Two into One

Red-necked Phalarope (c) 2009 Vince Cowell

Bearded Tits
Bearded Tit

Ruff (c) 2009 Maurice Gordon

Willow Tit

Cormorant

Broadband didn’t seem to be working yesterday, so yesterday's & today’s sightings are amalgamated under the same entry. For once, we were at the same location for 2 consecutive days. Both Thurs sessions started well with the beardies showing clearly for all participants. The Red-necked Phalarope also performed for both sessions. Only the Bittern let things down with no showing after the reeds it had been using to conceal itself had been cut down. Other birds seen included a couple of Willow Tits, Redwings, Curlew, and Redshank. We were upstairs in one hide while a photographer downstairs snapped what he thought was a Wren, but it turned out to be a Cetti’s Warbler! Friday was almost completely different. The weather was better but the Bearded Tits weren’t seen between 8.45 am & 1.30pm. The Red-Necked Phalarope was seen by most, but not all participants, and we missed the Bittern by 10 minutes! Golden Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits and a very confiding Ruff were new birds added to the mix. It does look as the winter progresses that the Bearded Tits are becoming less reliable bankers!

Fungus Galore - & Bittern

Bittern (c) 2009 Tony Robinson

Bittern (c) 2009 Tony Robinson - having a shake!
Bittern (c) 2009 Tony Robinson
Bittern (c) 2009 Michael Flowers - out again in very poor light
Bittern (c) 2009 Michael Flowers - now it's raining
Jay

ditto

ditto

Redwing

ditto

Goldfinch (c) 2009 Aileen Urquhart

Earthstar Sp.

Earthstar Sp.

Russula sp.

Russula Sp.

Puffball sp. (c) 2009 Aileen Urquhart Russula sp. (c) 2009 Aileen Urquhart

Milk cap family? (c) 2009 Aileen Urquhart

Glistening Ink Cap (c) Aileen Urquhart

Common Ink Cap (c) 2009 Aileen Urquhart

Common Earth-ball

Deceiver?

Fly Agaric

Candlesnuff Fungus or Stagshorns

Hoof Fungus

Les Ellis or Dave Stevenson?

Birch Polypore

This afternoon was the first time we had to leave a Bittern - it had been showing for well over half-an-hour. The rain had set in, and the light was going, so we had to set off back to the visitor centre. There was also a second bird at the back of Piper Marsh. That was the bird highlight of the afternoon, but the fungi on the way were extraordinary, both in the number of species and the quantity of each. This is the first time we'd come across Earthstars. It was another blustery day with most of the best small birds seen in the morning. The Redpolls were elusive this time, but there was a single Siskin. Mother drain was very cloudy, which may be why the Kingfisher is no longer present.

Wind Avoidance Again

Bullfinch (c) 2009 Maurice Gordon

All remaining photos on this post (c) 2009 Howie Speight

Goldcrest Blackbird

Sulphur Tuft?
Pale Form of Turkeytails?
King Alfred's Cakes

Snakeskin Maple?

Ash Keys - the staple winter diet of the Bullfinch

The forecast for yesterday was horrendous again, so we tried the underground location, and had no trouble with the wind. It wasn't as wet as forecast, and the wind certainly didn't seem as if it was gale force! We were rewarded with very close views of Treecreepers and Goldcrests. Mistle & Song Thrushes were additional birds since last week. We also had good views of the Bullfinches, but they were definitely easier to see in the morning. There was no sign of either the Common or Shaggy Ink caps - so, they'd either shrivelled away, or someone had picked them! Only a few weeks left of this term, and no sign that the weather will improve!

Not So Old Rope

All Red-necked Phalarope shots (c) 2009 Vince Cowell

Red-necked Phalarope
ditto
ditto
A more typical pose

Bearded Tit shots (c) 2009 Michael Flowers

Looks great from a distance - but eyes a bit creepy close-up!

The reason it needs the grit

Although my cold hasn't completely gone, I risked the inclement weather to try & photograph the Red-Necked Phalarope now the vast crowds have dispersed. It wasn't there when I arrived at about 9am, but Lawts had seen it fairly close, so while he went to look for the Beardies I stayed with a couple of East Yorkshire-ites to wait for high tide. It reappeared about 15 minutes later, as it could be glimpsed in a patch of threadbare reeds, busily pecking at the exposed mud. It played cat and mouse with us for some time, but as the tide continued to come in, it came down to the channel opposite & spent a good five minutes preening. When it finished cleaning itself, it was very busy & hardly stopped for a second in the awkward lighting conditions. The wind was still pretty ferocious after last night's gales, so once it had again retreated behind the reeds, I'd spent over an hour there in an unpleasant wind, so decided to retreat back to the Beardies. I took my place at the boardwalk/gravel path junction whilst a white-haired chap was ready on the boardwalk. I had been there less than 10 minutes when I spotted 2 birds in the reedbed on the left, so signalled the other chap, and he'd just set up his camera when first the female then a male bird came out. The male was showing really well, when a burke in a high-visibility top (and bins!) bustled right past them, frightening them away & asked if they were about!!! He stayed less than 2 minutes before bustling back. The last I saw of one was a male as it flew south over the boardwalk a few minutes later. Lawts & pal came in for a few minutes, but decided to go back for the Phalarope. Dave Mansell arrived and gave some very valuable insights into the birdlife of the Scarborough area. We waited approximately another hour, but the birds didn't return. I sloped off back home, while Dave went to try for the Phalarope, and possibly the Beardies later in the day. I hope he got some good shots. My very grateful thanks to Vince Cowell for allowing me to share his Phalarope pics from yesterday - when the bird seems to have been incredibly confiding - enjoy!

Bird Impressions

Puffin (c) 2009 Phil Hargreaves

Red Kite (c) 2009 Phil Hargreaves

A blog entry with a bit of a difference. Phil Hargreaves, one of the course participants, works on some of his photos with a painting knife to create impressionistic oil paintings of his favourite birds. Above are examples of a Puffin & a Red Kite. The originals of these are 16" by 12", but he also did an Osprey, which measures 24" by 20". If you are interested in these, or would like to commission an original work of art you can contact Phil by email on Hengate@aol.com or by phone on 01964 532746.

Bonny Donny

Bittern

Frightening a Coot - shame there aren't more flying Bitterns!
Jay
Lesser Redpoll

Lesser Redpoll

Magpie

Old Man's Beard

Wigeon

Fly Agaric

A Posh Relative of Turkeytails?

One for David & Brenda!

Although still full of cold, and feeling like anything but going outside, today's sessions went ahead as planned. The Jays and rats were amazing at Willow Pool though we just missed a Water Rail (am) & a Bittern (pm) when apparently it came out of the small reedbed in front of the hide & then walked all the way along the bank in full view for several minutes! We did see Willow and Coal Tits here. There was plenty to see in the morning, but the highlight was the Bittern, which came out of a reedbed & posed for 5 minutes. The afternoon was a lot quieter, but was saved by the 12 or so Lesser Redpolls and a single Siskin in the old car park. This was the best venue we've visited for fungi this autumn. Although the Kingfisher refused to appear for the first time in living memory, no one went home diasppointed. The long drive was well worth it

Going Underground

Bullfinch

Bullfinch
Treecreeper
Coal Tit

Record shot of a Goldcrest

Cream-spot Ladybird

Common Ink Cap

Shaggy Ink Caps - delicious, according to 2 of today's participants

Fairy Caps

Bracket Fungus

Sculptural Sycamore roots

What to do when confronted with allegedly gale force winds? - we did the equivalent of going underground. At least here we could find some passerine birds as the strong winds blew over the top of us. Gwyneth had the best view of a Treecreeper she'd ever seen. We saw several Bullfinches around the reserve in the morning, but had a fairly long wait at the feeding station. In the afternoon the Bullfinches couldn't be found in the reserve, but seconds after putting some seed on the table a Bullfinch flew into the Hawthorn bush just above me. These were the best views anyone had previously enjoyed of this species. Liz (pm) found a cracking (blue-headed) male Kestrel in habitat usually thought more suitable for Sparrowhawks. The Goldcrests were more confiding in the afternoon, and both sessions had great views of families of Long-tailed Tits. The Kingfisher we saw last time we visited was absent, probably because there was some conservation work going on around the pool. There was quite a lot of different species of fungi to be seen, and that's despite the lack of available mature trees. Hope the weather improves soon!

Left Out to Dry - I wish!

All pics for today's post (c) 2009 Aileen Urquhart

Little Grebe Great Crested Grebe

Shoveler

Shoveler - standard view

The forecast for today was pretty foul, so we had to abandon our trip to look for possible Rough-legged Buzzards & went to our standby bad weather location. However, the weather was even fouler than expected, although luckily the wind had dropped. On the way here in a small pond near the village church, Anthony identified a Goosander. In the circumstances the class were given the option of driving to the first hide, which the majority accepted! We were able to watch a Little Grebe swimming underwater & catch a fairly large fish, and a Great Crested also swam close by. We had 4 different sightings of Green Woodpeckers, which probably means there were at least 2 birds, but that's as accurate as we can be. A female Bullfinch flew along Dryham Lane, whilst a pair were round the back of the reserve in the afternoon, when the rain had abated & we were able to do a full circuit of the reserve. The morning session drove back to the main parking area & walked in the rain to the largest hide. The best bird here was a Ruff, hiding among Redshank, but we also saw plenty of Snipe & the usual duck species. The Ruff stayed long enough for everyone to note it's salient plumage detail, before it flew off with some Redshank. Again, there were some Barnacle Geese, and hybrids among the Greylags feeding on an unharvested potato crop. There was a riot of Honey Fungus along the main track to East hide. The weather was drier in the afternoon, but it became quite dark, so it wasn't always easy to pick out ID features - again there were plenty of Snipe hiding away, but also small flocks circling the reserve from time-to-time. A small flash of water has appeared on the potato field, which may be worth checking (if it remains) for interesting waders. Hope this crummy weather improves soon.