Tit Willow, Tit Willow, Tit Willow

On Thursday we revisited a trip of a couple of week’s ago.  http://www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/blue-sky-birding.html

The first difference this time was that there was a Yellowhammer singing right next to the level crossing, and a Tree Sparrow on a fence surrounding one of the new Rabbit hutches.  The first section of the walk was a lot quieter than it used to be only a couple of years ago, but there was a Song Thrush, Magpies and Goldfinches flying over.  At the first junction we turned left, and this is where the action started.  In the Oilseed Rape there were a couple of Reed Buntings, a Whitethroat and a massive mixed flock of finches: Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Chaffinches & Linnets.  In the afternoon a pair of Bullfinches swelled the finch species seen, as they dropped into the same crop.  At a stump there were several tiny baby birds which I assumed were Wrens in the bad light, but the photos seem to show they were Whitethroats.

Willow Tit

 Yellowhammer

 Yellowhammer

 Chaffinch [female]

 Chaffinch [male]

 Willow Tit

 Willow Tit

A Yellow Wagtail flew from the OSR field across the path carrying food, and headed almost the whole length over a field of wheat before being lost to sight.  At the end of the path a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was observed by almost all participants, and Alan identified a pair of Bullfinches in the same area.  We started to retrace our steps and encountered our 4^th Yellowhammer, and a Wren.  A little further on we heard a distinctive nasal ‘tchay-tchay-tchay’ and we were able to pick out 2 Willow Tits.  A couple of years ago I used to see Marsh Tits near here, but these were definitely Willow Tits.  Hopefully, the photos taken will prove this. The afternoon bird was the finest Willow Tit Ken has ever seen out in the wilds – the Willow Tits on the Potteric Carr bird table don’t count!   In the afternoon the birds were still present, but were several hundred yards further east.  This is the second encounter with Willow Tits in previous Marsh Tit hotspots in a week.  Are they finally making a comeback, or are young birds dispersing after a very successful breeding season, or have I just been lucky?

 Willow Tit

 Record shot of a Linnet

 Common Tern

 Common Blue Damselfly

In the morning Phil spotted 3 Herons fly up from the water-skiing lake at this point, whilst in the afternoon 7 took to the air at roughly the same juncture.  Margaret was the first to spot a distant speck in the sky – a singing Skylark, even though she couldn’t hear it!  Shortly afterwards Brian found one of the best birds of the day when he saw a male marsh harrier hunting low over the wheatfield.  At the end of the lane we turned left & joined the path to the river.  On reaching the fishing ‘complex’ the air was full of many low-flying House Martins and a few Swifts.  There were a few damselflies at our feet, which I hope we managed to avoid, and soon we also saw a fresh looking Speckled Wood.  There were many more of these in the afternoon when the sun came out – but the only other butterfly was a Red Admiral in the afternoon sunning itself not far from the river, just before we surprised the skinnydippers.   The river seemed high both in the morning & the afternoon so there were no waders to be seen and only a Lesser Black-Backed Gull over the water.  In the reedbeds there was some desultory song by a Reed Warbler, and more energetic renderings by both Reed Buntings and a Sedge Warbler.  This area was almost devoid of birds in the afternoon.  

Weevil

 Fledgling Whitethroats

 Male Common Whitethroat

On the return leg there was a sharp ‘peep-peep’ to our right and shortly afterwards a Kingfisher headed through a gap in the hedge and headed towards the fishing lake.  Later more peeps were heard & I snatched a view of it returning, probably on a mission to catch fish for its chicks.  Later even more sharp calls were heard, and even Chris can now say he’s heard a Kingfisher, if he can’t actually confirm he has actually seen one.  A Blackcap revealed itself opposite the entrance to the angling complex, after singing beautifully.  The weirdest thing on the return journey was a small dark mammal (seemingly with no visible legs) moving swiftly across the road.  A Shrew seemd to be the best bet.  It certainly seemed even smaller than a mouse or vole.


Stop Press.  Here's what the UK's leading expert says of the above Willow Tit pics:  It's definitely a Willow Tit, and it's a juvenile (can tell by tail feather shape). It could be a new juvenile from this year, just dispersing, or one from last year which hasn't started the moult yet, but I'd verge towards the former because it's quite dapper. The clinching all-dark bill is evident on pretty much all of the pics. Plumage-wise, juv Marsh and Willow can be almost identical on the head at this time of year, so bib and crown is no use. The greater coverts are also distinctive (dark centres), but it's pretty subtle.

Marsh and Willow Tit juvs are dispersing at the moment (they do it as soon as they're independent, about 10 days after fledging), which is when they make the biggest movement of their lives. They normally move a few km, but could go much further (10 km or more), so it suggests that a pair might have bred nearby perhaps within 5 km, but isn't conclusive. It might also decide to keep moving before it settles, if it doesn't find a friend (they're looking for a vacant territory and a member of the opposite sex).

Reddies to Fledge?

Tuesday was a rerun of Sunday morning's visit.  There was no doubt that the Redstarts were the highlight again as they busily feed their brood in their nest-hole.  It won't be long before these young fledge (hopefully).

Redstart

[above] Yellowhammer in a field of chalk not snow!

Differences from previous visits included a Mistle Thrush and a Pied Wagtail in the chalky field and 2 fighting male Yellowhammers over this same field.  

 Goldcrest

 'Ghost of a Goldcrest'

 Chaffinch (c) 2012 Phil Hargreaves

 Willow Warbler (c) 2012 Phil Hargereaves

 Record shot of Blackcap

Along the railway line the morning group had 5 Crossbills flying over, while in the afternoon a flock of nearly 20 flew east.  Another surprise was a Willow Tit calling in an area, which has previously only held Marsh Tits.  It made its nasal 'tchay-tchay-tchay' call for nearly 10 minutes.  In the afternoon a little further along the line were 2 Tits, but they refused to utter any sounds at all as they busily looked for food among the lichen on the bushes & twigs.  These showed a little better, and one of these is shown below.

 Marsh Tit?

 Whitethroat

In the afternoon a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over as we were  watching Willow Warblers and then there was the call of a Kestrel coming from the Redstart's tree.  We managed to frighten it off as we walked towards the tree, but while we were observing the Redstarts it tried to return on at least 2 occasions, and it was never far away.  A Garden Warbler sang briefly near the old quarry buildings, but it never came into full view.

In the morning we had chance to explore a small floral nature reserve.  There was plenty of Yellow Rattle, and a couple of spikes of Common Spotted Orchid just coming into flower, but no Bee Orchids in full flower.  There was one specimen, which had grown leaves, and looked as though it may flower in about a week or so.  The flowers seemed several weeks behind, and there were no butterflies in the heavily overcast conditions.

This is one of the most popular locations with everyone being impressed with the beauty of the landscape and the picturesque rolling hills.  The Redstarts ensured that at least some of the wildlife lived upto the wonderful setting. 

Hares

 Yellow Rattle

 Common Spotted Orchid

**PS I've just heard (evening of 13th June) that the Redstarts had fledged by 2pm today, and the Kestrel didn't get them all!  You soon may be able to hear more about the fledglings here: http://woldranger.blogspot.co.uk/

Conclusion of Robert Fuller's Summer Exhibition

Sunday saw the final 2 events running in conjunction with Roberts Fuller’s Summer Exhibition.  The morning walk took place near an Ancient Monument.  All but one person turned up at the Gallery in good time, we waited for the 1 late comer, but she failed to show.  We therefore wasted 15 minutes before setting off.  On the way to the final venue we saw a Kestrel perched over the road, a really bright Yellowhammer, and a few scattered Swallows, but we didn’t come close to killing nearly as many Red-legged Partridges as last week.  There was a lot more room in the car park this time, and again Yellowhammers could be heard in the distance, but today other birds to be heard here including a Song Thrush, a Blackcap and a Blackbird.  On the walk down the valley a Yellowhammer was perched on the left hand side of a telegraph post, whilst a pair of Linnets disappeared into the bare field on its right, and then landed briefly on the hedgerow underneath the Yellowhammer.  A Common Whitethroat perched very briefly on a tiny hawthorn bush, whilst a Blackcap sang nearby.  There were more Willow Warblers singing than last week, but our previous visit had been in an afternoon.

Redstart (at the same location 3 years ago)

We went through a couple of gates and were almost immediately rewarded with views of a male Redstart constantly feeding its young brood in a very distinctive nest-hole.  He was definitely more obvious than the female this time.  A Great Tit was also busy just outside the nest hole, so it may also have been nesting nearby.  As we watched the Redstart there was a sneeze near at hand, and a Marsh Tit flew into the trees behind us.  Unfortunately, it didn’t hang around for a decent view.   The only other bird in this area was a Goldfinch which landed on the wires above our head.  We were just about to walk back through the gate when the Wakefield lady spotted the male Redstart sitting the nearest it had been to us all morning.  When we had returned to the site of the old railway line one chap had to retire to his car with an aching hip.

 Record shot of a Yellowhammer

 Comma

Here, a Chiffchaff sang briefly & distantly, but not long enough for me to point it out to the group.  Those near the front saw a female Blackcap collecting insects, but the male was harder to see, though he was singing strongly.  An Orange-tip passed us a few times round here, and one participant spotted a Comma.  It was near here that we encountered a family of Long-tailed Tits, but we could only snatch decent views of the adults.  A Bullfinch flew into the hedge, allowing us only to catch a view of a white rump, but its plaintive ‘pue’ call was heard by all.  Another Marsh Tit sneezed as it flew along the thick hedgerow, but it remained a blur, and failed to perch in the open.  The lady from Wakefield spotted a Hare on the hillside, which ran past a Magpie before disappearing over the brow of the hill.  In a bush on the hilltop a lovely red-breasted Linnet was drying itself after having a bath.   

Comma

 Record shot of an Orange-Tip in Flight

We came to some redundant buildings and this is where at least 4 of the party disappeared for several minutes as they reminisced about their previous uses.  Meanwhile we heard our first & only Garden Warbler, of which we managed to obtain glimpses as he sang among some fresh Ash leaves.  A Curlew sang out, so presumably they breed on the hillsides in this area.  We also heard our first proper Chiffchaff of the day, and nearly everyone saw it flitting high among the Ash leaves.  We returned the way we had come, and didn’t add any new species, but we climbed the hill with alacrity, as the dark clouds seemed to be massing for an attack, but we managed to reach the car park with only a few drops trying to soak us.  There was chaos in the car park as several people were trying to park with no available spaces.  One of our party almost had his car pranged, but eventually he was allowed to reverse from his space, so one of the newcomers could take his place. 

Ear Fungus

The afternoon session saw a similar situation arise, but this time we were the newcomers.  The car park at the new location was already brimming over, and our arrival came at a difficult time.  In the end a few of us managed to squeeze into the car park, whilst at least 3 had to abandon their cars outside the usual parking area.  We walked down the hill, and I could hear a distant Whitethroat, but we never actually caught up with this particular bird.  A pair of Red-legged Partridge heads could just be spotted in some long grass – the male poking his head up that bit higher than the browsing female.  We were much luckier with a Willow Warbler which came to suss us out, and everyone managed to get decent views, and one lady even managed to take a photo.  A large bird flying distantly looked reminiscent of a raptor, but on closer investigation proved to be only a Lesser Black-backed Gull.  We were luckier when someone spotted a Buzzard soaring over an area of conifers.  It then began to hover clumsily before it disappeared over a large deciduous woodland.   

Red-legged Partridge

 Willow Warbler

 Singing Willow Warbler

    Despite the best efforts of the Sunday afternoon traffic we eventually made it to the pond, and this was the most prolific area for the numbers of species seen well.  A pair of Whitethroats were active around the metal gate and could be seen collecting insects around the umbels of the Cow Parsley.  A Yellowhammer was heard singing, and this was eventually seen clearly.  A Treecreeper was singing nearby, and then one lady spotted it clinging to the side of a mature Ash tree.  There was another Marsh Tit in this area, but again it didn’t stay long enough for everyone to get decent views.  We went a bit further, where the lady with the camera toppled over, but luckily the camera (& the lady) were apparently undamaged.  We walked to where there had been a Tree Pipit a few years ago, but the bushes had been burnt in this area, and there was no sign of this locally scarce species.  However, we went a little further and were lucky enough to encounter a Meadow Pipit indulging in its ever-popular parachuting song-flight.  The Meadow Pipit plunged down to our side of the hill & into a gorse bush, but it was soon seen off by another male.   It was at this point that we heard the best song of a Skylark of the day.   

We returned to the pond area, but this had been taken over by paddlers, so apart from a Moorhen there were no new sightings there.  We walked a little further along the road, but the only decent sighting was of a Willow Warbler plucking flies from a barbed wire fence.  On the return journey to the car park I pointed out some ear fungus & was able to regale the group with some of the folklore and culinary qualities of this unique fungi.  We were able to return to the cars without further incident.

Magical Mystery Workout

The only event this week was our first visit to a far-flung woodland.  Unfortunately, we’d been warned that because of major roadworks in Malton there were massive delays, so several people either set off early to cope with these, or set off early to go round by a much longer route.  Today because of the school holidays there were no delays in Malton!  When I arrived after almost a 2 hour journey everyone had been waiting in the car park for what seemed like hours.  Immediately, there were Siskins flying over the car park, and these were probably visiting the feeders at the visitor centre.  

Treecreeper

 Yellowhammer (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Tree Pipit (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

We eventually found a new gravel path which meandered its way to the reserve through a pleasant heathland habitat studded with young conifers and birches.  We travelled in a cloud which was hanging over the crag we were walking on, but there was plenty of birdsong, including: Willow Warbler, Yellowhammer, Whitethroat & a Song Thrush.  However, the definite highlight here was a Tree Pipit.  Its pleasant canary-like notes drifted towards us, and it could be seen perched on the top of a young conifer.  On the way back, Sally saw it parachuting down.  There was a Kestrel hovering in the mist and we flushed a couple of Linnets up from the ground at our feet.  Other birds around here included plenty of Chaffinches and a single carrion Crow.  

Hoof Fungus

We turned right when we reached a broader path and found ourselves at the same height  as the trees full of Blue Tit fledglings.  We then arrived at a steep narrow path plunging down to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve.   It had rained heavily overnight and we made our way carefully down the muddy and slippery terrain.  Unfortunately, we are used to even paths on the flat here in East Yorkshire and several people didn’t fancy the climb down to the lake at the bottom and turned back.  We could hear our first Chiffchaffs, Swallows were twittering above us but couldn’t be seen because of the tree cover.  A Willow Tit sang out, plus Coal Tits and a little later a whole family of Long-tailed Tits.  On a fallen log last Autumn’s ear fungus was still intact, but had gone past the edible stage.  Sally correctly identified the song of a Blackcap – it seems it is possible to identify song birds after repeated exposure to the same species! 

Froghopper (bit of Cuckoo Spit visible under the leaf)

 Cardinal Beetle

 ditto

As we made our way down to the lake we could hear the ‘pic pic’ calls of a distant Great Spotted Woodpecker, and an even further off Cuckoo.  However, as we descended into the abyss the Cuckoo became easier to hear & Eileen could pick it out – gone are the days when she lived on Thorne Moors & she was the 1^st to hear one every year!  On the lake there was a pair of Tufted Ducks and several Mute Swans, but little else.  We did a circuit of the lake where we encountered a Treecreeper, Blue Tit fledglings, another singing Tree Pipit and Sparrowhawks calling from deep within the wood.

The way back up the hill wasn’t as bad as everyone feared & the only new creatures encountered were the Froghopper (manufacturers of Cuckoo Spit).  They were out in force & it was clear that their manufacturing had only just began, so they were about to get very busy – they are very late this year – delayed by the cold or the relatively dry spring?  Although the trek up the hill wasn't too bad, many of the attendees were red in the face & either dripping with sweat, or soaked with rain.  Some attendees went on to the visitor centre where Siskins and Coal Tits could be seen on the feeders.  

 Siskin (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Coal Tit [& Siskin] (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

 Siskin [female] & Collared Dove (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

Diamond Tail Jubilee

Turtle Dove Spreading its 'Diamond' Tail

Wednesday was a rerun of May 15th, but the weather was a lot milder today: http://www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/crouching-hares-hidden-turtles.html

The strong winds were gone, but if anything it was actually too hot, even first thing in the morning.  Before we set off we saw Whitethroat, Yellowhammer and Blue Tit.  Not long out of the car park and we had a Willow Warbler and a Tree Sparrow.  We had 4 Long-tailed Tits and another Willow Warbler just before the stud farm, and then under the trees which always used to hold a Garden Warbler I was surprised to first hear & then see a single Yellow Wagtail flew over.  Later, at lunch time the 2 Davids & Barbara had 3 Yellow Wagtails in the car park.  These are fairly unusual sightings as there is no water anywhere in the vicinity, although there is an oilseed rape field fairly nearby.  A Song Thrush, and a Chiffchaff were singing in the general area, but there wasn’t a single whimper from the Turtle Doves.  

 Long-tailed Tits

 Long-tailed Tits

When we set off again there was a different family of Long-tailed Tits and among a group of young Rabbits was a melanistic, (black) one!  At the edge of the reserve a Linnet & a Pied Wagtail flew over, and a Marsh Tit flew into the reserve.  Butterflies seen on the journey include: Speckled Wood, plenty of Orange-Tips, and a single Comma.  There were a pair of Linnets on the escarpment, and Miles found a Froghopper, which disappeared before its picture could be taken.  We were a bit luckier with Maxine’s ‘soldier beetle’.  A male Pheasant was spooked from under our feet, which then went on to spook a pair of Red-legged Partridges.

A pair of Treecreepers in the reserve were calling vociferously, but they were very difficult to spot hiding in Hawthorn bushes.  There were quite a few butterflies in the reserve including: Common Blues, Dingy Skippers, an alleged Brown Argus, and a Small Heath.  Not long after we left the reserve a Hobby flew West right through the valley.  We didn’t see a great deal on the return journey, but a pair of Blackcaps under the brick viaduct were a late highlight.  A clucking Red-legged Partridge was another new bird for this particular area. 

Speckled Wood

 Comma

Soldier Beetle sp Cantharis rustica (Thanks to Barry Warrington)

 Common Blue

 Common Blue [male]

 Dingy Skipper

Record shot of Hobby (c) 2012 Tony Robinson

 Yellowhammer

There are no House Martins among the car park buildings this year – too dry?, but a tree Sparrow was using a nest under the eaves in the artist’s studio.  I decided to take the afternoon session East, as the West side had been relatively disappointing.  Straight away a Green Woodpecker was sighted shortly after leaving the parking area followed by a family of Long-tailed Tits and a Willow Warbler.  When we left the trees and we could see through a gap between the Hawthorn hedge we were just able to discern a Red-legged Partridge along a fence line.  We carried on for a bit and not long after we passed a jerk who doesn’t clean up after his dog.  Soon after we arrived at Yellowhammer central, which is an escarpment open to northerly winds – today the breeze was welcome.  Suddenly some Rooks went up into the sky making a lot of noise, and we could see 2 Red Kites overhead, which eventually drifted north east.  A Red-legged Partridge flew onto the top of a distant post, but nevertheless gave decent views. 

 Bullfinch

We then entered an area with steep banks on either side, and covered with Hawthorn, Dog Rose, Wild Strawberry and various species of emerging vegetation.  We were watching a very bright male Bullfinch in the centre of the path when most of us saw a Stoat running behind the Bullfinch carrying a small Rabbit.  We were heading towards the small bridge when we heard the unmistakable purring of a Turtle Dove.  It displayed over our heads a few times, but also continued to purr from one of several Ash trees along that section of the track.  We stayed still for 10 minutes or so, but only got sight of it fanning its diamond shaped tail as it swept by us.  It was seen perched in a distant Ash, but the views weren’t terribly good.   

Turtle Dove

 Record Shot of Green Woodpecker

 Willow Warbler

 Jerk who Lets his Dog Foul a Nature reserve

 This Dog Cannot Read...

 ...This Sign

On the East side of the small bridge a Song Thrush was singing, but there were fewer birds in this area.  Another Yellowhammer, and a flying Kestrel were in the area of the final bridge.  On the return journey a large pale Buzzard looked as though it was about to land in the steep-banked area, but it saw us and veered away sharply, and then was lost to sight.  The Green Woodpecker and Willow Warblers were again near the quarry area, but this time they were also joined by a Great Spotted Woodpecker.  There were fewer butterflies in the afternoon because it had clouded up considerably and it almost seemed as though it was about to rain. There were a few drops as we reached the cars, but it was so warm we weren’t even dampened by the time we returned.  Only a couple of years ago there were 3 singing Turtle Doves either side of the car park, but today only one could be tracked down - that represents a loss of 5 singing males!  There was also less wildlife on the Westward trip, despite this being a morning trip.  On future visits we will always be heading Eastward Ho.