope and one or two movements in the gloom but alas it was to no avail. Things did however improve immediately after decamping from the hide when Dee spotted a Short-eared Owl in flight, dropping down into the grass not far from us to the delight of our friends John & Pat.

Wood Lark (Library Image)

Did things improve even more? Happily yes they did, when after an hour or two of checking out every movement in the gloom we came across our second decent bird of the day with good views of a lone Woodlark near the RNLI centre. A walk out to the point across the dunes produced a Long-eared Owl, which had been accidentally flushed by an earlier birder, and we enjoyed a number of good flight views as the bird flew several times trying to find another decent roosting spot.

By the time we reached Spurn Point the fog had lifted sufficiently to allow views out to sea and we spent a good while here with a flyover of Great Northern Diver, around 70 Pink-footed Geese and various small numbers of Wigeon, Common Scoter, Brent, Shelduck, Red Breasted Merganser and Scaup. The best as far as our friends were concerned were the two Porpoise (probably harbour) which breached the water, showing their dark back and fin.

The walk back across the dunes produced Goldcrest, Mealy Redpoll, one of which I’m convinced was Arctic, although to be honest I’ve only ever come across this species once before, Black Redstart (2) and numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing, sadly once again bombing on the earlier reported Waxwing!

A chat with Paul Doherty at the car park, who I eventually recognised by his voice, which I’ve heard many times on his excellent DVD’s, revealed that I’d also bombed on Siberian Chiffchaff and a late Willow Warbler and he did raise an eyebrow when I mentioned Arctic Redpoll, but did say that one had been reported a few days ago!

On the drive out a Roe Deer on the road and pausing several times to check out the many Waders on the incoming tide, I recorded of note: Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Knot, Ruff, Redshank, Turnstone, Sanderling and BT Godwit before certain others in the car got a little cranky :)

Donna Nook Revisited!

2011-11-10T08:01:00.001Z

Lapland Bunting (thanks to the Seal Warden!)

Everyone loves Seal pups right? and so it was no surprise that our guests suggested a trip to Donna Nook, having seen a selection of Dee’s photographs from our Sunday visit, and who are we to disappoint.

Unfortunately the weather hasn’t been on our side during our weeks stay here in Lincolnshire and so on arrival the gloomy conditions persisted. However, around mid afternoon the first signs of brightness out to the west, followed by the odd sunny break, seemed to act as a catalyst and produced a good deal of movement on the birding front.

Firstly, a Short-eared Owl being mobbed by several Crows came in off the sea, eventually coming to rest just in scope range, shortly followed by our second Ringtail Hen Harrier of the week, which threw the whole area into frenzy. As if this wasn’t enough, overhead two small raptors also being mobbed turned out to be Sparrowhawk and Merlin. Raptor heaven!

After enjoying a cup of soup from the car park catering van and a chat with one of the Seal wardens, who kindly put me onto a small group of Tree Sparrows, 3 Brambling, 2 Lapland Bunting and distant views of 4 Ruddy Shelduck, I managed to persuade everyone to take a walk south along the sand dunes.

The bird movements continued throughout our walk with various size flocks of Knot, Golden Plover, Oystercatcher and Dunlin, plus 18 Black-tailed Godwit, too many Shelduck and Brent to count and our first Snow Buntings, when 4 came down along the path in front of us!

Snow Bunting

Large flocks of Fieldfare were once again a constant, mingled with Redwing and more Blackbird today, plus the usual flow of Skylark and Meadow Pipit. Also recorded of note were: 2 Whooper Swan, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Linnet, and Goldcrest.

Needless to say John and Pat, our close friends and guests for the rest of the week have taken a slight shine to this birding lark (no pun intended) and unselfishly I’ve suggested to everyone that a visit to Spurn Point may be worthwhile!!

Thanks to Dee for the photo's.

In The Gloom!

2011-11-09T09:04:00.001Z

Whooper Swans @ Frampton Marsh

Over the previous couple of days Dee and I have managed visits to both Frampton Marsh and Gibraltar Point. With our non birding friends joining us at our holiday cottage for the remainder of the week we thought we’d try and cram in as much birding as possible before their arrival.

RSPB Frampton Marsh is around a 30-minute drive and boasts coastal wetland, reedbed, large freshwater scrapes and wet grassland. The reserve also has 3 hides, two of which offer 360-degree views, plus there are over 3km of footpaths to explore. Despite the gloom, constant drizzle and bracing north-easterly wind the birding, although no prolific, wasn’t too bad and taking occasional shelter in the hides we managed a good session.

Raptors included Kestrel and Merlin but the highlight was watching a Peregrine making several attempts to capture a very tricky Redshank. Fortunately for the lucky Wader the battle ended Waders 1 Peregrine 0.

At Frampton the newly arriving Whooper Swans continue to pass through and Dee managed to capture an adult bird and juvenile in flight despite the awful photographic conditions, 7 birds were seen in total. Also beginning to arrive in small numbers are Pink-footed Geese and we recorded 5 during our stay. Also seen of note were: At least 500 Brent Geese and various numbers of Shelduck, Goldeneye, Pintail, Pochard, Gadwall, Little Egret, Redshank, Curlew, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Skylark and Meadow Pipit.

The weather had only improved slightly by the time we reached Gibraltar Point on Tuesday morning, at least it stayed dry, but once again Dee and I enjoyed a decent day. This reserve covers 3 miles of coast from Skegness to the Wash. Habitats include sandy and muddy seashore, sand dunes, saltmarsh and freshwater marsh with ponds and lagoons.

Grey Plover in the gloom!

On arrival a quick look at the recent sightings board revealed Twite, Woodcock and Snow Bunting and you’ll be interested to know that we bombed on all three! However, another very enjoyable days birding which included Marsh Harrier and some great views of Grey Plover, Dee taking the opportunity of a prolonged photo session, one of which is posted above!

Despite the tide being way out a good selection of species to report with: Sanderling, Turnstone, Oystercatcher and Grey Plover on the beach area, plus further large number of Brent and more Grey Seals. Large numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare continue to flood in on the easterly wind but sadly no Waxwing amongst them yet!

At the cottage a Tawny Owl can be heard nightly and through the night last night some decent passages of Whooper Swan and Pink-footed Geese could be heard regularly, in fact as I post another 20 or so Pink-footed are passing through.

Donna Nook

2011-11-07T16:10:00.000Z

Arriving Saturday evening at our cottage in the Lincolnshire Wolds, where we’ll spend the next week, Dee and I decided to spend our first day at Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast, which boasts a large population of breeding Grey Seals.

Grey Seal Pup!

Grey Seals in Britain make up around 40% of the worlds population and are found mainly on exposed northern and western coasts. Every autumn they congregate at traditional breeding sites, the timing of pupping varies around the coast from September through to November.

The largest gatherings of breeding Grey Seals normally occur on uninhabited islands in the Hebrides and Orkney in Scotland. Pupping on sand banks or sandy beaches is unusual, which makes Donna Nook on the east coast a very rare and spectacular place to see them. Even more spectacular when you consider the fact that Donna Nook is also an RAF bombing range during the week!

Dee and I arrived at around 11am and this being our first visit we were quite surprised to see so many visitors and ended up parking in the overflow car park. A quick hop over the sand dunes and you’re suddenly confronted with the amazing sight of Grey Seal bulls, cows and pups within feet of the controlled fenced area. It’s an absolute delight seeing the newly born pups this close up, some only days old, and I can highly recommend a visit.

We eventually dragged ourselves away, two memory cards later on the camera and enjoyed a very bracing walk north along the sand dunes. Unfortunately the tides were not in our favour but there was still plenty of birding on offer.

Hen Harrier Ringtail

Large flocks of Brent Geese, excellent numbers of Shelduck and Redshank, plus what I suspect were large numbers of Dunlin and Knot too far out to identify. Curlews were also in good numbers and Skylark and Meadow Pipit were a constant. At one stage a large Starling flock suddenly took flight as a fully adult Hen Harrier (ringtail) came in from across the dunes. Dee managed to fire off a few distant shots with the camera, the best of which is posted.

A chat with a couple of local birders had us on the lookout for Snow Bunting and a reported Cattle Egret but we bombed on both. We did however manage a superb flock of around 40 or so Tree Sparrow, along with Yellowhammer, Linnet and Reed Bunting. Also seen on our walk were: Pintail, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Kestrel, Common Buzzard, plus a lone Pink-footed Goose.

Winter Visitors

2011-11-03T16:51:00.001Z

I was fortunate to miss the heavy downpour that arrived just after midday as by coincidence I'd left the work party at Brandon Marsh early due the wife's birthday celebrations.

This morning a Barn Owl was still hunting well after sunrise near the golf course, probably due to the heavy overnight rain which we desperately need. Stills lots of our winter visitors at the marsh with the now resident Fieldfare, Redwing, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll, plus at least 35 Golden Plover on East Marsh Pool.

1st Bewicks of the Autumn!

The surprise of the day came about when I was having a coffee on the pontoon chatting to my neighbours. I'd noticed two Swans in the far corner of the marina tucked away in amongst the reeds. They looked slightly smaller than our resident Mute Swans and I sensed straight away that they might be something different! My neighbour, who's not a birder by any means, couldn't quite see what all the fuss was about, it's only a Swan says he!!

Camera in hand I approached with my usual amazing stealth, almost breaking my neck as I gingerly climbed up the bank. Fast asleep I waited, patience is not a virtue, and eventually one raised his head to offer the picture posted above, before dropping back to sleep! Their still asleep as I write.

First Bewick's of the autumn for me and right on my doorstep, what a delight.

Autumnal Bliss

2011-11-01T17:57:00.002Z

Dropping off one of the wife's work colleagues at Heathrow Airport at 6.30 this morning prior to my usual Tuesday Brandon visit I was amazed to see no less than 6 Red Kites already on the wing when I passed the usual hotspot on the M40 motorway at Wycombe! A re-introduction area for these magnificent birds several years ago they are simply spreading like wildfire, to see their huge silhouettes against the early morning gloom was just wonderful.

Red Admiral on November 1st!

A gorgeous autumnal day at Brandon Marsh once the early showers moved through and some surprise visitors too when 73 Golden Plover dropped on to East Marsh Pool at around 10.30am. At the time Paul, John, Peter and I had just been watching a day hunting Barn Owl at the rear of the Carlton Hide and quickly doubled back to big hide for a glimpse.

Lots of Fieldfare, Redwing, Lesser Redpoll and Siskin have now started their regular demolition of the summer berries and seeds with the latter tucking into the Alder, and the Thrushes devouring the Hawthorn berries. Several Skylark were moving south during my stay, 2 Green Sandpiper were on Teal Pool and the usual selection of Pochard, Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler, Tufted and Mallard were on East Marsh Pool. Also seen of note were: Circa 350 Lapwing (this includes 1 Leusistic), 3 Bullfinch, 2 Nuthatch, 1 Grey Wagtail, 6 Jay, 3 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Goldcrest, 2 Water Rail and 3 Snipe.

Migrant Hawker

Birding aside the most remarkable thing for November 1st was the amount of Dragonfly on the wing with around 30 or so Common Darter, the females of which were constantly dropping onto West Marsh Pool to lay their eggs. Also seen were 2 Red Admiral Butterfly, obviously not ready for hibernation just yet, and a single Migrant Hawker.

A record count this evening of our roosting Pied Wagtails here at the marina, with over 250 counted! I really must endeavour to check them all out one day!

Local First

2011-10-31T19:16:00.001Z

Common Crossbill

Since my visit to Draycote Water last Tuesday birding has been somewhat of a premium of late, the best of which was connecting with a Short-eared Owl at Brandon Marsh on Saturday morning.

Last Thursday I spent my usual day with the Brandon Marsh conservation team and managed to finish off Kingfisher Pool, which we've managed to open up after many years invasive growth, thanks to the current lack of water.

With little time on my hands I've still managed some local birding and this morning took the opportunity to have a look at the nearby Napton Reservoir at first light. It turned out to be a very pleasant 90-minute visit which started off with a Sparrowhawk flying low in front of the car for nearly the whole length of the road leading to the car park. The bird finally came to rest on the post of the gate that leads to Calcut Marina and offered some excellent views.

If you know the reservoir and are planning a visit soon it's worth spending a little time looking over the small building site which has appeared in the field at the marina/reservoir entrance. Here there were good numbers of finches drinking from the standing water, which included 2 Brambling amongst the Chaffinch flock. Also noted were 2 ♀Bullfinch, 11 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Pied Wagtail, 4 Fieldfare, 3 Siskin and a lone Grey Wagtail.

The best of the waterfowl on the reservoir itself were: 1 Little Grebe, 15 Wigeon, 2 Pochard, 56 Tufted Duck, 7 Teal and a single ♀Pintail. A walk to the southern top end of the reed bed flushed 2 Snipe, a Water Rail was calling from within the reeds and a Goldcrest was also feeding in the Hawthorn. When I finally arrived at the southern corner a small flock of birds caught my attention but from the calls I was already getting excited! A small number of Common Crossbill, quite flighty and I managed to count 12 birds before they made off north across the reed bed, a first for my local list.

Thirty minutes of sky watching produced of note: 28 Fieldfare, C250 Starling, 34 Redwing, 2 Siskin, 8 Lesser Redpoll, 18 Lapwing, 6 Linnet, 2 Meadow Pipit and 15 Skylark.

Change of Plan

2011-10-25T19:35:00.000+01:00

Meadow Pipit

A change of scenery today as I decided to abandon my normal Tuesday visit to Brandon and headed off at first light for a walk around Draycote Water.

After parking at Thurlaston the walk down to the water in the dark had a calling Tawny Owl off towards the Gray's Barn area. Arriving a little early with very little light the first thing that struck me were the thousand's of Gulls heading away from their overnight roost, the first time I've actually witnessed this, but what an amazing sight.

A slow walk around towards Toft Shallows had the first calling, Lesser Redpoll, Fieldfare and Redwing overhead and by the time I reached the hide the light had improved sufficiently to allow a good scan of the large Tufted Duck population, sadly no Scaup amongst them! Unfortunately the serenity of the early morning was short lived as the first fisherman duly arrived and having kitted up made his way down to the waters edge, scattering everything in his path.

Now I'm all for everyone enjoying his or her hobby or favourite past time but purely from a selfish birding perspective I can see how annoying this is for the regular Draycote birder. By the time I left at around 12.30 several boats were out and at least two dozen fisherman were at the waters edge, scattering the birds from pillar to post!

Progressing along Toft Bank towards Farborough Spit, where a small party of C20 Linnet were feeding, accompanied by several Meadow Pipit and lots of Pied Wagtail, I settled for my first coffee of the day and a good scan of the water. No waders in sight with the exception of several Lapwing, good numbers of Great Crested Grebe and a selection of Black-headed, Common, Herring, Lesser and Great-black backed Gulls. Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Pochard and a ♀ Goosander in flight were also recorded.

♂ Goldeneye

I eventually arrived at a very sheltered and serene Rainbow Corner, after passing a very noisy Sailing Club area, where lots of contractors were on site. At Rainbow I came across my first decent Wader of the day when a lone and slightly late Greenshank gave itself up, constantly calling in flight but finally settling. This was accompanied by an eventual 9 Dunlin and my first Goldeneye of the autumn with several ♂ and ♀ on show.

I spent a very enjoyable 45-minutes in the pleasantly warm autumn sunshine with Tim Marlow who I'd not met in person before. During our chat a Peregrine came through heading south-west and visible migration produced C50 Golden Plover, a constant flow of Skylark and wave after wave of Starlings, well in excess of 500 by the time I left Draycote.

Also seen of note were a small Number of Little Grebe, a single Red Admiral butterfly and also worth a mention were the 14 Herons which suddenly dropped down in the ploughed field behind the Inlet, a very enjoyable visit.

Pleasantly Mild

2011-10-23T17:29:00.001+01:00

Local Tree Sparrow Population

A very mild autumnal morning when I reached Brandon Marsh at first light with the temperature well into double figures, helped by a rather warm and brisk south-westerly wind.

The unusual site of 3 Buzzards circling just before dawn and no sign of the recent Short-eared Owl, but offset by good views of a hunting Barn Owl near the golf course and two Tawny's. A good deal of visible migration too with a constant flow of Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Redwing and Fieldfare. Also recorded were circa 30 Skylark over and 2 Meadow Pipit.

East Marsh Pool was once again devoid of any decent waders, other than the usual excellent numbers of Lapwing and 2 Snipe. 17 Pochard today too, plus good numbers of Tufted Duck, Shoveler and Teal, unfortunately only 2 Gadwall were seen. The escaped New Zealand Scaup, which has re-appeared once again, was in amongst the Tufted, easily identifiable by it's upright tail and flattish head, another sign if observed for any length of time is it's aggressive nature towards other Tufties.

The remainder of the reserve produced of note: 5 Pied Wagtails, Grey Wagtail, Mistle Thrush, 3 Cetti's Warbler, Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit and Bullfinch.

After watching the destruction of Manchester Utd on Sky I took the opportunity to have a late afternoon walk around the marina grounds and surrounding fields. Several Linnet, Goldfinch and small numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare were feeding in the numerous Hawthorn. 2 Buzzard on the wing, plus Kestrel and 2 cronking Ravens heading off towards Napton Hill were also seen. Our resident Tufted Duck seems to have been joined by two new friends who seemed only to happy to accept some hospitality I provided from the boat hatch.

The bird feeders provided by some of the other boaters were a little quiet with so much natural food currently on offer, and as usual it was good to see that our resident Tree Sparrow population is still as healthy as ever with 9 birds counted! A great moment of excitement was short lived when 5 Swans heading over Napton Reservoir turned out to be Mute! Also from my vantage point which overlooks the reservoir a group of 15 Wigeon were also seen in flight.

The surrounding fields held several Skylark, probably downed by the strong breeze, and a closer look at a small flock of Lapwings produced 2 Golden Plover amongst their number.

Brandon Today

2011-10-20T23:19:00.002+01:00

Siskin

I spent the morning completing more work with a few of the conservation team clearing the Kingfisher Pool at Brandon Marsh, an area that due to lack of water recently has become more accessible. The pool is located adjacent to the path that runs down towards the West Marsh Steetley Hide

An early start prior to starting work produced the Short-eared Owl once again on Sheep Field just before sunrise, at one stage the bird flew high pursued by a couple of persistent Crows, a Tawny was also heard calling from Horsetail Glade.

By the time I reached Newlands reed bed, where 3 of the juvenile Barn Owls were perched on the Owl box, I'd recorded 4 Cetti’s Warbler, small numbers of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll, plus 5 Jay, still busy burying acorns! A Willow Tit was calling and seen along the Central Marsh Path, an area that they seem to favour these days.

A little bit more in the way of visible migration with several Skylark over and close to the Carlton Hide, were 2 Snipe were feeding, a large group of Redwing with several Fieldfare were stripping berries from the Hawthorn. A Water Rail was also out in the open and provided some good viewing opportunities.

Other birds of note on the remaining pools were Common Gull, which are now on the increase with 8 recorded today, plus an excellent count of 22 Pochard, Teal and Shoveler numbers are still increasing, with 8 Heron and 8 Cormorant also noted. The Lapwing count was up to around 250 today.

Over lunch at the Steetley Hide a Kingfisher seemed undisturbed by all our activity, and a lone Grey Wagtail was doing it's level best, unsuccessfully, to catch several Common Darter Dragonflies which were busy dropping eggs into the pool. Also recorded were: 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Nuthatch and when I drove out of the reserve a small flock of around a dozen Siskin were near the bicycle parking area.

Autumns Arrived!

2011-10-18T17:52:00.000+01:00

Saturday's Water Rail

Well it seems that autumn has definitely arrived overnight as a cold front pushed in behind some locally well needed rain.

I arrived at a crystal clear and somewhat calm Brandon Marsh before dawn to have a check on the Owl situation around the reserve. We're well aware that several of the Barn Owl boxes have residence but I wanted to have a check on the Tawny population, see if the recent Short-eared Owl was still around, and also check a few hot spots for Long-eared Owl.

After a walk through Horsetail Glade which had a single Tawny Owl Calling I arrived at Sheep Field and immediately located a Short-eared Owl quartering quite close to the Brandon Lane railway bridge. I was joined a short while later by Martin and Derek just prior to sunrise, who managed several quick views before the bird made off towards the golf course area.

No sign of Long-eared, a little early for Brandon perhaps and still a lot of leaf on the trees despite last night strong winds, making the search even more difficult. I was also quite optimistic that last night may have brought in something different like Woodcock or even the first Bittern of the autumn, but to be honest things were quite dire once the sun came up and the wind increased. Talking of Bittern, we have a sweep stake running at Brandon for the first arrival and without going into too much detail, guess who's already blown his £1. Oh for the Easterlies!!

East Marsh Pool held some good numbers of water fowl with a good influx of Pochard (8♀ and 6♂), 14 Wigeon and excellent numbers of Teal, Shoveler and several Gadwall, 4 Snipe were also noted. The only other highlight was a Sparrowhawk perched in willow on Wigeon Bank for a short while, which caused mayhem amongst the large Lapwing flock.

Visible migration appeared none existent today in the strong wind with only 1 Skylark heard, Fieldfare were nowhere to be found but I did manage a small number of Redwing. A Siskin flock of around 20 birds was seen along with a small number of Lesser Redpoll, 2 Brambling were also heard over!

Other species of note included Goldcrest, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Kestrel, Nuthatch, Grey Wagtail, 11 Pied Wagtail near Farm Field and Kingfisher at West Marsh. Still a few Butterflies on the wing with 4 Red Admiral and several Common Darter Dragonfly were also seen around the reserve, particularly on the footpaths, no doubt trying to enjoy the last of the autunal heat.

With the lack of photographic opportunities I've posted a Water Rail which I was fortunate to have all to myself for a half hour in Carlton Hide on Saturday morning. That is before two numpties bundled their way in, poked their lenses out of the windows and sent the bird scurrying back into the reeds!

West Meets East!

2011-10-13T18:31:00.000+01:00

Fieldfare (also arrived yesterday at the marina!)

I'm still not sure whether I prefer the autumn migration to the spring, it does seem that things appear to be more dramatic in the autumn as west meets east. The sky constantly in flow with flocks of Skylark, Redwing, Siskin, Redpoll and the odd lingering Tern or Hirundine. Or I suppose it could also be the fact that one of my favourite birds is the Fieldfare and I came across a flock of 30 at Brandon today.

It was good to be back working at Brandon Marsh, chain-saw in hand, with the conservation team for the first time since injuring my back in June. I must say though that I'm completely knackered and I know I'm going to suffer in the morning, but it's all worth it!

Talking of Brandon I must mention Tuesdays visit which proved to be a very pleasurable one. Having witnessed two apparent juvenile Barn Owls last Sunday while searching for Hen Harrier, Jim our licensed ringer decided to investigate our Newlands Owl boxes. We also took the opportunity to invite a few regular Brandon photographers to join us, Kath, Martin and Geoff.

Young Barn Owl (Picture by Kath Everitt)

I'm delighted to report that a late brood of five birds was found, sadly one a fatality, but the other four healthy and duly ringed. An amazing feat considering the disruption which has taken place during the Newlands Phase Three project.

Back to today and before work another look for Sunday's Short-eared Owl, this time drawing a blank, but a couple of Tawny Owl heard and PN had a Barn Owl quartering Sheep Field before us apparent late comers arrived!

A cracking count of 5-Water Rail, with 2 at Carlton and a further 3 at West Marsh Hide while working. More Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet and around 200 or so Redwing, plus more Skylarks heading south and 3 Fiedfare before coming across a flock of 30 at Carlton Hide after work.

Also of note today: Goldcrest (2), Snipe (2), Kingfisher (1), Cetti's Warbler (6), Wigeon (3)

** As I post Short-eared Owl has just been reported on Brandon Birding - VIEW-HERE

Harrier Quest

2011-10-09T14:13:00.000+01:00

Hen Harrier (Library Image)

Reports of Hen Harrier (♀Ringtail) at Brandon Marsh Saturday evening had me arriving just before dawn and meeting up with a few of the guys from the conservation team.

The original plan was to make straight for the Newlands area where the bird had been reported. However, that was soon overtaken by a phone call from Jeff Hood, who'd arrived a little earlier, and was reporting a large bird of prey on Sheepfield, too dark to identify at this stage.

As we met up with Jeff it wasn't long before a firm ID on Short Eared Owl quartering the field, great views from the Railway Bridge and probably my 1st encounter at Brandon with an autumn visitor.

From here it was straight on to Newlands and our continued quest for Hen Harrier, on route encountering our first Redwing of the autumn with 3 over. Positioning ourselves strategically at the no-entry sign, which offers good views of the reed beds, we began our vigil. During our two hour observation more Redwing, ending up with around 30, a constant passage of Skylark, plus 2 Barn Owl, Redpoll, Siskin, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe and Sparrowhawk.

1st Redwings of the Autumn!

After two hours and no sign a decision to move around to the Carlton Hide and you guessed it, within 50-yards of leaving our position a phone call came through to inform us of a sighting, almost simultaneously as the bird flew right over our heads. A quick jog back offered brief but good views as the bird dropped down into the reed bed, quest complete and a first for me at Brandon!

A Chiffchaff was heard calling along the Central Marsh Path. East Marsh Pool had the usual selection of Shoveler, Teal, Tufted, Gadwall and around 350 Lapwing, plus the first Common Gulls I've encountered at Brandon for a while added to the several Lesser-black backed, Black-headed and earlier Herring Gull.

Another look for the Hen Harrier at Carlton Hide produced 2 House Martin over, a good looking ♂Stonechat at the base of the big dead tree, Water Rail and Kingfisher. Several more views of the Hen Harrier (to distant to photograph) ended when the bird flew high and to the East, probably on it's way!! The final bird of an excellent visit was a lone Grey Wagtail which overflew the volunteers car park.

Limited Time

2011-10-05T19:11:00.000+01:00

Lesser Redpoll My 1st Of The Autumn

With birding time limited this week I managed a few hours out this morning both locally and at Brandon Marsh.

A brief stop at Napton Reservoir for another glimpse of the long staying Black Necked Grebe and sure enough the bird was out in the open and showing well at the top end of the reed bed. On the road down to the entrance a mixed flock of Goldfinch and Linnet, which unusually included around 10 or so Reed Buntings! Nothing further of note at the reservoir so a few hours at Brandon followed.

A walk past the wind pump and on towards Sheepfield, picking up a small flock of 11 Siskin, 4 Bullfinch (2♂ + 2♀), 5 Skylark over and 2 Meadow Pipit, and a lone Kestrel sitting on top of the Sheepfield Owl box. Spending a little time in New Hare Covert I managed 3 Goldcrest, ♂ and ♀ Blackcap and a lone Chiffchaff within a couple of Long Tail Tit flocks. In fact the whole covert was a cacophony of noise from the Tit flocks, I just wish I could have spent a little more time scrutinising.

Walking past the Newlands area my first good view of 6 Lesser Redpoll, I've been hearing odd birds passing over recently at Brandon but had never managed to get any decent views until now.

A Willow Tit on the path down to River Pool Hide, which produced a lone Green Sandpiper and 6 Wigeon, the Big Hide provided 6 more making 12, 2 Snipe and a lone Pochard and while I was sitting a second Green Sandpiper came over from the Newlands area. Unfortunately Carlton Hide is still desperately low on water but provided 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Swallow and a House Martin.

Finally, and running short on time, a Little Egret overflew the Central Marsh Path heading towards the West Marsh area as I walked back to the Nature Centre.

I should also mention my Butterfly count for today, although quite windy the air was dry and the temperature a mild 16C so a few were on the wing. 4 Small Copper, 3 Comma, 2 Red Admiral, 4 Small White and single Peacock. Also seen was a single Southern Hawker Dragonfly.

Rutland Picnic

2011-10-01T22:11:00.000+01:00

Golden Plover

As the mini heatwave draws to a conclusion, hitting temperatures in the late 20's, Dee and I thought we'd better make the most of if before we're brought back down to earth.
Of course the current weather is no good to us birders as in such favourable conditions most autumn migrants continue on their way while the goings good, and who can blame then.

With the possibility of not much migration activity we decided to play it safe and pay a visit to Rutland Water Nature Reserve, only around a fifty or so mile trip so no real effort. With one of Dee's superb picnics packed we set off arriving at Rutland around mid-morning, a pleasant surprise, we literally had the place to ourselves. In fact I can honestly say we didn't see more than a dozen people before leaving shortly after 4pm.

Like most of the English reservoirs and lakes Rutland is also very low on water and so lots more muddy areas are showing. Our first stop at Lagoon 4 produced little out of the ordinary, the Osprey pole looking rather fore lorn after the recent departure of it's summer residents back to Africa, although a Kestrel sitting on top perusing it's surroundings looked happy enough!

One of many Egyptian Geese

On the lagoon itself good numbers of Egyptian Geese, which seem to be on the increase, around a dozen Little Egrets and a Lapwing flock which had 14 Golden Plover among it's numbers, and although almost in winter plumage looked stunning in the bright sunshine. Also on view of note were: Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Pintail, Teal, Gadwall and Shoveler. The flats had several Snipe, 2 Ruff, 5 Pied Wagtail and C30 Linnet.

The surrounding wooded areas held Chiffchaff, Blackcap and a very late solitary Willow Warbler was heard singing. Excellent numbers of Dragonfly, which included Southern Migrant, Ruddy and Common Darter. Butterflies still on the wing were Small White, Peacock, Comma and Red Admiral.

Not much seemed to be in flight today on the birding front, that is until while sitting in one of the hides overlooking Lagoon 3 a Peregrine caused mayhem amongst the Lapwing flock. The bird continued causing chaos for around a half hour until finally, out of our view, the bird made off with it's prey.

After our picnic and before arriving back at the centre for a well earned ice cream we'd further recorded Buzzard, Hobby, Siskin, Wigeon, Curlew, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper. Back at the centre in the upstairs observation area a good scan of the lagoon added several Pochard, 8 Snipe, and 6 Ruff to our numbers. The final birds recorded were 3 House Martin, our first Hirundines of the day, which over flew as we were departing.

Dee Estuary

2011-09-28T23:57:00.000+01:00

NEW Visitor Centre @ Burton

Another superb away-day with several of the Brandon Marsh conservation team and this time a trip to the Dee estuary.

Once the Burton Marsh fisheries and three years in the making our first port of call was to the newly opened RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands Reserve, which boasts a new visitor centre and a £40,000 hide which overlooks grasslands and pools.

The centre itself provides panoramic views for miles around and it wasn't long before we'd recorded Wigeon, Little Egret, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe, Ruff and Little Stint. A Pectoral Sandpiper had also been showing well the day before and although very briefly seen by the reserve staff today, we were unable to connect during our stay.

Looking across to the new hide!

The new hide is bright and airy and although strangely some of the windows are permanently closed, the majority open fully and provide extremely good viewing. The hide has an excellent all round view, from the newly planted reed beds and across to the older Inner Marsh Farm hide. Good numbers of Geese, which amongst mostly Greylag and Canada included single Pink-footed, Barnacle and Ross, although I'm not entirely convinced the Ross is a pedigree, although I'm told by Colin Wells the site manager that the bird is not ringed! Pintail, Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal and Greenshank were also observed.

After Burton Mere a short drive to Parkgate to catch the high tide and a short stop along the front at Neston to search the small pools which produced Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Little Stint and Ruff, along with good numbers of Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail.

Lunch at Parkgate overlooking the Estuary was extremely pleasant in the beautiful warm sunshine, but sadly with the wind in completely the wrong direction and not a particularly high tide views were distant. However, it did produce the best of the day with a stunning ring tail Hen Harrier. A distant Tern, probably common, good numbers of Little Egret, Shelduck, Curlew and a constant flow of Meadow Pipit and Skylark overhead made it worthwhile.

After lunch a short drive to where a Great White Egret had been reported earlier and although we bombed on the Egret good numbers of Redshank were seen on the mudflats along with more Little Egret, Curlew but only a single Oystercatcher.

Finally a stop at Inner Marsh Hide on the way back through initially took us on a wild goose chase (no pun intended) and the least said about this the better. Although the unscheduled walk did produce 4 Wheatear and a lone Stonechat! Suffice to say that when we eventually did get to the hide it was a slight disappointment adding nothing new to our birding list. Also seen today of note were: Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Buzzard, Swallow, Linnet and Chiffchaff. A superb day out!!

Brandon & Local

2011-09-18T16:20:00.000+01:00

Napton Reservoir Black-necked Grebe

An early start at Brandon Marsh today arriving just after 6.30am. Despite the weather forecast saying otherwise a bright but chilly start.

A quick look at the Top Reedbed on arrival proved disappointing after Thursday's Wheatear and Whinchat, and even worse was when I eventually arrived at Farm Field later in the morning only to find that the farmer had cut it completely back. 3 Yellowhammer, quite a rarity at Brandon, were a bonus, but bang goes any chance of some late autumn Butterflies!

The remainder of the reserve still had plenty on offer with 2 Nuthatch, and as I emerged from New Hare Covert some small signs of visible migration with 4 Meadow Pipit over, closely followed by 4 Siskin. A Water Rail heard on Swallow Pool and a very pristine looking Willow Warbler by the entrance to Newlands. By the time I arrived at Teal Pool Hide I'd recorded: 5 singing Cetti's Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, 2 of which were singing, plus 2 Dunlin were feeding on the mud.

Thursday's ♀Wheatear @ Brandon

Nothing out of the ordinary on East Marsh Pool with the exception of a lone Wigeon, 5 Snipe and 2 Kingfisher, which came whizzing through. Eventually some reasonable numbers of Swallow and House Martins began to appear and at one Stage a Sparrowhawk threw the whole pool into a frenzy!

Carlton Hide was very quiet on the pool which now holds very little water, a lone Snipe was the only bird of note. However, the surrounding Hawthorn produced; ♂ and ♀ Blackcap, Willow Tit and Chiffchaff.

After leaving Brandon I stopped for a brief visit to Napton Reservoir where the Black-necked Grebe was showing quite well, this time enabling me to get some better record shots. Nothing further of note here but as I arrived back at the marina parking area 2 Raven came cronking over along with 4 Skylark heading south.

A Stunner!

2011-09-17T18:32:00.000+01:00

What a pleasant Surprise!

Having just got back from shopping and a very enjoyable lunch with Dee in Leamington Spa I decided to have a quick look around the marina grounds and surrounding fields for anything unusual, tis the season. What followed next was quite surreal!

With some thunder rumbling away in the distance I decided not to wonder too far but to be honest I didn't have to travel too far at all. As I walked up the pontoon I noticed quite a large looking bird perched in one of the trees in the adjacent field, my first thought was Common Buzzard, quite prolific in the area, but immediately I knew I was mistaken!

I stood for a second in complete amazement before turning on my heels and back aboard in search of the camera. Nowithstanding I did manage a few distant images, the best I've posted, before the bird took flight over towards Napton Hill. A truly brilliant experience but all too damn fast, goodness knows what the Magpie perched above the bird thought!

Skylark

I spent the next half hour in shock, I'd just never expected to see an Osprey literally on my doorstep. Anyway the marina itself still has the two large flocks that I mentioned a few days ago. Around 50 Goldfinch and C150 Linnet in the surrounding Hawthorn, plus I managed a half dozen of our Tree Sparrow population and 2 Chiffchaff.

Three Common Buzzard dodging the heavy showers, a grounded Skylark, plus a few lingering House Martins and Swallows were also recorded. Finally, a lone Meadow Pipit overhead and ♂ Bullfinch ended a most enjoyable and stunning hour.

Brandon Surprise

2011-09-15T19:24:00.000+01:00

Ruddy Shelduck?? - Record Shot

For several weeks now Brandon Marsh has been desperately quiet and so when I arrived this morning I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary, but thankfully that was all to change.

I stopped for a while to chat to Jim Rushforth who was ringing near the Olive Bench and in particular to have a look at a very noisy Green Woodpecker he'd just captured. By the time I settled at the Wright Hide I'd managed to record a late singing Willow Warbler near Sheep Field, a half dozen Chiffchaff, 2 juvenile Goldcrest and a lone Buzzard, who was helping himself to a slice of rabbit.

Several members of the Conservation Team joined me and as we sat chatting the first surprise of the day was an Arctic Tern, which made a complete circuit of the pool before heading off south. Very nice, in almost 3 years of being involved at Brandon this was a reserve first for me.

Ruddy Shelduck?? - Record 2

The second surprise of the day was when Mike Lee pointed out a large duck on Willow Island, which must have appeared as we were observing the Tern, on inspection the first thought was Ruddy Shelduck or Cape Shelduck. Over the course of the next 45 minutes I was able to get around to Big Hide and take numerous record shots of the bird so a more detailed assessment can take place. Not great pictures but we'll see.

As the rest of the team departed for work I had a quick coffee at Big Hide, during which time a Peregrine made a brief appearance, spooking the whole of the pool. I decided to take a tour to the west of the reserve, taking in the 'Tip' area, Top Reed Bed and Farm Field. A few remaining Butterflies were on the wing which included: 8 Comma and various smaller numbers of Gatekeeper, Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral and Small White.

Farm Field Whinchat - Click To Enlarge

The Farm Field area produced ♀Whinchat and ♀Wheatear, an area of the reserve that always throws up the odd surprise during the migration periods. I then decided to complete the whole circuit before having lunch at the Nature and this took me past the main gate where yet another ♀Wheatear was showing well. The final surprise of the day was when I recorded a second ♀Whinchat; unbelievably in the exact same hawthorn bush I recorded one last year!

When I left after lunch and a coffee with the Conservation Team a Whinchat was still showing very well from the bus parking area, with both Max Silverman and Jeff Rankin doing their level best to obtain a decent photograph? I'm sure there will better ones available than my record shot soon!

***UPDATE - General consensus is that this is a Cape Shelduck (Escapee)

More Goodies

2011-09-14T18:38:00.000+01:00

Wheatear

Tuesday evening I managed to get across the canal to Napton Reservoir in search of the reported Black-necked Grebe which Richard Mayes had kindly informed me about earlier in the day.

I was joined by Kevin Groocock and luckily enough the bird was still on site but remained quite elusive, darting in and out of the reeds, but a local tick nevertheless!

The weather overnight was clear and the wind had dropped to a gentle breeze when I left the boat this morning just before 6am. As I walked up the west path to my car I was alerted to no less than 3 juvenile Kestrel, which were making enough noise to wake most of the slumbering boating population.

Southern Hawker Click to enlarge

With Brandon Marsh desperately quiet of late I decided to revisit Draycote Water after Monday's excellent days birding and arrived just as the sun was breaking over the horizon. At first glance as I entered from Thurlaston church the place seemed pretty quiet but thankfully this didn't last long!

As I rounded the corner towards Toft Bank an adult Merlin flew silently over my head, disappearing into the trees over towards Grays Barn, a great start. On the shore Monday's Shag was having a breather on Toft Bank and several Dunlin were also on view.

I decided to have coffee at Farborough Spit and had an exceptional half hour recording Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, 6 Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, 3 Greenshank, Redshank, 1 Common and 3 Arctic Tern, plus Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear and Raven.

Redshank

After moving further down Farborough Bank towards the Sailing Club I met up with the Draycote duo Richard and Bob who delivered a little bit of sad news. Apparently Monday's Gannet had been reported dead over towards Lin Croft Point. It wasn't long before a short scan across in the general direction confirmed the news. A little baffling as the bird seemed to be in great condition and showed no signs of fatigue or injury on Monday!

A stunning Southern Hawker Dragonfly (I look forward to your pictures Bob) another 2 late Swifts and a total of 5 Greenshank before my back decided I was pushing it a little and I departed to Brandon for lunch.

Brandon still remains quiet and the best of the visit was 2 Wigeon on East Marsh Pool, 3 Green Sandpiper on Teal Pool and 2 Willow Tit near the Central Marsh Path. Over lunch in the Badgers Tea Room I was treated to some good views of Spotted Flycatcher. Birding luxury, Brie and Bacon Pinini, Coffee and Flycatcher, what more could you want!

Finally worth reporting that upon my return to the marina two huge flocks were recorded around the dog walking pound. At least 50 Goldfinch and C150 Linnet, a great end to the birding day!

Blow In!

2011-09-12T20:23:00.001+01:00

Draycote Gannet - Click to Enlarge

Having suffered with my back problems for most of the summer I was delighted to complete the five mile walk around Draycote Water today without any side effects, and what a superb day it turned out to be!

Accompanied by Jim Rushforth we made an early start in gale force winds meeting up at Thurlaston and taking a clockwise route. A Greenshank was feeding along Toft Shallows and as we walked past the bird hide a brief view of Hobby heading east.

It's my first visit to Draycote for a good while and looking at the low water it's easy to see why the place is doing so well for Waders. As we reached Farborough Spit several Dunlin were feeding, accompanied by Ringed Plover, Juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and a single Little Stint. Yellow Wagtails were in good number too, at least a dozen, and a lone Meadow Pipit was also recorded.

As we continued, almost getting blown off our feet, we met the 'Draycote Duo' (Richard Mays & Bob Hazell) who were good enough to put us on to a Shag, (remember we ARE birding) which we eventually came across near the Sailing Club. Can't remember the last time I saw one of these birds inland and definitely a Warwickshire tick.

Black Tern - Click to Enlarge

After a well deserved coffee and a brief rest bite from the wind we sort out further refuge at one of the sheltered benches. A good scan out towards the centre of the water produced Black, Arctic and Common Tern. Hirundines were in excellent numbers, which included a substantial number of Sand Martins.

Battling on around Rainbow Corner and on towards the Valve Tower produced Wheatear, but unfortunately no sign of yesterdays Red-crested Pochard, although we did manage a single ♀Goosander and a couple of Wigeon.

After reaching Biggin Bay we took yet more refuge on a well provided bench for lunch and here we enjoyed the lovely sunshine and another Black Tern battling the wind. In the bay itself were more Dunlin, two Greenshank and various numbers of Plover.

Greenshank

One of the reasons for visiting on such a brutally windy day was the possibility of something unusual getting blown in and we weren't disappointed! Over to the west the amazing site of a fully adult Gannet and it wasn't long before we were treated to some great views and several dives. Yet another Warwickshire first and once again I can't remember seeing one of these birds so inland.

A terrific day and worth mentioning the excellent numbers of Chiffchaff around, a single Willow Warbler was also recorded along with a late Swift. An awful day for photography but I did manage a few shots, make sure you click on the images to enlarge!

Proud Moment

2011-09-06T17:02:00.001+01:00

Water Vole - A proud Moment for Brandon

A far cry from last weeks balmy temperatures and sunny skies I left the boat this morning in gale force winds and heavy rain. Still, this is perfect weather for downed migrants so I was quite excited about the possibilities!

The marina had the usual two dozen or so Pied Wagtails and I managed two of our resident Tree Sparrow population, plus a a small flock of Goldfinch but nothing unusual. On route to Brandon Marsh I stopped off at a couple of locally known hotspots but alas the wind was simply too strong for any decent birding. Napton Reservoir as you would imagine was like a wind tunnel and the best I could pick out were two ♂ Pochard sheltering in the distance.

I arrived at Brandon around 06:45 and took my usual route, accompanied by Derek Bennet, another of the Brandon Volunteers. To be honest there was very little to get excited about, a Kestrel hunting over the top reed bed, Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler the best of the bunch. It wasn't until Derek and I reached the Newlands area that yet again Jim Rushforth came up trumps with a Spotted Flycatcher, typically in an area we'd recently passed!

Diverting back it wasn't long before I had my first Brandon Flycatcher of the autumn in my sights, keeping a very low profile in amongst the Elder and Buckthorn, but sitting up beautifully occasionally and offering some good views.

The best during the rest of my visit were the hundreds of Swallow and House Martins, plus the odd Sand Martin, which were constantly on the move. A Hobby scooped in while at big hide trying but failing to bag a Hirondine, 1 Snipe on Wigeon Bank and two Green Sandpipers, one at West Marsh and one at Carlton. Also worth a mention were a total of 4 Goldcrest during my visit, always a pleasure to report.

I'm also delighted to report that over the past two days and after decades of work by the Trust and the Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team, 200 Water Voles have been released on site. This is the ‘next’ phase in the development of the reserve. The water vole is the UK’s fastest declining mammal – so threatened that it is now completely protected by legislation. Populations of water voles have been steadily declining in the UK due to a number of factors including the loss of habitat, pollution and predation so this is a proud moment for the reserve.

The project is also supported by the Environment Agency, Natural England and local landowners.

Autumn

2011-09-01T15:07:00.000+01:00

Migrant Hawker Dragonfly

If like me you work on the meteorological calendar then today was the first day of Autumn. In real terms it felt like the first day of summer with temperatures up to 23C.

When I went to bed last night at around midnight the sky was crystal clear and when I left the boat this morning at 5.30am there still wasn't a cloud in the sky, a perfect night for migration.

I arrived at Brandon Marsh just before sunrise and spent the first part of the morning with some of the Conservation Team. Not surprisingly there was very little of note as I imagine lots of the warbler population had taken the opportunity to move on, the best was 3 Kingfisher, a lone Snipe and 2 Wigeon on East Marsh Pool.

Conservation Team at Rest!

I'm still not really fit enough to rejoin the working party just yet and knowing that the East Marsh Pool was due it's end of summer hair cut I made my way across to West Marsh. I spent a very enjoyable hour with Geoff Haynes at Steetley Hide, another Brandon regular and we were entertained by a very patient Kingfisher and a very determined Hobby, which kept us spellbound with some amazing aerobatics, two Green Sandpiper's were also recorded.

After leaving Geoff I made my way around to the 'Tip' area and River Meadow for the remainder of the morning. Here the Dragonflies seemed to be having their best day of the year so far with excellent numbers in flight, the best of which were Migrant and Southern Hawker. No surprise then when two more Hobby were recorded both taking advantage of the veritable feast on offer.

Butterflies unfortunately have not had their best year at Brandon, however there were still plenty on offer and I spent a very enjoyable hour photographing and recording the few that were around: Small Copper, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Comma, Brown Argus, Green-veined White, Small White, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

Willow Tit
(Now on the RSPB 'At-Risk' list)

I decided to return to the East Marsh for lunch and took the route through the Central Marsh area specifically in the hope of coming across a Tawny Owl, which has been quite vocal during the day in recent weeks. Although the bird, probably a youngster, was heard yet again I've still to make contact. Two Willow Tit and various numbers of Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff were recorded, the latter found in the increasing numbers of Long-tailed Tit flocks, always worth extra scrutiny at this time of year!

I joined the conservation team once more as they were completing the final stages of the East Marsh hair-cut, a bang up job once again with all Islands and banks now cut, plus the famous Bittern Ride, a channel which is cut into the reed bed directly to the left of 'Big Hide' and is an excellent place to see Bittern during the winter months. The final birds of note for the day were two Yellow Wagtail which flew across East Marsh Pool just prior to leaving.

Regarding Tuesday's Brandon visit, which I didn't get time to post, the best on offer was a single Wood Sandpiper, which flew in while I was having lunch in 'Big Hide'.

Marina Update

2011-08-27T18:55:00.000+01:00

With the heavy rain showers and more prolonged torrential downpours over the past few days the marina has certainly been the place to be! I’ve spent all my spare time sky watching from the comfort of the boat, my large windows provide an excellent vista with uninterrupted views of the sky and surrounding low hills.

Common Redstart

Visible migration continues at pace with hundreds of Swallows and House Martins, along with the odd Sand Martin, passing through constantly throughout the day. Swifts are now at a premium and I’ve only been able to record a single bird over the last week. The odd Wader has also dropped in with brief visits from Common Sandpiper and Greenshank, 2 Snipe were also seen near the marina entrance Thursday evening.

Things got even more exciting when I took a walk around the dog-walking field early yesterday morning after a heavy downpour and discovered a very attractive ♂Wheatear and was further rewarded with 2 Yellow Wagtail. The best however was on the walk back to my mooring when I was delighted to see 2 Black Tern whizzing through.

Black Tern

Out and about this morning after heavy overnight rain, goodness knows we need it with the canal at a desperately low level, and even more excitement when I came across a very flighty ♂Common Redstart. Later this afternoon a late Swift, 3 Common Tern, 6 Wigeon and yet another Black Tern, this time hanging around a little longer than the previous two.

Most birds from our small Reed Warbler population have departed but a few still remain, no Sedge Warblers have been seen for several days.

Away from the migratory birds a large flock of around 50+ Goldfinch has been constantly feeding within the grounds and smaller flocks of Linnet are also regular visitors. Pied Wagtails are still coming in each evening to roost and a quick count yesterday produced 82 birds, it has to be said mostly Juvenile! Tawny Owls are once again calling each evening from the surrounding woods but no recent signs of our local Little Owls. Common Buzzards, which have had a terrific breeding season locally, have stopped mewing which seemed to be a constant over the past few weeks. Maybe the cooler weather has finally calmed them down.

Visible Migration

2011-08-23T19:47:00.000+01:00

Local ♂Bullfinch

Another weekend out on the local canal system and a further sign of visible migration in progress with several Swift and a constant trickle of Swallows, House Martins and Yellow Wagtails. During our Saturday evening BBQ at least 3 Whimbrel were heard passing overhead before the rain set in.

Sunday morning produced 2 Hobby and good numbers of Warblers passing through, in particular Blackcaps, but smaller numbers of Willow Warbler and Common Whitethroat also included 2 Lesser Whitethroat.

Similar to last Thursdays visit Brandon Marsh this morning was awash once again with Warblers feeding up on the many fruit baring trees and plants: Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Garden Warbler. A very pristine looking Willow Tit also made a brief appearance. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to connect with any of the recently reported Spotted Flycatchers.

Today also had several large Tit flocks, always worth a look, and produced Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest within. On the pools the first Pochard have begun arriving back with 4 on East Marsh Pool; 3 Snipe also flew in during the course of the morning and 4 Green Sandpiper’s were on West Marsh Pool.

The biggest surprise of today’s Brandon visit however was when I was walking through the Central Marsh area with Paul Norman. I can’t remember if I’ve ever heard a Tawny Owl calling during the middle of the day before. It took us so much by surprise that Paul, who was a little way ahead, thought it was me having a joke.

This afternoon a tour of the marina grounds produced more evidence of birds fattening up with a feeding frenzy in many of the Bramble and Hawthorn bushes. This evening large numbers of House Martins have taken precedence over the Swallows and can be seen skimming through taking on water as they pass.

A Sparrowhawk was also flushed from the dog-walking paddock as I passed through, not surprising really as the paddock also contained large flocks of Linnet and Goldfinch. Around 15 Tree Sparrows were also very vocal today and it’s good to see our local population still doing so well. Our Pied Wagtail flock is also on the increase with at least 100 birds coming in to roost yesterday evening, in fact they are once again beginning to arrive as I post. Families of Common Buzzard and Raven are also entertaining us with amazing aerobatics as they take to the thermals.

With the poor light and rain this morning photography was at a premium but I did manage the above ♂Bullfinch at the marina late evening, always a pleasure to see.

Seasonal Change

2011-08-18T13:15:00.007+01:00

Newlands Phase Three Reed Bed Project

It was a balmy 5C when I left the boat at 6am this morning, Orion was rising to the East and the Pleiades were well up, a definite sign of autumn in the air!

It’s great to be back in the fold once more and this was going to be my second visit of the week to Brandon Marsh after an eight-week layoff with back problems.

On Tuesday I was delighted to be able to completely walk my usual circuit, the highlights being: Hobby, Ringed Plover, Green and Common Sandpiper, with Teal and Shoveler now beginning to arrive back in small numbers. Today I met up around 06.30 with Jim Rushforth our site recorder and we had an excellent start to the day when a Sparrowhawk was seen around Grebe Pool as we passed the wind pump. While we were scanning a second raptor whizzed thru’ shortly followed by at least 200 Lapwing up from the adjacent East Marsh Pool. Our guess was Peregrine but we can only reflect on literally a few seconds observation so we’ll leave that one as un-recorded!

More signs of the seasons changing when a small flock of 16 Siskin flew over our heads as we passed by the Sheepfield Gate. Large numbers of Swallows were also moving through constantly throughout the morning. East Marsh Pool had the usual selection of waterfowl with Shoveler and Teal continuing to arrive. Other highlights before moving on to Carlton Hide were Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, Cetti's Warbler, Goldcrest, Kingfisher, Barnacle Goose and Common Sandpiper, plus the Jays have begun their Acorn harvesting in earnest with at least 10 birds seen today.

Garden Warbler

Carlton Hide provided the best viewing of the day with a second Kingfisher and three Green Sandpiper, but in particular lots of Warbler activity in the Elder and Bramble: Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, plus Bullfinch, Goldfinch and Song Thrush were all recorded. The phase 3 Newlands Reedbed project will be ongoing for at least another fortnight and the plant machinery has now begun to excavate the new pools. I just pray we’ll have enough water in the present climate.

Despite the best efforts of the conservation team Teal Pool is now completely devoid of water and looking around the other pools the situation is becoming quite critical. The River Avon is probably at its lowest level for many years. Even here at the marina the water level I would estimate is at least a foot down on normal and restrictions are already in place at Napton Lock Flight, where traffic is only allowed through from 10 am until 2pm to safeguard the dwindling water levels!

Another Cruise

2011-08-14T22:05:00.010+01:00

Lots of Yellow Wagtails Sunday

Another opportunity for a weekend on the canal and for this particular outing we chose to moor next to the old LNER railway bridge just after Bridge 101 Grand Union.

When I cruised back to our home mooring and few weeks ago the combines were out in force raking in the grain crops and over the weekend it was clear to see that now the job is almost done. With the majority of fields cut the birding is made a lot easier and the cruise up on the Friday evening produced of note: Hare, Roe Deer, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Red-legged Partridge, Yellow Wagtail, at least 10 Kestrel and a large flock of House Sparrows as we passed Flecknoe Fields Farm.

I'm getting Closer!

Several weeks ago when we’d moored here with friends I was lucky enough to locate a lone Turtle Dove, my first local patch bird but was unable to get any decent photo’s. You can imagine my surprise when shortly after we’d moored up what I believe to be the same bird flew low across the adjacent field and perched on the exact same power line. Notwithstanding I was able to get a little closer this time resulting in the above image. The bird seems to visit this particular spot in the early morning or late evening before dropping down into the field to feed.

Saturday's weather wasn't as bad as anticipated and although it remained overcast for most of the day it stayed dry with some late evening sunshine. We enjoyed an evening BBQ during which time we watched the full moon rising to the south and despite the moons presence still managed several of the brighter Perseid Meteors. Little Owl and Barn Owl and a small number of Pipistrelle Bats further entertained us, plus many strange sounds of creatures lurking in the bushes behind kept us guessing.

1950's Vampire Jet Trainer

Sunday was a brighter day with longer periods of sunshine and the day was spent just sky watching. An early morning glimpse of Turtle Dove along with the many Common Buzzards and Kestrels hunting in the now bare fields. Delighted to be joined by Paul Norman our Brandon Volunteers Chairman for coffee around midday and we all three sat watching a noisy pair of Raven enjoying a thermal. Interesting to note too that during the course of the whole day I must have counted at least a dozen Yellow Wagtails coming through.

Finally, the cruise home later this evening was spent watching other flying objects as we were treated to our very own flying display, when the Coventry Airbase 1950'2 Vampire Jet Trainer performed a number a acrobatic turns and summersaults right over our heads!

Out At Last!

2011-08-05T16:40:00.007+01:00

Wood Sandpiper (Library Image)

Can’t believe it’s been almost a month since trapping my femoral nerve and what’s even more frustrating is the painstakingly slow recovery period. I must admit that it’s sometimes extremely difficult to remain positive but it’s simply not in my nature to be anything otherwise!

Yesterday I was determined to visit Brandon Marsh no matter what and duly arrived at around 7am after a six-week absence. I figured my best plan of action was to park within the reserve compounds as close to big hide as possible and plonk myself within for a few hours birding. Being part of the conservation team does indeed have its advantages.

When I arrived the recent mini heat wave had given way to some much-needed rain and so I made my way tentatively along the central marsh path. I should have known better than to expect a normal visit! I was literally only half way down the path when two recognisable figures, Jim and Derek came bowling around the corner.

Only some quick pleasantries needed as I new instantly we were on to something and before I knew it I’d turned heels and was in Baldwin Hide minutes later looking at a Wood Sandpiper, a not too regular visitor to the reserve.

After that I’m glad to say that things settled down to some normality and I did indeed spend a few hours in big hide catching up with the team on the latest reserve news. The main difference of course since my last visit is the plant machinery now on Newlands reed bed preparing the ground for the ongoing phase 3 project. (A news item in relation to the work can be seen HERE).

The Wood Sandpiper appeared to depart a short while later to be replaced by two other of his related species, Common Sandpiper and at least 4 Green Sandpiper. Interesting to note that A Wood sandpiper was also seen at the nearby Draycote Water, same one?

Juvenile Pied Wagtail @ Wigram's

A little home news now and after a slow tour of the marina this afternoon I located a small party of three young Spotted Flycatchers which seemed to have taken a liking to the place. Common Terns are regularly coming through dropping in to fish each day. Worth a mention too is the nightly visit of around 20+ Juvenile Pied Wagtails, which seem to enjoy perching on the neighbours boat and peering in at us while were having dinner. I also noticed a few more Dragonflies around than of late with Broad-bodied Chaser, Emperor and Southern Hawker.

Butterflies too are in reasonable numbers with Red Admiral, Peacock and my very first Painted Lady of the year, which completely refused to settle for a photograph!

Anyway it’s just brilliant to be able to get out and about once more and see the wildlife (Brandon team included), but as my physio told me yet again today, “your not out of the woods yet” thanks to everyone too for their good wishes and support!

Lone Cruise

2011-08-01T22:37:00.004+01:00

Be careful where you navigate!

With Dee away in Scotland at the weekend I decided to take a lone cruise and moor up for a few days around the Flecknoe area, in my current condition this wasn’t as easy at it sounds. Nevertheless after my physio on Friday I set straight off and I’d moored up under my favourite willow tree by around 5pm without incident!

The cruise up wasn’t as busy as I’d expected for the time of year and I encountered the usual wildlife on offer such as Hare, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Corn Bunting, Kestrel, Buzzard and a good selection of Butterflies. Dragonflies and Damselflies seemed to be in better numbers than my last cruise the previous weekend, Banded Demoiselle and Common Hawker the majority. I spent the evening on the towpath enjoying a few beers and watching the many Buzzards and Kestrels trawling the open fields.

On Saturday the weatherman got it completely wrong once again and after predicting a cloud-covered day I woke early to a lovely mist on the water and a completely cloudless sky, which lasted the whole day apart from some fair weather stuff.

Water Vole a rare sight on the canal!

I spent the morning repainting my roof top storage boxes, re-housing the many spiders therein to the freedom of the towpath. Once again I watched one of the rare local population Water Voles, one of the reasons I moor at this particular spot, busying himself swimming in and out of the reeds. An absolute pleasure to watch and a sign that thankfully there arn't currently any Mink around. Another rarity, which only a few years ago was a regular on this stretch, a Kingfisher flew straight past while I was having coffee, a sight to cheer the heart. Another unexpected visitor was a brief stop from a Marsh fritillary butterfly, a species I don’t recall ever seeing in this area.

I was delighted to be joined by one of the Brandon team later in the afternoon when Mike Lee appeared in full cycling kit, cycling up from Coventry especially to see me! We enjoyed a superb few hours over tea and biscuits just enjoying the sights and Mike was delighted to see Hobby, Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk during his stay.

A bit of a lazy Sunday just chilling and watching Lewis blow the Grand Prix and while having a beer in the early afternoon the bird of the weekend in the form of a juvenile Osprey, which floated majestically over the mooring and appeared to be heading in the general direction of Draycote Water.

Spot the Owl!!

I took the decision to take a late Sunday evening cruise back to the marina and set off for home around 6pm. The 2-hour cruise was extremely enjoyable in the late evening warmth with most fields busy with combines the air full of the dust shimmering in the evening sun, the farmers taking advantage of the glorious weather. I must say I would describe it as a very rural British scene and one that makes you proud to be British, a rarity in itself.

A bit of a navigational issue pictured above as one of the ancient traditional wooden working narrowboats has finally given up the ghost, after what is probably nigh on 100 years! Easily seen from a distance as someone has kindly marked the spot with a large blue plastic barrel. We just need British Waterways to get their act together now and remove the blockage!

Two Barn Owls on the cruise home, too distant to photograph but I did manage to take a record picture of a cute Little Owl who was perched on top of the ruins at Lower Shuckburgh. Not easy when the wife’s not around to take the helm, a most enjoyable weekend!!

Frustrating Times!

2011-07-26T13:48:00.001+01:00

Sooty Copper (New to our list for France)

I can’t tell you how frustrating the past few weeks have been not being able to get out at Brandon or my local patch! Apparently I’ve damaged my femoral nerve quite badly and the prognosis for recovery is anything from one month to three. So I suppose I’d better get used to it!

Anyway I’m trying hard to make the best of things and Dee and I took the boat out at the weekend along our favourite stretch of the Oxford Canal for a change of scenery. Butterflies were out in good numbers with more Large Whites about than of late and several Peacock were also on the wing. I did manage a few sortie’s up the towpath, although not very far, and had a decent count which included Small Copper, Common Blue, Ringlet, Meadow Brown and Red Admiral.

Sedge Warbler

A large flock of Goldfinch entertained us all weekend, around 30 or so, which were constantly coming and going into the Weeping Willow Tree we were moored under. In the reeds opposite a very busy Sedge Warbler was constantly feeding her brood. Yellowhammers were as prolific as normal and a pair of Raven seemed to be regular in the area too. I’m unsure whether it’s the painkiller drugs or not but a Quail heard several times in distant fields remained unseen and a mystery?

The past few weeks have also given me an opportunity to identify a number of the Butterflies Dee photographed in France. Thanks to Fred Stokes for his help on this one and it appears we’ve now added two new species to our French list with Sooty Copper and Knapweed Fritillary.

Young Tufty @ Wigram's

Common Terns are beginning to pass through the marina on a more regular basis now as we head towards the autumn. Buzzards have had a great summer locally with seven seen in thermals from the window as I write this post. The unusual sight of a family of six Tufted Ducks, accompanied by a not so vigil parent, which have now been on the marina waters for the past 10-days and are becoming quite daring and even competing for food with the local hybrids! A very vocal Barn Owl has been quartering the surrounding fields more recently and Dee and I got some good silhouetted images as it passed over the mooring at dusk the other evening.

It's seems that the word is out that Napton churchyard is a great place to see Spotted Flycatchers once again. Several visitors to the area have emailed or texed me to confirm this. Hopefully and god willing I’ll make that short trip soon!

Wheeled Home

2011-07-16T18:13:00.002+01:00

Granville Fritillary

We arrived back from a very enjoyable but frustrating visit to France yesterday evening with Ryanair and for the first time I find myself quite impressed with this so called ‘low-cost’ airline, we only use them when there is literally no other alternative! My praise was mainly due to the fact that being unable to walk I was delivered to and from the aircraft in a wheelchair! Forgive the pun but a far less painful exercise than purchasing priority boarding.

Unfortunately I never did manage to get to Chauvigny for the Bastille Day celebrations but we did manage another drive out, this time to La Pinail reserve, one of our favourite spots whilst staying at Dee’s parents. Situated in the Châtellerault area, this is the only Natural Reserve of France to be found in the district known as La Vienne.

The result of millstone quarrying has given way to a mosaic of 3,000 ponds, which are surrounded by moor and heath land rich in rare fauna and flora. Amongst the many bird species you can find here such as Montague, Hen Harrier and Dartford Warbler are 48 species of dragonflies.

Black Redstart

As per usual on route to Pinail we stopped to check out every bird we found perched on the wires and every flower meadow to check out the butterflies. I had Dee, ‘god bless her’, going from pillar to post, camera in hand, recording literally everything that moved. Unfortunately one of the problems I’ve now got is getting the camera back when things return to normality; Dee enjoyed my new lens and had a great time!

We lost count of Red-backed Shrike; one seemed to be around every corner, and also managed Stonechat, Whinchat, Pied Flycatcher and Black Redstart. Butterflies included Swallowtail; so flighty Dee was unable to get a decent shot, plus Marsh Fritillary, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Long-tailed Blue, Short-tailed Blue, Silver-studded Blue and Wall.

Migrant Hawker

We eventually arrived at La Pinail and happily I struggled on my newly acquired crutches to enjoy at least a tiny part of the reserve. Yet another Turtle Dove, which seem to be doing well in this area, a Purple Heron that over flew but the most frustrating thing was hearing Dartford Warbler and not being able to get anywhere near! No signs of any Harriers on this visit but lots of Linnet and the odd Stonechat. We eventually headed for home after adding Yellow Wagtail, several Dragonflies, which included Migrant-hawker and along with the Common Green Frogs we located a single Natterjack Toad.

It's What You Make It!

2011-07-13T11:47:00.003+01:00

Today's Red-backed Shrike by Dee

By now I would have hoped to be reporting on my birding exploits here in France, but fate dealt me a nasty blow shortly before arriving at the airport on our way here, when by back finally gave up the ghost rendering my left leg almost useless. I can’t even explain the excruciating pain that accompanied it, something I’ve never experienced before.

I eventually arrived with Dee at Limoge Airport to be greeted by her mother, who looking for the usual 6’5” strapping husband accompanying her daughter through arrivals looked down to find me squashed into a wheelchair, a sight to behold.

So, since arriving on Sunday evening I’ve literally been a prisoner at Dee’s parent’s home, but did manage short drives out yesterday and today with Dee, having been drugged up by an excellent French doctor. Mind you I use the expression a prisoner light-heartedly, as yet again Dee and I have been treated like a lord and lady by her parents, home grown and home cooked food, beautiful wines and excellent conversation.

Dee's Turtle Dove Record Shot

The grounds of their beautiful house have also provided a haven for many species of birds, butterflies, insects and mammals and quite simply provided me with my very own personal nature reserve. Birds of note whilst sitting in the garden have been; Turtle Dove, White Wagtail, Black Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Hobby, Black Kite over, plus many Common Buzzard. Barn, Tawny and Little Owl have also been heard from our bedroom window and while sitting out in the evenings having dinner we’ve been entertained by both Noctule and Pipistrelle Bats, the latter of which roost in the door overhang.

Each evening Dee has toured the grounds with her mum and dad in search of Glow-Worms and with great success, seeing several on each trip. As a bonus for me, who absolutely adores thunderstorms, we were treated to real cracker early Monday morning which produced some spectacular lightening and seemed to rumble on forever.

Scarce Swallowtail By Dee

During our drives out we managed to locate several butterfly meadows and while I sat in the air-conditioned car finger pointing Dee went exploring, paying for it with a few nasty bites but producing some excellent shots of Scarce Swallowtail, Marbled White, Clouded Yellow, Granville Fritillary and several more yet to be identified! We also discovered a very active family of around five or six Red-backed Shrike, which entertained us along one the many secluded country lanes. Corn Bunting, more Turtle Doves, Kestrel, Buzzard, Wood Warbler and Nightingale, unfortunately being slightly late in the year not entertaining us with a song.

Tomorrow is Bastille Day and hopefully all being well I’ll make it to Chauvigny for the celebrations and so were told a magnificent firework display, even if I have to sit in the car! So despite my predicament my cup always being half full I can honestly say that with a fantastic wife at my side and with the help of Susan and Graham I’m having a great time. I must also say a big thank you to all who have texed and emailed to see how I'm doing, much appreciated.

Brandon Cuckoo

2011-07-05T14:25:00.001+01:00

Cuckoo & Dunnock Record Shot!

Despite suffering from a bad back and gammy leg I decided to play the martyr and head for Brandon Marsh just after sunrise before the real summer returns later this afternoon.

As an alternative to my usual route I decided to head firstly to the West Marsh in the hope of recording some Kingfisher photographs in the morning sunshine. Walking through Horstail Glade this early in the morning is always a delight and currently it’s awash with an excellent spread of Enchanters Nightshade. A Nuthatch calling and a Chiffchaff singing made for an idyllic location and I sat on the bench at the top end of the glade for a short while just enjoying the peacefulness.

I arrived at the West Marsh Hide and was greeted by a very generous Kingfisher who posed patiently for several shots before heading off across towards the River Avon, job done! Martin, a very quiet young lad who I often see around Brandon, joined me a short time later and we sat enjoying the sights and sounds before a phone call from Jim Rushforth had us scurrying away.

Jim had rang to tell us of a young Cuckoo which he and Mike Lee had come across being fed by a Dunnock close to the wind pump. I can tell you that when Martin and I arrived a very short time later my back and leg had just about given up the ghost!

Juvenile Cuckoo @ Brandon

Anyway after relocating the bird in question shortly after arriving, as per usual the bird had disappeared, both Martin and I spent a happy 15 minutes snapping away, the only downer was poor light and the fact that the bird was 6 feet into the bottom of a Willow. Anyhoo I’ve posted two of my photos, one a record shot of the bird being fed, apologies for the blurries.

After leaving the hard working Dunnock and her giant size toddler and for that matter Martin, who was still frothing at the mouth, I spent a very enjoyable morning with the other Tuesday chaps touring the reserve. I didn't bother to investigate the damage that had been caused by some mindless morons who had decided to burn down the Roman Roundhouse on Saturday evening. However, I was delighted to hear that some other numpties who decided to extract the lead from the barn roof over the weekend had been captured red handed by the local constabulary!

Other birding highlights of the morning were 5 Green Sandpiper on Carlton Pool, 3 Redshank, 1 adult/2juvinile, on Teal/River Pool and 5 Little Ringed and two Ringed Plover on East Marsh Pool. The general consensus regarding the two Wood Sandpipers reported on Saturday is that they were probably the two juvenile Redshank.

Finally, Butterflies were in excellent numbers today which included the first signs of some second generation Common Blue, plus my first White Admiral of the year, which flew past the tool store.

Weekend cruise

2011-07-04T19:16:00.000+01:00

Dark-green Fritillary

We met up Friday evening for a BBQ with our mooring neighbours, who’d been out cruising for the week, at one of our favourite mooring spots, bridge 100 of the Oxford Canal.

The cruise down in the warm evening sunshine took around 90 minutes and had the usual selection of bird species, with Yellowhammer in good numbers and it looks like they’ve had an excellent breeding season. Lots of Butterflies too along the towpath with Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small and Large White and Small Tortoishell.

After an excellent evening I took the opportunity, if I’m being totally honest feeling a little hung-over, early Saturday morning to take a stroll along part of the old LNWR railway line. The old rail bridge is right next to our mooring and trains ran along this branch line from Weedon to Leamington Spa, with stops along the way at Napton & Southam, Stockton, Flecknoe and Long Itchington. The line closed to passenger traffic in the mid 60's but freight trains used it for a little while longer, it’s a superb place to explore and can throw up the odd surprise too!

Adder

Skylarks were in good song as I made my way along the old line with several Brown Argus and good numbers of Small and Large Skipper Butterfly very evident, along with Common Blue Damselfly and Southern Hawker Dragonfly. Birds of note included Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Tree Sparrow and a Red-legged Partridge took flight as I almost stepped on him.

On the return journey I took the path back towards the canal towpath arriving at Nethercote Bridge 101, taking the opportunity to photograph a number of summer plumage Linnets and various Butterflies, including a very good looking Dark-green fritillary. I spent a while on the bridge enjoying the early sunshine and watching the first boats pass under when I was suddenly aware of a purring noise I’d not heard in the UK for a number of years. Coming from deep within a field of crops, I’m not entirely sure of what crop, the distinct call of Turtle Dove!

Linnet

Quite excited by my find I then spent the next 30 minutes trying to find a needle in a haystack, the crops were at least 6ft high. Notwithstanding I decided to track back around the towpath towards the old rail bridge and was rewarded by the sight of one of my favourite birds perched and calling from the power line. As I approached for the perfect photograph he was off, a couple of appalling record shots all I could muster.

Anyway my first local patch Turtle Dove and as Dee and I sat on the towpath a little while later having breakfast the bird returned twice to the same power line, unfortunately making off each time I approached with the camera!

On the cruise back to the marina on Sunday morning a Red Kite floated over at Flecknoe, followed shortly after by a Hobby, doing his level best in search for breakfast. Other notables for the weekend included; Adder, Common Shrew, Stoat and Common Frog!

Rain and Shine

2011-06-25T12:34:00.002+01:00

Marbled White @ Brandon

I’m not sure about the current drought situation in certain parts of the UK but it would certainly seem that locally we’ve most definitely had our fair share. On the three occasions this week I’ve been out and about I’ve not managed to dodge the showers particularly well.

Despite the weather though it’s not been too bad a week and a search of Brandon’s meadow areas on Tuesday and Thursday produced plenty of insects and a decent haul of Butterflies; Marble White, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Comma, Brown Argus, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Green-vein White, Small Copper, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell and Ringlet, the latter of which are now out in good numbers.

Common Spotted Orchids are now out in excellent numbers throughout the reserve and finally the team managed the first Bee Orchid of the year, thanks to a tip off from one of the regulars.

Hoverfly Volucella bombylans

As you would imagine at this time of year the birding has not thrown up anything out of the ordinary, the exception being 2 or 3 Green Sandpipers, which have been regular at Brandon more recently. Although the birdsong is not as prolific there’s still plenty to tune into with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, and more reeling Grasshopper Warblers at Sheepfield, Newlands and Carlton Hide, second broods perhaps?

One of the local Brandon Marsh Cuckoo’s is still hanging around too and with Cuckoo’s in mind I thought I’d give a mention to a really fascinating site being run by the BTO. The site enables you to follow 5 electronically tagged Cuckoo’s as they begin their journeys back south. Each of the five has a name and each have their very own blog, people are always telling me that all us bloggers are Cuckoo, so here’s the evidence, enjoy! Tracking Cuckoo's

Glow Worm

Finally, last night 21 of the Brandon Team, which included friends and family, enjoyed an Italian evening at the Brandon Badgers Tearoom, which was organised by Sarah who runs it. After a really enjoyable meal a number of us braved the appalling conditions to venture out onto the reserve in search of Glow Worms. I’m delighted to say that 8 of these wonderful little beetles had themselves braved the weather and enchanted us despite the deluge!

Oh and yes I feel I must give a mention to our beloved chairman, Paul Norman, who put on the evenings 5* entertainment! Its always-advisable not to place your fleece next to burning candles!

Right Place - Right Time!

2011-06-19T17:51:00.001+01:00

Nesting Fulmar @ RSPB Fowlsleugh

After a short summer break from blogging it’s time to get back down to it and although things locally are extremely quiet, the last few days in Aberdeen have proven to be anything but!

Dee and I travelled up on Thursday; the main reason for our trip was to visit Dee’s Grandmother, who’s been recuperating in hospital for the past few months. Dee had booked an excellent little B&B right on the harbour at Stonehaven that had a nice balcony that looked out across the harbour. Here with the use of my scope we had constant views of many Oystercatcher, Common Eider and passing Gannet, Fulmar and Kittiwake.

Very Content Looking Razorbill

On Friday we managed to grab some time away from hospital visits and paid a morning trip to RSPB Fowlsheugh, which lies just off the A92, around 3 miles south of Stonehaven.

Fowlsheugh is a spectacular seabird city with 130,000 birds nesting on the cliffs, including Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Razorbills, and smaller numbers of Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Shags and Puffins. Skylarks, Meadow and Rock Pipits, and Linnets also breed on the reserve. I’m delighted to say that we managed to connect with all the above species, plus a bonus in the shape of a lone Bonxie (Shetland name for Great Skua), which was hanging around the colony for a short while!

Grey and Common Seals, and Bottlenose and Common Dolphins can also be seen offshore. Harbour Porpoises, White-beaked Dolphins and Minke Whales are seen occasionally but sadly not during our visit! Thrift and red campion grow in abundance, it’s simply a wonderful all round location.

Although I’m not a twitcher, and hate it when someone refers to me as such, I do have a definite knack of being in the right place at the right time. A few years back I stumbled into Hollands biggest ever twitch on Texel Island, purely by chance, when a Caspian Plover and American Golden Plover were both on the Island during my visit. So when news reached me of two mega vagrants for the UK, North American White-winged Scoter and ♂King Eider only a few miles up the coast from my current location, well, what can I tell you!!

My Attemp @ Fulmar in Flight!

I must say that the weather was appalling on Saturday but thanks to local help (Cheers Gordon and Tay), and to be fair in the case of the White-winged Scoter, recognition in the gloom, I managed both. The Scoter was seen offshore at Blackdog, a short drive up the A90 north of Aberdeen. Also seen in the rain and gloom were good numbers of Common Scoter, a few Velvet, but unfortunately during my brief stay I failed on the reported ♂ Surf Scoters.

Desperatley running out of time but slightly further up the coast I arrived at Ythan Estuary and I can tell you that the weather had in fact deteriorated even further, but thanks to persistence and determination the King Eider was duly seen in all it's glory. I managed a quick look at the Ternary with Arctic, Little, Common and Sandwich Tern all in residence before darting back to Aberdeen to pick up Dee, two UK lifers in the bag!!

Summer Break

2011-06-14T21:49:00.000+01:00

Hi guys, Thank you very much for the emails. No I haven't abandoned the blog, just having a summer break from blogging and tweeting for a short while. I'll be back in another week or so's time, in the mean time happy birding!!

Balmy Evenings

2011-06-02T22:20:00.007+01:00

Daubenton's Bat

I absolutely love this type of weather, particularly with the warm balmy evenings, when I can lay in bed with the windows and hatches fully open just listening to the wildlife.

Last night for example Dee and I lay listening to a Tawny Owl calling, a distant Curlew and at one stage the high pitch screech of Barn Owl was heard passing overhead.

Unfortunately, due to other commitments I’ve been unable to enjoy the current warm spell during the day, missing out on an adult Osprey at Brandon Marsh this morning, but I have managed a couple of evening walks around the marina grounds.

About an hour after sunset yesterday evening the Pipistrelle Bats were once again doing their level best to convince me that they were about to collide with me head on. However, I was delighted to come across another member in the order of Chiroptera, in the form of two Daubenton’s Bats. Daubenton’s bat is a medium-sized species. It has a steady flight, often within a few centimeters off the waters surface and is reminiscent of a small hovercraft.

Daubenton’s usually feed within about 6km of the roost, but have been recorded following canals for up to 10km (at speeds of up to 25kph). They usually take insects from close to the water and have even been seen taking prey directly from the waters surface, using their large feet as a gaff or the tail membrane as a scoop. I actually witnessed this first hand last night, definitely a sight to behold!

The Frogs were once again on the move with several seen moving across the paths and our resident Sedge Warblers were still singing from deep within the reeds. My first Hedgehog of the year was also making its way along one of the paths. The shock of the night though was when one of the moorers black cats suddenly pounced, frightening the life out of me!

Yellowhammer

This evening no signs of the Daubenton’s Bats but I did enjoy the song of a late evening Yellowhammer. Also seen earlier when I arrived back at the marina at around 6pm was a family group of six Pied Wagtails, plus two juvenile Tree Sparrows, which were being fed by an attentive mother.

Nice Surprise

2011-05-31T17:00:00.004+01:00

Pied Flycatcher (Library Image)

I have to say that more recently I’ve not had the time available to spend on birding that I would normally like but as they say, once a birder always a birder, and no matter where you are your instincts are always zoned in for something different.

This weekend for example we spent with friends in Suffolk who are not birders and on Sunday attended the Southend Air Show, aviation being a second passion of mine. I have to say that I was very disappointed with the line up now that the council have apparently withdrawn funding and so with binoculars in hand anyway, found myself straying away from the mechanical flyer's to the feathered kind once more. The highlight of which were two summer plumage Mediterranean Gulls, which were feeding out in the mud flats just out from the sea wall.

After my weekend break I returned to Brandon Marsh this morning and if I’m being completely honest didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary. Over the past few weeks the highlights have been Little Egret, a brief visit of juvenile Osprey and Greenshank. Mind you a survey of the Owl boxes throughout the reserve last Thursday yielded some excellent results, with both Tawny Owl and Barn Owl doing extremely well, in total 9 Owlets were ringed.

Alpine Swift (Library Image)

With the trees and bushes now in full bloom and spring migration now over it’s that time of year when you rely more on your instincts and in particular you’re hearing. It was very noticeable today that lots of species had quietened down and are now busy with the task of feeding youngsters. I lost count of the numbers of young Whitethroat that were constantly demanding food from parents. The Islands on East Marsh Pool have Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Redshank and now Little Ringed Plover chicks.

The surprise of the day came in New Hare Covert when searching for my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year with Derek Bennett. We in fact came across a very pristine looking Pied Flycatcher instead, which was a first for me at Brandon, having missed earlier spring visits due to my trip to Canada. Unfortunately, we were unable to re-locate the bird later in the day.

The ringing team were also active today on 'constant effort' and shortly after arriving at the main hide a phone call from Jim Rushforth had Derek, Mike, Adrian, John and myself scanning for an Alpine Swift that had been spotted by two members of the team over East Marsh Pool. Sadly, after around 45 minutes of non-stop scanning, we binned out!

Not many Butterflies or Odanata to report today (Common Blue, Small White & Speckled Wood Butterfly) but there are lots of Spotted Orchids to be found throughout the reserve, unfortunately only small in size, probably due to recent lack of rainfall!

A brief update for the Marina grounds consist of small numbers of Pied Wagtail young and fledged families of Greenfinch, Reed Bunting and Sedge Warbler. I was also delighted to see 3 young Skylark in the adjacent field. Yellowhammers are constantly singing from the nearby phone wires too!

Quiet week!

2011-05-22T18:32:00.005+01:00

Greenshank

Lots of other commitments over the past week has meant that birding has been at a premium, but I have managed visits to Brandon Marsh and of course kept close contact around the marina and locally.

Fortunately it’s been a much quieter week and it would appear that the main thrust of the migration has come to an end. However talking to other birders and keeping a close eye on the forums it appears that good numbers of House Martins are still missing from breeding colonies. Hopefully these birds should arrive at any time, there was certainly a few more around at Brandon today. The odd rarities still continue to show up though nationwide, Gull-billed Tern in Norfolk and Black-winged Stilt, plus locally a Black Stork near Weedon, which I never got time to see!

Yesterday I took a late evening stroll around the marina grounds and was rewarded with a trio of Owls. Firstly, a Barn Owl was quartering the adjacent field and the large Oak Tree within is still playing host to a family of Little Owls, I managed two perched silhouettes. Finally, a Tawny Owl was calling from the general direction of Napton Reservoir but I never managed to make eye contact.

Common Toad

We seem to have a small population of Pipistrelle Bats here too, as at least 3 spent the evening doing their level best to convince me that they were about to collide with my head at any moment. I’ve also noticed a very healthy community of Common Toads and several had to be avoided as I walked the paths. At least one Lesser Whitethroat is still singing daily and finally the first fledgling Sedge Warblers are starting to appear.

Today an early morning visit to Brandon Marsh, which produced a couple of site year firsts for me. Teal Pool hide, which thanks to Jim Rushforth’s sluice management, is now once more carrying plenty of water, gave up a very pristine looking Greenshank and later in the main hide a juvenile Osprey came floating over East Marsh Pool, before heading off towards Coombe! Surprisingly this is only my second sighting of Osprey at Brandon since joining the team in December 2009. A brief glimpse of a solitary Hobby over Central Marsh Path and the usual selection of warblers and waders were also seen. I was amazed at how quickly the young Oystercatchers had grown, but sadly after starting with four chicks only three remain.

Anniversary Weekend

2011-05-15T22:41:00.004+01:00

Rutland Water

Just arrived back aboard after our 2nd wedding anniversary celebrations, which included a day out on the Nene Valley Steam Railway yesterday and a visit to Rutland Water today.

The last time I was at Rutland was in February 2010 when Dee and I went in search of two reported Long-eared Owls on the southern part of the reserve. Our search was successful but at that time there was major construction work in progress. I’m glad to say that the work has now been almost completed and the site is looking in superb shape with new lagoons and hides.

Dee and I began our walk around midday from the Egleton Bird Watching Centre and although it would have been good to see the new lagoons and hide we decided to head to the north. This is one huge place and having visited the south last time this was all new and exciting ground for us. The first several hides and paths produced the usual selection of warblers and the sky was busy with Swifts and many Common Tern. The large Sand Martin structure, which can be viewed from the centre itself, was awash with activity and the Martins were constantly coming and going.

Probably the best viewing came at the Sandpiper Hide, which overlooks Lagoon 4. Here an Osprey was enjoying a well-earned bath before moving off and both Little Ringed and Ringed Plover were constantly on the go. A good number of waders were showing which included Oystercatcher, Little Stint, lots of Dunlin and I managed to pick out a summer plumage Turnstone that was almost buried within the shingle. Two Avocets dropped in for a short stay and Dee picked out several Egyptian Geese amongst the Greylag and Canada, a lone Barnacle was present and a first tick for the year in the form of a single Little Gull.

We moved further around the lagoon to the Dunlin Hide, which produced nothing further of note but a Lesser Whitethroat was singing close by within the Hawthorn, and a very pristine looking ♂Linnet was also singing well from a nearby tree. Amazing how fluent birding can be, by the time we reached Plover Hide, which also overlooks Lagoon 4 and only minutes after leaving Dunlin Hide, a Whimbrel had dropped in and was preening happily near the waters edge. Distant views of Osprey and Red Kite, plus a Grey Wagtail was also seen before moving back towards the centre.

On our return to the centre taking in visits to Shoveler, Buzzard and Crake Hides produced a Kingfisher flypast and ♂Cuckoo, plus a second Little Gull of the day was over the pool. Finally over a nice hot chocolate in the elevated lookout section of the centre, two Little Egret were our final additions and ended a good days birding with a gallant 65 species recorded, thanks to the wife's good book keeping!

Poor light and distance unfortunately ruled out any good photo's!

Local is Best

2011-05-13T21:34:00.002+01:00

Common Restart (Library Image)

It seems that more recently the marina has provided the best birding locally for me, with other nearby areas such as Napton Hill and Napton Reservoir not throwing up anything out of the ordinary.

My latest good fortune at the marina came on Wednesday morning while having my usual early morning stroll around the grounds. When I got to the marina entrance a gorgeous looking ♂Common Redstart was perched on top of the canal junction bridge. I can tell you that there’s nothing 'common' about these stunning looking guys, especially with the rising sun shining directly onto him! I can tell you too that I was absolutely gutted that I'd stupidly left my camera back aboard the boat!

Shortly after being mesmerised by the visiting Redstart a very proud pair of Mute Swan’s came passing through the entrance with 5 Cygnets in tow, a very serene and relaxing sight and what has now become an annual event.

Four Spotted Chaser

I did have better luck with the camera later in the afternoon when I went on a Butterfly and Dragonfly hunt in the surrounding fields. My first Four-spotted Chaser of the year followed closely by my first local Small Heath and Small Copper Butterflies. Lesser Whitethroats seem to have taken a shine to the grounds too with the addition of another bird now singing constantly, this now makes three birds on site.

Two visits to Brandon Marsh this week with my usual Tuesday birding day and the Thursday work party. I’m happy to report that thus far the four Oystercatcher chicks are still doing well and there’s now a good collection of Lapwing, Mallard, and Coot chicks to be found, plus Greylag and Canada Goose goslings. On Thursday Swifts seemed prolific with many birds skimming just above the waterline taking on water, two Hobby and a Cuckoo were also seen.

The Mount cousin’s, or as I call them ‘The Boys From The Black Stuff’ discovered a brand new Butterfly for the reserve on Tuesday, when they came across a Green Hairstreak, a picture of which can be found on Brandon Birding. Also worth mentioning that as part of a reintroduction program to the reserve the Butterfly Conservation have released two species back on site, Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper, the latter of which has already been photographed by Jeff Rankin, one of the Brandon regulars.

Rain at Last!

2011-05-08T14:17:00.004+01:00

Corn Bunting

The past few days have finally provided some much needed rain to the area, torrential at times with thunder and with the winds currently from the south you just never know what might drop in. With heavy showers now forecast I'll be keeping a close eye on Napton Hill for any downed migrants, although this spring seems to have produced more here at the marina than on the hill!

Speaking of which the last few days have seen a Common Sandpiper near the canal entrance on Friday, along with a Hobby hunting overhead later in the day. Yesterday while driving out of the marina around fifty or so Golden Plover were seen flying north. When I returned a short while later two noisy Arctic Terns flew through heading northwest. Several Skylarks have been singing constantly in the surrounding fields and at least two Lesser Whitethroats are still on site and in song. However, the best was my first recorded Corn Bunting on site, which I found this morning in full song atop one of the hawthorn bushes.

Last night I decided to pay a rare evening visit to Brandon Marsh, something I haven't done for a good while, normally preferring to arrive just prior to sunrise. I got to site around 5:30pm were I met George Wootton who informed me that 3 Little Egret were on site for a short while earlier. The first thing that hit me when I got out of the car was that gorgeous earthy fresh smell you get after a recent downpour. In fact the current water levels are quite low, particularly on River Pool and so the recent rainfall is a godsend. The River Avon, which runs around the southern perimeter of Brandon, is also desperately low.

East Marsh Pool was a cacophony of noise, particularly with a small group of Black-headed Gulls, which I seriously hope make a decision not to nest here, the noise would be unbearable! The usual melee of Little Ringed Plover were constantly on the go, I counted eight today, along with two Ringed Plover, which were moving constantly back and forth from River Pool. The long staying Ruff seems to have finally departed and at last 4 Oystercatcher chicks were seen on Tern Island. 3 Redshank were recorded plus: ♂♀Shoveler, 8-Gadwall, 6-Teal and 22 Tufted Duck, an unusually large number for the time of year!

Mayfly

Carlton Hide was where I spent the rest of the evening on the lookout for Hobby and Barn Owl, the Mayflies were out and a number of Swifts were passing through. 2 Grasshopper Warblers were heard reeling, one of which I got the briefest of glimpses and the second was heard in reeds over by the river Avon as I left a while later. A Cuckoo spent a lot of time in the big dead tree calling, apparently two were seen earlier in the day mating, so nice to know there is actually a female on site, although no reports of one bubbling thus far.

As darkness fell and the threat of rain a constant, a lone Hobby finally arrived hunting over the pool providing some spectacular views while feeding on the wing and a Barn Owl was also seen quartering to the back of Newlands reed bed. On the walk back to the car in the diminishing light a final look at East Marsh yielded a single Shelduck and two Pipistrelle Bats were seen on the Central Marsh Path. As I drove from the volunteers car park past Horsetail Glade a Badger ran across my path and just as I was driving out of the reserve the rain duly arrived!

Anne Norman

2011-05-08T13:59:00.001+01:00

Sad news of the death of Anne Norman, the wife of the Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team Chairman Paul. Anne died peacefully on Friday morning after her battle with cancer.

My prayers are with Paul and his family. For me Anne was an inspiration, a remarkable lady and when I was around her enjoying nature, and in particular the birds, we always had a good laugh, she was a complete joy to be around. For those who met Anne in passing, they would never be aware of her battle such was her positive and friendly nature. I'm just happy to have known her and very glad I gave her a big kiss and cuddle only a few days ago at Brandon Marsh, a place where she will be greatly missed! From here on when I walk the paths of Brandon the birdsong will always be a constant reminder of her presence, I’ll miss her immensely, sleep well Anne xxx

Dawn Chorus

2011-05-03T22:06:00.011+01:00

Spectacular British Spring

For me the British Spring is one of the most spectacular anywhere in the world and this year is probably the best I can remember in a very long time. Likely due to the release of pent-up energy after what was our hardest winter in over 30 years, plus the warmest April on record the cherry; apple and hawthorn blossom has been simply stunning. Looking back over some of my previous years birding notes it's quite clear too that this is one the best years for visiting warblers for a considerable time.

Once again I've spent what has been a very blustery weekend locally, plus an early morning visit to Brandon Marsh on Sunday. Brandon threw up a slight surprise when I discovered the brownest Barn Owl I think I've ever seen peering out of one the nest boxes, a box that I know usually contains Stock Dove. I have heard of several stories of these two species sharing boxes and this seems to prove that this does occasionally take place, especially as a lone Stock Dove was perched forlornly above!

On the home front good numbers of Swift have been passing through and a Red Kite has been seen several times over the marina. Two Lesser Whitethroat have been singing non-stop from the hawthorn but no further sightings of Whimbrel or Wheatear since Friday’s visits.

Today I'd organised a Dawn Chorus Walk at Brandon Marsh for a number of the conservation team and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful morning. Mind you it came as a slight surprise to be scrapping quite a hard frost from the car windscreen at 5am! We met in the lower car park just prior to sunrise, finishing off at around 9am with breakfast in the nature centre. Despite the onset into May there's still lots of birds who've yet to pair off and the birdsong today was just amazing.

As I entered the top gates of the reserve a Lesser Whitethroat was singing, one of our late arriving warblers and another species which seems to be in good numbers this year. As we set off from the lower car park a Cuckoo was calling from Horsetail Glade, a great start for the team. By the time we'd reached Wright Hide and our first look at East Marsh Pool we'd recorded the full range of warblers, with the exception of Grasshopper, which despite having so many reeling over the previous weeks remained elusive, until eventually a couple were heard at Carlton hide.

Yellow Wagtail

Two Ruffs were still present, along with Common Sandpiper and the usual variety of Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Snipe and Oystercatcher. The wildfowl still contained good numbers of Teal, Tufted Duck and two ♂ Shoveler, and for a short time it seemed that we might be treated to displaying Great Crested Grebe’s, but they never quite got there. A bonus was a single ♂ Yellow Wagtail that was eventually seen on Willow Island after painstakingly extracting the location from our very own eccentric Derek Bennett!

A few of the guys headed off for a walk around the ‘Tip’ area and Farm Field after breakfast and this produced the first signs of Spotted Orchid, plus Buzzard, Bullfinch, Green Woodpecker and my first Small Copper and Holly Blue Butterflies of the year. Other notables of the day included: Common Tern, Kingfisher, Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Swift and the usual Swallow and Martin's..

More Firsts for Spring!

2011-04-29T14:13:00.010+01:00

First Whimbrel of Spring!

I think my Canadian birding buddies are trying to make me jealous with reports of Mountain Bluebirds, Long-billed Dowichers and Black Phoebe and I can tell you, it's working. News too of Rob Catchpole my old Vancouver sidekick, he's still alive and kicking apparently after going off the radar, maybe someone put the toys back in his pram!!

Back to the UK and a couple of visits to Brandon Marsh over the past week and a banishment from aboard the boat this morning due to a certain wedding, which paid dividends with a Whimbrel in the adjacent field, plus a gorgeous ♂ Wheatear on the phone wires. Also around today were Raven, Buzzard, Kestrel, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Skylark and a good movement of Swallow. Worth a mention were a ♀♂ Tufted Duck who came to visit our resident tame Tufty, it's always sad to see when the other birds depart and poor Tufty with his duff wing is unable!

Brandon as you would imagine is awash with Warblers and with the recent influx of Grasshopper Warbler a prime target for photographers, we have the usual minority of idiots ploughing through nesting areas in search of a shot! New Hare Covert is covered in a beautiful carpet of Bluebells, which is in fact around 2 weeks early and Primrose and Ladies Smock abound! With the colder weather now upon us a lull in Butterfly numbers, but I did manage my first Damselfly of the year with a ♂ Banded Demoiselle on the River Meadow.

Banded Demoiselle

Tuesday saw my first Swift of the spring at Brandon and a Lesser Whitethroat still remains around the Sheepfield area. The first chicks have appeared on East Marsh Pool with 4 Lapwing, said birds were still showing on Thursday thankfully, despite the Carrion Crows best efforts to predate. With responsibility for Amphibians and Reptiles on the reserve it's good to know that Grass Snake are also in good numbers, when checking the designated refugia there's always one to be found basking. Unfortunately our Amphibian populations of Frogs and Toads have been scarce and I'm yet to hear any news on the various pond dipping sessions by the educational teams. Also seen of note other than the usual Warbler’s where: Common Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Cuckoo, Skylark, LR Plover, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Ruff, Common Tern, Swallows and Sand Martin are now numerous, intermingled with several House Martin.

I arrived early on Thursday to Brandon and was certainly glad that I had the good sense to be wearing my thermals. With a bitter easterly wind the Big Hide resembled an icebox, but the birding wasn’t too bad with two lovely summer plumage Dunlin and a cameo visit from two Shelduck. The long staying Ruff appears to be at home on East Marsh Pool and another count of seven Little Ringed Plover, who really need to get down to the business of nesting! The wildfowl numbers still continue to decline as we approach the summer but still a reasonable number of Teal, plus two ♂ Shoveler and four ♂ Gadwall. As I left the reserve at around 10.30am a Red Kite was soaring over towards the West Marsh area, but despite passing the sighting on to the guys still on the reserve, it wasn’t seen again.

Solitude - MY Easter Weekend!

2011-04-25T20:02:00.001+01:00

Our Local Tree Sparrow Population

For someone like me who hates crowds and prefers the solitude of the countryside, walking a nature reserve or country park becomes a no-go area over the Easter weekend and any birding I do attempt is in the early hours and well before the hoards arrive.

I've stayed very much local over the last few days with visits to Napton Hill and Napton Reservoir, plus monitoring the wildlife at my home Marina, although the latter has been a hive of activity with boats constantly coming and going. When aboard, my favourite birding is simply sitting on the end of my pontoon sky watching, at Wigram's we're lucky enough to have a great panorama and this can actually throw up some interesting local rarities. Over the 5 years we've moored here I've recorded such species as Osprey on passage, Red Kite, Arctic Tern, Whimbrel, Waxwing, Great White Egret and on one winters morning a Bittern was photographed by a fellow moorer from her boat window walking on the ice!

This Easter weekend has in fact thrown up a few surprises in the mix, along with the usual species around the marina such as Whitethroat, Yellowhammer, Bullfinch, Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Reed Bunting, Pied Wagtail and Tree Sparrow. My first Cetti's Warbler at Wigram's was heard yesterday morning and after a good scan of the adjacent fields I recorded Barn Owl, Curlew, Golden Plover, and Lapwing, plus the Skylarks have been singing all weekend, which has been a real treat. Our resident Little Owls have been rather quiet of late, but I did manage a brief glimpse of one perched close to last years nesting location.

Our New Resident!

Barn Swallows have been constantly passing through, along with a few advanced party Swifts. The bird feeders are less busy with so much natural food around but Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Goldfinch are still regular. Common Buzzard have taken to the air on many occasions along with a lone Sparrowhawk and possibly two Kestrel have been working the area all weekend. Napton Reservior and Hill unfortunately didn't produce anything out of the ordinary other than a single Yellow Wagtail, and a chat with Bob from Napton's Church Leyes Farm brought up the question of the lack of rain within the area, apparently the local farmers are desperate for some!

Finally, after arriving back from Canada we discovered that one of our resident Hybrid Mallards (pictured) had set up home in one of our plant pots and is currently sitting on eleven eggs. I'm happy to report that said bird is doing well and thanks to the wife's constant pampering, is probably the most spoilt and protected bird in the world!!

Groppers Galore!

2011-04-23T21:46:00.004+01:00

Grasshopper Warbler (Library Image)

A busy last few days catching up on some boaty chores and since returning to the UK last Sunday the weather has been stunning, with temperatures reaching 26C on occasions.

I joined up with the Conservation Team at Brandon Marsh on Thursday and spent the morning taking out invasive Birch on the top reedbed. Good news too while I was away in Canada, planning permission for the Phase 3 Newlands reedbed project was finally granted, and so we can now move on to the next stage of the project come autumn. Work has already begun and If anyone visiting Brandon comes across a strange looking greenhouse type structure that's suddenly appeared on the lower car park, this is in fact the nursery for the reeds required for the planting of the new bed.

The birding highlights for Thursday were more Grasshopper Warblers, four today, plus a brief glimpse of Hobby which overflew Horstail Glade during lunch.

With the Easter weekend now in full swing the marina and Oxford Canal resemble something which looks more like the M25 motorway. Yesterday (Good Friday) I sat out on the pontoon watching the antics of many novice boater's as they attempted to navigate in and out of the marina, always great fun to watch. The birding provided an occasional interesting moment too, firstly, while having breakfast al fresco my first Swift of the spring moved through heading west, then later in the afternoon two Yellow Wagtail overflew towards Napton reservoir!

This morning I arrived at Brandon shortly after sunrise and completed my usual tour of the reserve, before departing shortly after 11am prior to the hoards arriving. The usual Warblers were all in good song, in fact all the regular summer visitors are now in, although I've personally yet to register Swift and House Martin on site. An addition to my Tuesday list was a lone Ruff, which continued to feed on Willow Island throughout my stay, I also recorded an additional Cuckoo, making it two for today's visit.

It appears that this year may also be an unprecedented year for Grasshopper Warbler at Brandon. Today I managed a personal best of eight reeling birds throughout the reserve, actually managing some good views of at least three. Looking at the various forums, tweets and blogs it would seem that nationally too a lot more of these secretive birds are being heard, which is very welcome news after recent dramatic population declines.

I spent a good while today adding to my 2011 Butterfly count, which currently stands at ten species. The latest addition today was Large White, and although it's still early for some species to be around, those that are appear to be in good numbers and so all looks well for a bumper summer!

Back At The Ranch!

2011-04-19T16:15:00.005+01:00

Hobby (Library Image)

I'm not sure whether it was the jet lag but I was awake at 3am this morning and despite planning a return to Brandon Marsh today at a reasonable hour, I duly arrived at around 5.30am to be greeted by at least 500 Starlings swirling across the Top Reedbed. I watched an almost full moon setting to the south-west on a beautiful, if not chilly morning (3C), before moving off on my usual route past Sheepfield, towards Wright Hide for my first coffee of the day.

The place had changed dramatically since my last visit over 5 weeks ago and I was astonished at how advanced the UK spring actually is. The place was alive with birdsong, Willow Warblers seemed to be singing from every tree, a couple of Chiffchaff were calling too and a Swallow zoomed past as though it only had moments to live! Sheepfield provided a first opportunity to see what else was about and within 10 minutes I'd recorded several Whitethroat and Blackcap, plus a reeling Grasshopper Warbler and a singing Lesser Whitethroat. New Hare Covert provided several more Blackcaps, Song Thrush and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

I paused when I got to Newlands for a while to watch the sunrise, listening to my second reeling Grasshopper Warbler of the day, when a Hobby came across the reeds moving south. Although I doubt it was feeding on dragonflies at this earlier hour it was definitely feeding in the trademark Hobby fashion, by lifting talon to mouth while still in flight, always an awesome sight to behold! A lone Barnacle Goose on the golf course and two Linnet, which looked to be surveying a nesting area, along with Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler, before my coffee in a freezing Wright Hide.

East Marsh Pool was busy with two Little Ringed Plover giving chase, a couple of Common Tern on the goal posts, and when I'd completed my counts I ended up with of note: Little Ringed Plover (6), Ringed Plover (2), Redshank (1), Oystercatcher (3), Pink-footed Goose (1), Snipe (2), GC Grebe (2), Sand Martin were numerous and there were also small numbers of Teal, Shoveler and Tufted Duck.

Lesser Whitethroat (Library Image)

The River Pool Hide had a further 2 Redshank and several more Teal, and so after a brief visit to Big Hide I made my way up to Carlton Hide. On the walk up I connected with a singing Garden Warbler and a distant Cuckoo, and after the Carlton Hide itself yielded nothing further of interest I got a second glimpse of possibly the same earlier Hobby, as it flew left to right as I appeared from the hide. I finally caught up with the rest of the 'Tuesday Bunch' back at Big Hide for more coffee and a catch up on what's been happening in my absence.

At the hide Mike, Peter, and I decided to take a walk across the 'Tip' area and around Farm Pool Reedbed, where we planned to stop for a picnic lunch. On route we managed 8 Buzzard in flight at one time and a third Gropper of the day, before we emerged to overlook the old farm area. Here we located a very pristine male Wheatear on the farmers fence, which eventually dropped to ground level before flying onto a nearby Hawthorn, where it was joined by a second bird.

A very rewarding return to Brandon, which also included 3 Grasssnake, and numerous Butterflies including Common Blue, Orange Tip, Peacock, Green-veined White, Small White, Speckled Wood and Comma.

My Canada

2011-04-15T23:45:00.046+01:00

Common Loon An Icon Of Canada

As I draw a line under this particular visit to Canada I'm not only leaving with some great birding memories, but I now possess a substantial database of the prime birding areas of the Greater Vancouver area.

In fact my wife believes I now possess a greater knowledge of Vancouver than most Vancouverites. She also estimates I may well have walked over 250 miles during the five weeks I've been here!

Vancouver: I'm not sure I'm aware of any large metropolis where a short walk along it's seawall can produce literally thousand's of waterfowl with species such as Harlequin Duck, Red-necked Grebe, Common Loon, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Barrow's Goldeneye and all three Mergansers a regular feature.

Raptors abound, Bald Eagle are abundant, Merlin can be seen flashing through the buildings when you look out of your apartment window, and the occasional Turkey Vulture can be seen soaring above Stanley Park! Sit for a while in an open area and you can almost guarantee a Coopers Hawk or Red-tailed hawk will appear high in a thermal, along with the many Glaucous-winged Gulls.

If you want to see Hummingbirds, these can be found too, and 'all year round' in Stanley Park where the Anna's is resident. In spring these are joined by the Rufous Hummingbird which literally follow the blooming Redcurrant up the Pacific Coast, and then on to Alaska, simply amazing!

I arrived here with a notion of achieving a species count of at least 120 and I'm leaving with 131 in the bag, not a bad tally. My previous visits to Canada have been into the interior of the country and I was greatly looking forward to improving my knowledge of coastal birds. Unfortunately, with spring greatly delayed due to late winter storms and persistent northerly or easterly winds, I didn't quite get to see all the species I'd hoped for, but the ones I did get to see, Black Turnstone for one, have greatly increased my knowledge base of North American Species.

On this particular visit I've been able to be part of the Canadian culture and have met some really genuine Canadian birders and thank them for their company and sharing their knowledge.

Canada, like the UK has it's own unique environmental issues, and I get the impression that some of their great birding and wildlife venues are fought for passionately, and often only succeed by compromise and hard work, incredible really with such diverse and rich habitats in abundance. A typical example, Maplewood Conservation Area on Vancouver's North Shore was earmarked for housing and is now a unique wildlife destination, thanks to the persistence and enthusiasm of many individuals.

Irresponsible Dog Owners!

Even here in the Greater Vancouver area with all it's diversity species are on the decline, such as Western Grebe, down 100% in some areas and once a common sight off English Bay, but no more! Common Loon, a Canadian Icon, is also threatened, cottages, campgrounds and marinas are being built along lakes where loons liked to nest. Dog owners I'm told have increased exponentially over recent years and I've witnessed first hand the irresponsibility of some, who pay little attention to wildlife havens and on-leash laws, allowing their animals to disrupt resting birds during migration, Blackie Spit was a typical example!

What I do know from the people I've met here over my stay is that the determination exists from groups of passionate individuals, 'wildlife warriors', who will ensure that the authorities remain aware of the issues, and will continue to work hard to maintain this areas uniqueness for generations to come, and I hope that one day soon I can be part of that fight!

Stanley Park

2011-04-13T23:35:00.001+01:00

Stanley Park From The Air

Birding has taken a back seat over the last few days while I nurse the wife back to good health, but I have managed a couple of visits locally to Stanley Park and the surrounding seafront. Vancouver is just that sort of City, no matter where you are, within minutes you can be amongst the wildlife.

Yesterday I started with a leisurely walk around Lost Lagoon before moving on to Beaver Lake. The usual suspects were around, Spotted Towhee, American Robin, Dark-eyed Junko, Chickadee's and the Song Sparrows were in good voice. I sat for a while watching a very noisy pair of Stella's Jay but never quite managed to see what all the fuss was about. A couple of Bald Eagle were enjoying a thermal and at the other end of the scale, a very brief visit of Anna's Hummingbird to the blooming Redcurrant. The Lagoon itself held around 50 or so Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, ♀Common Merganser and a pair of Barrow's Goldeneye. Looks like the Canadian Mute Swan population is about to increase too, as 3 nesting birds are already in residence.

Map of Stanley Park

Beaver Lake was alive around the perimeter and I lost count of the numbers of Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, one very flighty Hutton's Vireo and at least another 6 Yellow-rumped Warbler were also seen. As I sat watching a gorgeous looking pair of Wood Duck a Coopers Hawk flashed through. Finally, the Swallows have begun to arrive in the City area, having been around for at least a fortnight further down the coast, with both Tree Swallow and Violet-green Swallow swooping low across the water.

This evening I managed a two hour walk along the seafront, starting at English Bay and walking around to the Burrard Inlet. As a birder I always have to pinch myself when I get back to the apartment and check my notes when I've walked this stretch. It reads like a who's who of waterfowl which would keep any British birder happy for months. Lesser and Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Goldeneye, American Wigeon, Red Breasted, Common and Hooded Merganser, summer plumage Red Necked Grebe and Common Loon. There going to have to drag me screaming back to the UK come Saturday!

Final Week

2011-04-11T20:34:00.005+01:00

Locally Rare Yellow-Headed Blackbird

This is the last week of my current visit to Canada and with today probably being the best day of the week weather wise, I decided to have another go at Iona Beach Regional Park before the rain arrives tomorrow.

After arriving at Templeton I set off on my usual 7Km walk from the rail station down to Iona. After around 20 minutes I'd recorded Rough-Legged Hawk, good numbers of Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow and a few Golden-Crowned Sparrow, which have now begun to sing. A lady I bumped into also told me that an Orange-crowned Warlbler had also been heard singing on McDonald Road, but after a short search I never managed to make contact. After around 30 minutes I was lucky enough to pick up a lift from a fellow birder, John Voight, who I ended up spending the rest of the morning with, turns out John is a regular visitor to the reserve and was great company. Just hope I've got his surname correct!

A walk around the sewage treatment ponds on arrival was very productive with two more species to add to my current list, Northern Rough-Winged Swallow and Cliff Swallow, which were mingled in with Tree, Barn and Violet-Green. The pools contained the usual Pintail, Scaup, Northern Shoveler and American Wigeon.

After moving on to the North and South Marshes, as like on my last visit, alive with birdsong, it wasn't long before good numbers of Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Marsh Wren and Red-Winged Blackbird were recorded, a Wilson's Snipe was also seen in flight.

A bird definitely on my wish list for today was the locally rare Yellow-Headed Blackbird, a regular spring and summer visitor here and a species I'd only recorded once before. I was therefore delighted when as John and I went to investigate a Virginia Rail calling, one of these beautiful birds was perched midway in the reeds. After a further five minute search we also managed to make contact with the Virginia Rail, which could be seen skulking low in the reed bed.

Cliff Swallow (Library Image)

A look around the Fraser River and across the Strait and around the brush in search of Lincoln's Sparrow turned up Osprey, which came low overhead, and two Caspian Tern which were seen in flight near the North Arm Jetty. A final walk around the treatment ponds before John departed had our second Yellow-Headed blackbird of the day, plus Peregrine and a group of 8 Greater Yellowlegs.

It turned out to be a day of meetings as shortly after John left I caught up with Derek Killby yet again, another local birder and Derek and I took another good tour of the North and South Marsh. Unfortunately we were unable to find either Yellow-Winged Blackbird for Derek to see, but did manage Northern Shrike, Brewer's Blackbird's, American Goldfinch and Myrtle Warbler. The pools contained Ringed-Necked Duck, Bufflehead, Scaup and Pied-Billed Grebe. Another excellent days birding once again and many thanks to Derek who gave me a lift all the way back to Downtown Vancouver.

Also seen to day of note: Bald Eagle, Golden-Crowned Sparrow, White-Crown Sparrow, House Finch, Herring Gull, Fox Sparrow, Muskrat, Harbour Seal and Garter Snake.

Hummingbird Quest

2011-04-09T23:30:00.000+01:00

Black-tailed Deer @ Maplewood

This being our last full weekend in Vancouver I decided to pack a picnic and take my wife Dee to Maplewood Flats in search of Hummingbirds. Maplewood is the nearest reserve to our apartment, about a 40 minute bus ride, and has become my adopted local site during the last month. Dee has never seen one of these amazing birds and I thought we stood a good chance of connecting, having not failed to see one on each previous visit.

Our arrival at Maplewood could not have been more timely. When we arrived at around midday we met Derek Killby at the entrance, a birder I'd met at Iona on Thursday. As we chatted away the first two Osprey's to return to the reserve this spring suddenly appeared overhead, much to our delight and the delight of Patricia who'd emerged from the office.

Patricia I believe is one of the founders of Wild Bird Trust BC, which is a non profit making organisation formed in 1993. She also told me that my Beaver sighting of last Tuesday (see previous post) that I'd reported was the first for the reserve, and in fact he was still here and had been seen several times and photographed. I was delighted to have a first for the reserve, something that I've yet to achieve back in the UK.

1st Winter Snow Bunting (Library Image)

Derek accompanied us on our quest for Dee's Hummingbird and during the walk past what is known as Pocket Marsh we encountered three Black-tailed Deer, which I believe are a sub species of Mule deer, Dee managed to get several pictures.

We stopped for a while overlooking the Salt Marsh, where Derek informed us he'd seen Snow Bunting very early this morning. As we scanned the marsh the sudden call of Hummingbird from behind had us searching, but in vain, no sign of the Bunting either. We walked to the West Pond lookout and although the pond was almost bare of waterfowl, there lying fast asleep on a comfortable bed of reeds was my Beaver.

Tracking back we kept a vigil on an area of Redcurrant and Salmonberry where Derek had seen Rufous earlier, and finally, although not the best view ever, a delighted Dee had her first Hummingbird, a Rufous which hung around for around 30 seconds before making off.

Before heading back we decided to take a last look at the Salt Marsh and almost immediately had a stunning looking Snow Bunting in our sights, my first for Canada. I suspect that this was a first winter bird by the colouring and Dee managed a few record shots, but too rubbish to post. Oh and by the way the picnic was delicious!

Luxury birding!

2011-04-08T23:58:00.005+01:00

Gorgeous Violet-Green Swallow

With Rob currently house sitting we had the luxury of some transport at our disposal for today's outing and so decided to start with a visit to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. This was my third visit since arriving a month ago and by comparison to my other visits by far the quietest.

The usual suspects were still around, including at least 2,000 Snow Geese on the surrounding fields, two Black-Crowned Night-Heron, and the Tree Swallows and Violet-Green's had been joined by several Barn Swallow. The sea-view path was extremely quiet with a lone Northern Harrier, several Savannah Sparrow and the usual collection of mature and immature Bald Eagle. A number of shore bird flocks were seen in the distance, probably Dunlin and Sanderling. The pools had a selection of Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead and Northern Pintail and as ever the Marsh Wren's were busy within the reed bed.

Fox Sparrow @ Reifel Today

The interior was more lively with Brown Creeper and Red-breasted Nuthatch, plus small numbers of Golden-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow and the gorgeous Wood Ducks. We didn't spend too much time today looking for the Saw-Whet Owls, as the number of photographers and family visitors had increased due to the lovely weather, and so after checking out the remaining fields, where we counted 21 White-fronted Geese, we moved on.

As we left the parking area we came to an abrupt stop to watch a Rufous Hummingbird in display flight, constantly flying back and forth before zooming high into the air and down again, truly amazing! On the Western Island Road Bridge we stopped to checked out five large Grebes, which turned out to be Western Grebe, my first sighting on this particular visit.

From here we eventually ended up at Boundary Bay from the 112th street entrance, an area we haven't actually managed to check out over the last four weeks. As with Reifel the area was reasonably quite to start with, apart from the now prevalent Savannah Sparrow's, but patience paid off before we called it a day with of note: 3-Short-eared Owl, 4-Northern Harrier and 2-Red-tailed Hawk. An excellent end to an excellent week!

Other species of note on our travels today: Downy Woodpecker, Trumpeter Swan, Collared Dove, Pied-billed Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser and Harbour Seal.

Iona Again!

2011-04-07T23:46:00.004+01:00

Male Brewer's Blackbird

More glorious sunshine today here in beautiful BC and a trip out to Iona Island once again in the hope that the good weather had helped the migration. I wasn't disappointed!

After arriving at Templeton station around 9am I began the 6.7Km walk along Grauer and Furguson Road towards the Iona Island Causeway. Like my last visit a few weeks earlier (See Previous Post) the birding is quite surreal with the busy Vancouver International Airport to the left and the calm tranquility of lagoons, meadow and estuary on the other.

The walk down Furguson Road began quietly with little on offer but by the time I'd reached the entrance to Iona Beach Regional Park I'd recorded Red-necked Grebe, Bewick's Wren, Raven, Northern Shrike, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle a plenty and around ten or so Savannah Sparrow. I checked out the four treatment ponds at the sewage works which had the usual waterfowl, including Northern Pintail and Lesser Scaup, plus a half dozen Killdeer. While I was sorting the many Tree Swallows from the Violet-green in my binoculars I recorded my first Barn Swallow of spring, which flashed through my line of sight. It was also noticeable that a good number of Brewer's Blackbird were around the pools, I probably counted around two dozen before moving on.

When I arrived at the two artificial ponds the place was alive with birdsong! The Red-winged Blackbirds were constantly on the go, Tree Swallows were calling, along with lots of Marsh Wren singing from within the reeds. As I took the track that runs adjacent to the treatment ponds a Garter Snake crossed my path and a Virginia Rail was calling but not located.

American Goldfinch

As I continued my walk a stunning looking Goldfinch in full summer plumage, plus an Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler was seen in the Silver Birch copse. Here I stopped for while to chat with a lovely lady called Cynthia and her husband, who are regular visitors to the reserve. Another Northern Harrier, plus Fox Sparrow on my way towards the parking area and lunch. The pools held Canvasback, Bufflehead, a lone Pied-billed Grebe and Ringed-necked Duck, plus I also watched a very pale looking Canada Goose, almost leucistic, for a short while.

During lunch I chatted with another local birder called Derek, who pointed me in the direction of a Myrtle Warbler he'd seen earlier, he also mentioned seeing two Caspian Tern out near the tidal edge, but I never managed to connect as by now the tide was way out.

After lunch I took the path along the Fraser River where a Wilson's Snipe flew south and then backtracked through the Silver Birch connecting with what may have been Derek's earlier Myrtle Warbler. I stayed for a while just listening to the song, spring was most definitely in the air, and then right on cue my first spring Osprey was overhead, circling for a while before moving off.

Spring Like

2011-04-06T22:06:00.000+01:00

Savannah Sparrow

At last the sun shone over Vancouver and an opportunity once more to go further afield. After meeting up with Rob Catchpole we made the decision to have another go at Boundary Bay, this would be my third visit.

I like this area a lot, the fact that the bay is on the Pacific Flyway makes it an exciting birding destination. The spectacular setting of sand dunes, salt marshes, lagoons and tidal flats, plus it's reputation for hosting Canada's largest population of wintering raptors, makes for some excellent birding.

We began our birding day at the 12th Avenue Dyke Trail and had literally only taken a few steps before a Merlin flew low across our path, a terrific start to the day. Heading south along the trail it wasn't long before it became apparent that there had been a large influx of Savannah Sparrow, I stopped counting after the first two dozen. Most Savannah's migrate and spend the winter from the southern United States as far south as Central America, I find them quite attractive little birds and probably my favourite Sparrow.

Tree Swallow and Violet Green Swallow had also increased in numbers since my last visit and the usual hoards of Bald Eagle were also constantly in view. Unfortunately high tide wasn't until after dark but from a distance we did managed good numbers of Greater Yellowlegs, Dunlin and Sanderling, there were also some small flocks of Brant just visible in the distance.

After a quick chat with a couple of local birders we moved into the interior where several Northern Harrier, including two stunning males, were constantly in sight. Northern Flicker were as vocal as ever and several Marsh Wren were constantly calling from the reeds, a few Golden-crowned Sparrow were also around. As we moved back across to return to the Dyke Trail some excellent views of Peregrine hunting overhead.

Coyote

After lunch we moved off northwards, once again rejoining the Dyke Trail at 17th Avenue, in the hope of Mountain Bluebird which occasionally drop in here on migration. I was delighted to see my first two Butterflies of the spring, unfortunately too far out for species recognition, and we were lucky enough to watch two Coyote for a good while before we eventually moved on. Worth a mention too that at least five Eurasian Wigeon were mingled in with their American cousins near the greenhouse ponds.

By the time we'd reached the 72nd Street car park we'd decided to call it a day, but not before registering Red-Tailed Hawk and watching a Short-eared Owl quartering the tidal flats, looking absolutely stunning in the bright sunshine. We bombed on the Bluebirds but had an excellent birding day out, the good news is that the weather is set fine for my visit to Iona tomorrow.

Reserve 1st?

2011-04-05T23:36:00.000+01:00

Rufous on Red Current (Library Image)

When I arrived at this mornings chosen venue, once again not wanting to go too far afield due the weather, I got the distinct feeling that I'd probably ended up making the wrong decision.

As I arrived at Maplewood Flats on the North Shore of Vancouver the rain had just begun to set in and I had a distinct feeling it was here to stay. As I looked out across the bay to the south it seemed a lot brighter and clearer and I wondered why I hadn't headed off in the direction of Boundary Bay to the south. When in fact I did arrive back in Downtown Vancouver, soaked to the bone once more some two hours later, the sun was indeed shinning. But hey, that's just the way things are here with the climate and you just have to get used to it!

I did in fact have an excellent 90-minutes at Maplewood despite what was now a mixture of rain and snow. As I walked up to the bird feeding station, which is located just after you enter the reserve, and is enclosed in a lovely wild garden, I was instantly staring point blank at a Rufous Hummingbird, which was hovering and taking in the newly flowering Red Currant blossom. I still can't get used to seeing these stunning little guys in this current cold, rainy, unfriendly environment.

The Rufous is an amazing bird, they winter in Mexico and south Texas. In the spring, they migrate up the Pacific Coast, passing through British Columbia and reaching as far north as south-central Alaska, and they are thus the northernmost breeding Hummingbird. They arrive in BC around late March and early April, their arrival typically coincides with the bloom of Red Currant and Salmonberry.

Beaver (Library Image)

My next surprise came about while crossing the Old Barge Channel Bridge when I noticed a large mammal swimming across to the bank. At first I thought River Otter as I'd seen one on my previous visit. However, as soon as the animal reached the bank it was unmistakably a Beaver, Canada's largest rodent and instantly recognised by it's broad scaly tail. Not only a surprise to see one during the day, as these rodents are primarily nocturnal, but when I reported it to Patricia in the reserve office, she believes it may in fact be the first sighting on this site, we shall see.

Other highlights of the visit before I aborted were 3 Black Oystercatcher and 2 Greater Yellowlegs on the mudflats, plus Purple Finch, House Finch, American Goldfinch and a pair of Hooded Merganser.

Birthday Soaking

2011-04-04T12:59:00.008+01:00

Other Brave Souls!

After making the bold statement in my previous post regarding my new species objective of 130 for this current trip, today couldn't have got off to a worst start!

The weather here at present is the worst I've experienced during my stay with a chilly 4C, accompanied by heavy persistent rain and low cloud with yet another Pacific low waiting in the wings. In fact it's typical Vancouver weather for this time of year, and of course the consequence is that any migration will have once again stalled.

That said, I donned my waterproofs and went in search locally in the hope of catching anything that may have bravely come through overnight, Terns, Bonaparte's Gull which occasionally pass through, or even Osprey! I felt the seawall was the best option, travelling further afield in these conditions was a no brainer.

I must say that after my ninety minute walk I'd decided that I may well be becoming a little complacent and need to shake the trend. Although I'd recorded nothing new, I had a pretty good tally which included of note: Lesser Scaup, Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Harlequin Duck, Common Merganser, Red-necked Grebe, American Wigeon, Surf Scoter, Barrow's Goldeneye, Wood Duck, Pelagic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pigeon Guillemot, Glaucous-winged Gull, Mew Gull, Bald Eagle and even two Harbour Seals, quite a haul by a Brit birders standard!

A final walk around the Lost Lagoon, which yielded nothing more, before heading up to the apartment for lunch, thoroughly soaked but a happy birthday boy! Who knows what goodies the present fairy may bring tonight!

Hit The Wall

2011-04-02T20:16:00.007+01:00

Stellers Jay (Through my Window!)

There comes a time in every birders life when you simply hit the wall and no matter how hard you try you simply can't add any more species to the list. I'm not a profound list maker by nature, but I always enjoy a challenge when birding abroad. This particular trip for example I was quietly confident of recording 110 species, having passed that total with flying colours, I've now set my stall out to reach a difficult 130 by the time I depart, which will be sometime in the next 10 days.

I've now been here in Vancouver for just over 3 weeks, have visited all the known birding hotspots, some twice, and have recorded 121 species thus far. Having reviewed my current list it seems that from this point forward I'm relying almost totally on spring migration to boost the numbers, a task in itself made even more difficult by the coming weeks weather, rain, rain and even more rain!

Unlike the UK where it seems migration is in full swing, here in British Columbia things have slightly stalled. Cold, blustery north winds have kept many expected species away from the region and even very early species are here in small numbers. When visiting Maplewood Flats for a second time on Friday April 1st the talk was of last years earliest ever arrival of Osprey on this date.

No signs of any Osprey's yet having trawled the forums, and it now looks certain that Terns and Shorebirds are likely to begin arriving shortly after my departure. However, a few species which do seem to be passing through include Mountain Bluebird and Townsend Warbler, so it seems that for the next week I have my work cut out, I always did enjoy a challenge!

As a sub note: Despite visiting so many habitats over the past three weeks one bird which has surprisingly eluded me has been Steller's Jay (pictured above). That is until today, when a commotion on the apartment balcony which I went to investigate, was being caused by two Steller's in full battle with two American Robin's, great fun to watch, the Robins Won!!

Serpentine fen

2011-03-31T23:04:00.003+01:00

Yellow-rumped Warbler

The Serpentine Fen Bird Sanctuary and Wildlife Area is Located in south-west Surrey near Mud Bay, the sanctuary offers a refuge for thousands of migrating birds during Spring and Autumn as well as a home for many year-round residents. The habitat has over 4 kilometers of trails passing through meadow, marshland, waterways and fen.

Rob and I arrived to a glorious sunny day which started off well with what seemed like an influx of Yellow-rumped Warblers, at least twelve were recorded on the path leading up to the fen. A Bewick's Wren was singing from the telephone wires and I recorded my first Brown-headed Cowbird of this visit on the same wires, bringing my species total up to 119. My 120th species was recorded when a quick look into a nearby hay-barn produced a roosting Barn Owl!

We spent a pleasant 90-minutes touring the rest of the reserve recording of note: Northern Harrier, Belted Kingfisher, House Finch, Bald Eagle, Coopers Hawk, Tree Swallow and Marsh Wren. As we made our way along the Serpentine River path a very pristine looking Peregrine was perched atop a power pylon, unfortunately too high for any good photographs but a magnificent sight in the sunshine.

Brown-headed Cowbird

After a good start to our day things deteriorated somewhat when we made our way across to Crescent Beach and Blackie Spit. The last time we visited around 10 days ago it was a gloomy and rainy day with very few people around. With the glorious sunshine and balmy 17C, today was entirely a different matter!

As a visitor to Canada, a place I love, it's very difficult for me to criticise what I can only describe as a mindless minority, but I feel that I must make comment on my observations today. I would also say that having walked the seawall of English Bay on numerous occasions the same observations would apply.

I refer to Dog-on-Leash rules which seem to be blatantly disregarded by a lot of dog owners, despite the prominence of many signs in the area both at English Bay Beaches and Blackie Spit. As a former dog owner myself I watched in despair today at Blackie Spit, a sight which boasts 'A Haven For Migrating and Wintering Birds', while irresponsible dog owners simply let their dogs run free, even though there is a designated Dog-off-Leash Area!

The Spit itself has some excellent habitat and it was probably no coincidence that Rob and I recorded very little in the area today. We even witnessed two couples, one who walked directly through a track which had a clear sign stating 'Path Closed to Improve Habitat', and another who walked off one of the perimeter routes and over a fence to the waters edge, flushing several Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer, and a number of waterfowl, a HAVEN it is not! As my birding buddy Rob stated "There's simply nobody around to police it", apparently there are only twelve animal control officers in Vancouver to watch over the estimated 100,000 dogs in the city, a great shame and unfortunately with so few officers the onus must be on the owners!

Anyway, my cup is always half full and we did manage to record a number of species in the area, mainly far out in the bay which included: Horned Grebe, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Loon, Greater Scaup, and a trio of Mergansers, Common, Red-breasted and Hooded, a nice end to a frustrating day!

First Warbler!

2011-03-30T23:13:00.004+01:00

Hummingbird Feeder (Library Picture)

I met up with Rob at Queen Elizabeth Park at around midday for some local birding, due to the early morning downpour we decided not venture too far. Queen Elizabeth Park is the second most visited park in Vancouver and holds within its perimeters some of the most beautiful public gardens anywhere, it also has an extensive outdoor arboretum and indoor Bloedel Floral Conservatory.

To be honest the conditions weren't the best for birding, and although the park made a pleasant enough stroll in the rain, we contented ourselves over lunch by watching Anna's Hummingbirds on the Hummingbird feeders located near the park office.

After lunch we moved across to Stanley Park for a look at Beaver Lake and Lost Lagoon. By the time we arrived the rain had finally subsided. The weather here in Vancouver can change in a very short time and the afternoon turned out to be quite a pleasant one in the end.

Once again the birding was slow by comparison to previous days, but we did manage to connect with Rob's first Hutton's Vireo of the spring, and finally our first migrant warbler! One of the first spring warblers to arrive here is usually the Yellow-rumped and true to form we located two, looking quite bedraggled, on the perimeter of Beaver Lake. Also of note: Various numbers of Ruby and Golden Crowned Kinglets, very vocal Red-winged Blackbirds, Bald Eagle, Spotted Towhee, Northern Flicker, Fox Sparrow and a lone Ringed-necked Duck.

A quick look around the lost Lagoon before calling it a day had the usual good numbers of Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, American Wigeon and Common Goldeneye, plus today I recorded my first Pied-billed Grebe on the lake for this visit.

Maplewood Flats

2011-03-30T05:26:00.001+01:00

Male Purple Finch (Library Image)

Maplewood Flats Conservation Area is a birding hotspot located in North Vancouver, BC just east of the Second Narrows Bridge. With over 311 acres of land including tidal marsh, forest, shoreline, mudflat and meadow habitats, the Park encompasses over three kilometres of trails.

A later than normal start today Rob and I arrived at Maplewood at around 11am, continuing our ongoing search for spring migrants. Although we had heavy rain overnight the rain had cleared by the time we arrived producing an overcast but mild day. A quick visit to the office to familiarise ourselves with the reserve, and get the latest news, it wasn't long before we were off to investigate, especially as one of the species showing well was a Northern Goshawk.

As we made our way to the reported Goshawk location a Hummingbird whizzed past Rob's head, but recognition was impossible due to it's speed, possibly Rufous. Northern Flicker were plentiful, and vocal, with at least a half dozen causing havoc, they always remind me of our own Green Woodpeckers back in the UK!

Shortly after crossing the Old Barge Channel bridge it wasn't long before we had immature Goshawk perched up in the canopy of a tall Alder, several Crows not too happy about it's presence. A great tick for this visit and only my second sighting for Canada. You can see pictures of the bird on Les Lee's site: Here

As we made our way towards the salt marsh and our first look across Burrard Inlet, we'd pick up Downy Woodpecker and the usual Red-winged Blackbird, Spotted Towhee , Song Sparrow, Chickadees, Varied Thrush, Red-tailed Hawk, and both Ruby and Golden Crowned Kinglet. As we stood looking across the salt marsh we met one of the local birders, Les Lee and his mate Rob. I'd spoken to Les only online and he'd been extremely helpful regarding my many questions about BC birding, it was an amazing coincidence to actually meet up and I enjoyed our chat.

Ringed-necked Duck (Library Picture)

The West Pond had a male Ringed-necked Duck and Rob discovered an American Robin sitting on her nest. We had lunch overlooking the mudflats and this area had plenty of activity which included various numbers of: Northern Pintail, Greater Yellowlegs, Common Merganser, Pelagic Cormorant, Wigeon, Scaup, Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye. On the several pylons which reach out from the water two Bald Eagles were keeping vigil, but the surprise of the day was when the ducks scattered and an Otter suddenly appeared! We enjoyed watching the Otter antics for around 10 minutes before moving on, a most enjoyable lunch break.

Three Purple Finch on the way back across to the salt marsh for a final half hour stint which produced of note: Barrow's Goldeneye, 3 Black Scoter, around 40 or so Surf Scoter and a single Pigeon Guillemot. Before leaving we spent a while at the bird feeding station talking to another local birder called Quentin and managed Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch and House Finch. A very enjoyable day but due to the dull conditions no photography was possible!

First Migrants!

2011-03-28T22:07:00.002+01:00

Savannah Sparrow

After a weekend off from birding it was out and about again with my BC birding buddy Rob Catchpole. Another look at Boundary Bay Regional Park and the surrounding area and at last a couple of migrants to report.

We arrived at around 9.45am and although the weather was pleasant enough a rather nippy southeasterly breeze kept the temperature down. The bay produced good numbers of Green-winged Teal, amongst them a lone Eurasian, and as the tide edged slowly in around a dozen Greater Yellowlegs were feeding along the edges, a single Killdeer was also seen.

As we continued along the sea front a small number of Brant were the best we could muster, the opportunity of spotting anything further out not helped by the choppy conditions. As we arrived at the southern end of the bay around 200 Sanderling came in to feed, and after sitting watching these amazing little birds scurrying around for a short while, we decided to move into the interior of the park.

Two female Northern Harrier and a stunning male were quickly followed by our first spring migrant of the day as a Western Meadowlark made off to the east, this quickly followed by Savannah Sparrow, which was seen singing within the birch. A reasonably quite morning, apart from our new migrants, with various numbers of Tree Swallow, Song Sparrow, Marsh Wren and Bald Eagle also recorded.

Great Horned Owl (Library Image)

After lunch we decided to head north through the residential area and back along the bay towards Beach Grove, and finally ended up venturing into Beach Grove Park. Here we picked up Pine Siskin feeding on the Alder seeds, Band-tailed Pigeon, Brown Creeper and we were a little surprised to come across 2 Eurasian Collared Dove, a species I believe which has been introduced to North America in recent years.

The best of the day was saved until last, when thanks to some local information, we were able to connect with a superb Great Horned Owl, which we found roosting high up in a tall Fir tree. Not a prolific days birding by recent comparison, more quality than quantity, but four more additions to my current visit list is very welcome.

Hutton's Vireo

2011-03-25T23:47:00.002Z

Hutton's Vireo, Another 1st For Me!

The weather here in Vancouver over the past few days has been very spring-like, with a light breeze and lots of sunshine, I've certainly taken full advantage. Yesterday Thursday, I took another look at Stanley Park, starting my walk once more at the Lost Lagoon and tracking back via the seawall overlooking English Bay.

Having spoken to a few local birders, amazingly a rare breed themselves, and checked various local birding websites, my target bird for the day was Hutton's Vireo, which had been reported as arriving in the Park. It closely resembles a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but having researched the bird, and in particular it's song, I was confident of being able to ID this little chap.

Douglas Squirrel

My first bird of the day turned out to be Merlin, as one whizzed over the appartment block as I walked down to the lagoon. The Lagoon itself had the usual waterfowl with good numbers of Scaup, several Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, and today a pair of Ring-necked Duck.

The track around gave me my first opportunity to test my Vireo skills but no joy, both birds in question being very frisky Ruby-crowned Kinglet, the male displaying and giving stunning views of the vivid ruby red crown. By the time I disappeared into the park I'd spent several enjoyable minutes watching a Pileated Woodpecker absolutely destroy part of a tree, much to the annoyance of a Douglas Squirrel.

A good walk around Beaver Lake in the parks interior, which was very quiet by recent comparisons, but I still managed Spotted Towhee, Song and Fox Sparrow plus Bushtit and Red-winged Blackbird. When I did finally stumble on my main target for the day I needn't have worried about the ID, the bird was singing with gusto, popping out nicely into the open and thus delivering my first spring migrant, and indeed my first ever Hutton's Vireo!

The walk back to the appartment along the seawall was equally as quiet, smaller numbers of Barrow's Goldeneye and Surf Scoter, the majority of wintering birds now having moved off northwards. A lone Black Oystercatcher, a pair of Harlequin Duck and Hooded Merganser being the highlights.

Life's Such a Stress!

Friday, and my goodness how quickly the first two weeks have passed. Having trekked for absolutely miles around the Vancouver District over past 14 days, I actually took the day off from birding, well apart from Gull watching for a little while down on the harbour.

Surprisingly enough Vancouver Harbour is not as prolific as you might think for Gulls. The majority that are here are mostly Glaucous -winged, but having spent 90 minutes I did manage to pick out Thayers, Mew and Californian.

This weekend is an intense one and I have to put my corporate business head on, so sadly birding will have to take a back seat. Fortunately, next week I have more days out to look forward to with my birding buddy Rob Catchpole, and so here's hoping that more spring migrants appear over the coming days.

10 Mile Hike

2011-03-23T22:35:00.000Z

Vancouver International Airport

Out with Rob Catchpole once more and the plan for today was to take the Skytrain from Downtown Vancouver to Templeton Station, and then walk the five miles out to Iona Island.

Iona, is home to a primary sewage treatment plant, an animal refuge and a park. In fact it's actually no longer an Island, but is now a peninsula physically connected via a causeway to what is now known as Sea Island. Sea Island itself is in the estuary of the Fraser River and is actually the home to Vancouver International Airport. I hope that's all as clear as mud!

We arrived to clear blue skies, very little wind, and a pleasant temperature of around 12C, perfect conditions for a 10 mile hike. This was birding with a difference! The hustle bustle of an international airport on one side, and the tranquility of lagoons, meadows and estuary on the other.

Northern Shrike, 1st Bird Of The Day!

Within minutes of beginning our birding day our first species of note was a Northern Shrike, which we located perched on a nearby Birch. As we continued along our chosen route a farmers field yielded at least 24 Killdeer, which were happily feeding in the bright sunshine, a terrific start.

As per normal it wasn't long before our first Bald Eagle's were noted, by the day's end we had probably encountered around 50 of these iconic birds. Northern Harrier were also affluent with about 12 birds recorded. The surrounding brash had Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Spotted Towhee, Song and Fox Sparrow plus good numbers of Red-Winged Blackbird.

Arriving at the estuary large numbers of Green-Winged Teal, Pintail, Greater and Lesser Scaup were seen, plus huge numbers of wintering Dunlin were constantly in flight. We continued to the sewage works, which is a well known migration hot-spot and boasts four treatment ponds. The ponds unfortunately were in flood, much to Rob's annoyance, and so despite good numbers of wildfowl no shorebirds other than several Killdeer were seen.

Rough Legged Hawk

The Beach Regional Park, our final destination before heading back, hosts two artifical ponds, constructed with the aim of restoring marsh vegetation and providing wildlife habitat, and they are a significant stopover for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl.

Here we spent a few hours locating of note: Rob's first American Bittern of the year, my first Pied-Billed Grebe of this visit, plus Tree Swallow, Canvasback, Common Goldeneye, lots more Scaup, American Wigeon, Snipe, Red-Breasted, Common and Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead and a Garter Snake, which I almost stepped on!

The long walk back gave up superb views of Rough-Legged Hawk (pictured), other Hawks of the day were Coopers and Red-Tailed. Two more Northern Shrike were also seen. The only downer on yet another superb days birding was the lack of migrants, which seem to be only arriving in small numbers within the province, and completely evading Rob and I at the moment!

Raptor Day!

2011-03-22T21:05:00.009Z

Pigeon Guillemot My 1st For Canada!

With the amount of ground covered over the past 10 days, and a long day arranged for tomorrow at Iona Island, we decided to stay a little closer to home, and so only ventured across the bay to West Vancouver and Lighthouse Park, about a 40 minute bus ride.

The park marks the point where Burrard Inlet meets Howe Sound and can be a good lookout for deep water birds. The rock type you see here is old, primarily granitic and varying in age from 96 to 187 million years. Most is blanketed by forest, including huge Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock and Western Red Cedar Trees.

Having eventually reached the lighthouse we were a little disappointed that the access wasn't open to the general public, and so the view out across the bay was somewhat obscured. Mind you we spent a good 15 minutes scanning the surrounding areas and were rewarded with Winter Wren, Anna's Humminbird, Varied Thrush, Spotted Towhee and Golden-crowned Kinglet.

Eventually we did emerge at an excellent lookout area and spent a good 30 minutes sea watching, once again in the rain. A number of Bald Eagles and Ravens were observed, and during our scans of the deep water we managed Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, White-winged Scoter, Pelagic Cormorant and yet another first for me for Canada, Pigeon Guillemot (pictured Above).

This species is very similar in appearance to the Black Guillemot but show dark wing linings in flight. In winter, the upper parts are mottled grey and black and the underparts are white, quite an attractive bird in flight. Harbour Seals were also observed during our stay but disappointingly no further birds of note were recorded, perhaps a little too early for arriving Terns and most Warblers, which are probably being held up by some late winter storms further along the coast.

Band-tailed Pigeon

The 30 minute wait for the bus back into Downtown Vancouver provided the best birding of the day. With the constant rain subsiding into showers, the sun finally emerged and seemed to act as a catalyst for what I can only describe as a 'Raptorfest'. Firstly, several Bald Eagle flew northwest, these closely followed by 5 Red Tailed Hawk, Coopers Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Robs first in the Vancouver area, and finally Sharp-shinned Hawk, which Rob located perched high in a Douglas Fir, before the bird took off also flying northwest. Migration in action!

The final bird of note was the above Band-tailed Pigeon, which Rob tells me are common in this neck of the woods, a nice end to the birding day.

100 Up!

2011-03-21T23:41:00.000Z

Red Throated Loon (Library Picture)

The first day of spring and the rain returned to Vancouver overnight after a very spring like weekend.

Notwithstanding, I met Rob at Bridgeport Station, around 20 minutes out of Vancouver, for another days birding near the Canadian U.S. border, a further 40 minutes by bus. This time the plan was to try Crescent Beach and Blackie Spit in the hope of more spring arrivals.

Blackie Spit is renowned as one of the best bird watching areas in Canada with almost 200 species of birds recorded in a calendar year. The park is managed as a wildlife conservation area and habitat enhancement activities are ongoing throughout the park.

The sand bars are a favourite resting place for Harbour Seals and their pups. The sandy spit, surrounded by tidal marsh and eelgrass beds, is an important stop for migrating and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds, as they make their way up and down the coastline of North and South America.

Before trying Blackie Spit we spent a good 90 minutes at White Rock Pier surveying the surrounding shore, and although raining constantly we managed good numbers of Common Loon, White Winged Scoter, 8 Long Tailed Duck, 15 Red Necked Grebe, and 11 Horned (Slavonian) Grebe, the latter another addition to my current visitors list.

Marbled Godwit (Library Image)

When we arrived at Blackie Spit the rain was falling heavier than ever and visibility wasn't too good for birding, but we continued on and were happy with the results. Despite the tide not working in our favour, it was ebbing when we arrived, we managed several notable species. Common Loon were in excellent numbers and amongst the many we were able to pick out Red-throated, another addition to my numbers. Rob had his first Belted Kingfisher of the year and I recorded my first ever Marbled Godwit for Canada, which was wading quite close in, accompanied by a lone Greater Yellowlegs.

A walk around the surrounding scrub areas provided us with an excellent view of Anna'a Hummingbird, which was looking quite forlorn perched in the pouring rain, and my 100th species for this visit as a group of American Goldfinch were seen feeding in the Alder. An excellent days birding despite the weather, and we eventually cut short our day due to the deteriorating conditions, and with little chance of any photography I've used library images for the day.

Dee's Weekend!

2011-03-20T23:17:00.000Z

Dee's 'American Bittern'

With the wife having to work the whole week while I've been out birding every day, this weekend was entirely devoted to Dee, and with a hire car at our disposal we had the perfect opportunity to go a little further afield.

Dee chose The Reifel Bird Sanctuary for our Saturday trip, somewhere I'd visited earlier in the week, and Squamish for Sunday. I must say she couldn't have picked a more perfect weekend weather wise!

I was delighted that Dee had chosen the Reifel Sanctuary, firstly because I was desperate for her to see Northern Saw-whet Owl, Owls being her favourite birds, and secondly, because it's such an amazing place to visit. I can report that she certainly wasn't disappointed, personally finding not one but two Owls, and coming up trumps yet again by finding my first American Bittern of this visit, which posed for her beautifully while she happily snapped away. I was really pleased that we'd managed to see all of the species I'd recorded here last Wednesday, and was even more grateful when I recorded a second addition of the day to my current list in the form of Violet-Green Swallow.

Today, Sunday, was a gorgeous day with the temperature up to a very balmy 15C. We took the hour long drive northwards up to Squamish, a place we'd stayed and enjoyed last September when completing the final stages of our RV tour from Calgary to Vancouver.

Rufous Hummingbird (Library Image)

The first surprise of the day was when we were enjoying a coffee in Starbucks, our second favourite pastime, when to my astonishment a small orange flighty shape sped past the window, a Rufous Hummingbird no less! The Rufous was high on my hit list for this visit to Canada but I never expected to connect in such a manner, but who's complaining!

We took the drive across to the estuary which, although the sun was shining, was extremely blustery with a biting wind coming off the mountains. Consequently the birding was poor by comparison to recent days, but we still managed, Bald Eagle, American Wigeon, Barrow's and Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser and Bufflehead. However the second surprise of the day was during the drive back along the causeway, when suddenly to our surprise what I first thought to be a Canadian Lynx walked out in front of us.

Our First Bobcat!

Although the whole thing happened so quickly, Dee managed to fire off a few camera shots, a cropped version of one is displayed here. Having investigated our sighting I'm now certain that what we have is a Bobcat! With a grey to brown coat, whiskered face, and black-tufted ears, the Bobcat resembles the other species of the mid-sized Lynx genus.

The Bobcat is smaller than the Canadian Lynx, with which it shares parts of its range, but is about twice as large as the domestic cat. It has distinctive black bars on its forelegs, which you can clearly see in Dee's shot, and a black-tipped, stubby tail, also visible, from which it derives its name. Still another welcome addition to our Canadian Species list and a wonderful animal to see out of the blue.