Happy New Year

It's been a long time since a blogpost, but I've been busy trying to contract diabetes over the past 6 weeks, so had nothing to post about.

Today was the first class of 2013. We started at a large local park. The first surprise arrived in the initial 5 minutes when I heard a Jay. On investigation it appeared that a pair had been present since November, and had even been since recently nest-building, but we don't see to for ourselves. One class member was quick enough to spot a scruffy urban fox, but the rest of us weren't so lucky. There were Long-tailed & Blue Tits near the car park. We then had a long walk punctuated only by Starlings & House Sparrows. For beginners the differences between Common & Black-headed were pointed, and later juvenile and adult Herring Gulls were added to the mix.

All pics (c) 2013 Chris Cox

Goosander (Drake)

 Goosander (female)

 Ditto

 Ditto

 Pochard (drake)

 Tufted Duck (female)

On the water Mallard including many 'mongrels' were differentiated, and in the afternoon we discovered 2 apparent Pintail hybrids. More straightforwardly the lake had Tufted Ducks, Pochard, Greylag & Canada Geese, an immature Cormorant and in the afternoon a very brief glimpse was obtained of a Great Crested Grebe. However, the true stars of the water were approximately 30 Goosanders spread throughout the park. Occasionally, these gave very good views, but the light wasn't brilliant for taking photographs. 



The Kingfisher, Heron and Little Grebe didn't survive the previous 3 winters, and don't appear to have returned, and there wasn't even any sign of last years parakeets.



On the return journey the morning highlight was provided by a pair of Goldcrests, whilst in the afternoon we couldn't relocate them, but we did find a pair of Siskins instead. Here's hoping for better light next time.



In the morning every participant wished everyone else a Happy New Year, but in the afternoon as far as I could tell no one bothered.  Is that another difference between mornings and afternoons?

Slim Pickings

On Thursday we returned to a venue we hadn't visited for 2 years, as they were insulting to us last time & demanded a months' notice before our next visit. Since our last visit someone seems to have physically removed all the birds. It could be the time of year, but there were very few birds of interest.

From the 1st hide we were told we had just missed a Bittern, but there were plenty of Coots and a very distant Little Grebe. A Gadwall flew in, but there wasn't much else to see until a pair of Great Crested Grebes made their stately way from the back of a reedbed and swam directly under the hide.

Great Crested Grebes (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Great Crested Grebe (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Great Crested Grebes

 House Sparrow (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

We left the hide and walked along the green tunnel, but this was also devoid of birds. We eventually heard some tits but even these remained out of sight. We bumped into a volunteer cutting back greenery, and he informed us that this path would be closed next week due to heavy machinery moving in to create a new scrape & install a new hide. As he was talking some migrating Pink-footed Geese could be heard, but they were hidden by the thick hedgerow. We climbed up the river bank and immediately located a pair of Redshank feeding on the mud. A closer inspection led us to find 4 Black-tailed Godwit probing the hinterland between river and mud. They are a lot larger an Redshank, but they had lost their breeding colours so blended into the background much better.

Black-tailed Godwit

 Black-tailed Godwit & Redshank (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Sparrowhawk (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 We carried on to the next hide. Again it was very quiet from here, but Richard spotted a Sparrowhawk flying low over the water before it landed in a tree opposite to us. It stayed in the area for 20 minutes from where we were able to see its bright pinkish undersides. While we were observing the male Sparrowhawk another tiny raptor raptor swept over the area. On closer inspection it turned out to be a juvenile Hobby. Unfortunately, only a brief glimpse was permitted before it flew over the receded & then over the hedgerow which obscured it from our sight.

A walk round the perimeter of the site brought the contact calls of Willow Warblers to our ears, but the most constant sounds were the melancholy songs of several Robins. At the final hide there was very little to see beyond a Migrant Hawker, some concealed Moorhens and some fighting Coots. 

There were even fewer birds to see in the afternoon, but we did see one of our earliest juvenile Goldeneyes ever, and a soaring Buzzard over the Lincolnshire Wolds. I'll have to see if this venue improves during the next few weeks, as otherwise it may be worth dropping this venue completely from the itinerary. 

Common Blue Damselfly

 Record shot of Cormorant (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Record shot of Juvenile Goldeneye

 Ruddy Darter

 Migrant Hawker eating a fly

Supermarket Sweep

Now is the time to visit the avian equivalent of the supermarket because at the moment the shelves are still fully stacked, but in a month’s time there will be gaping gaps on many of them.  Just outside the car park we had both House Martins & House Sparrows some mainly monochrome jackdaws, and a few very colourful Linnets.  The tide seemed to be going out & looking down on the first ravine of chalk we were able to see Puffins on either side of the cliff.  Looking over the grassy edge there were plenty of short, stubby Marsh Orchids.  Later there were several feral pigeons here, and a couple of apparently pure Rock Doves.  It was here that we were first assaulted by the sound of distant Kittiwakes.  From the top of the cliffs we could see a few of the stiff-winged Fulmars riding the breeze, and a single Lesser Black Backed Gull flying just above the waves.

Puffin

 House Sparrow

 Guillemot

 Razorbill

 Kittiwake & Chicks [above]

 Herring Gull

We carried along the cliffs, and here we could see some brilliantly-white Gannets against the blue of the sea and sky.  Meanwhile we were serenaded by plenty of Skylarks and just a few Meadow Pipits.  There were a couple of Swallows and a single white butterfly, and more Marsh Orchids.  All the usual suspects were in their accustomed niches on the cliffs: Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and herring Gulls, and a single Stock Dove.  Far below there were some Shags on the rocks at the water’s edge, and Steve spotted a sunbathing Grey Seal nearby.  This was the 1^st seal I’d seen here hauled out on the rocks, they are usually just seen round here as bobbing heads with their bodies hidden by the water.    

Grey Seal

 Marsh Orchid

 Shags

 Stock Dove

 Skylark

 Whitethroat

We carried on to a small conservation area devoted to different species, but it was overgrown with grasses and the ground was very wet & slippery.  Some of the usual suspects were absent from here with no sign of Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings or Linnets.  However, there were great views of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks as some compensation and a couple of Herons.  One Skylark in particular came down very close to us, singing beautifully the whole time, it was so good I’m surprised the group didn’t break into a spontaneous round of applause!  Towards the end of our visit to this area, a Whitethroat put in an appearance, but it wasn’t as easy to get good views of as it had been a few weeks ago.  However, later when we were almost back at the car park, Len did see one out in the open at the top of a bramble spray.  

On the return journey a Sand Martin was spotted heading south, which were added to the couple of Swifts we’d already seen.  A male Peregrine was observed, and this was seen even better in the afternoon when I left my camera behind and carried the telescope instead.  

Meadow Pipit (c) 2012 Phil Hargreaves

 Scarlet Pimpernel (c) 2012 Phil Hargreaves