To think that I originally wasn't going to make a trip to Rainham today, would have been a bad idea. After some careful negotiations a deal was made and off I went to Rainham alongside Dante and Frank, as well as joining up with many others after lunch. And so after an eventful journey to Rainham I arrived at 8:30 at Rainham North, which meant that I would have to catch up to Dante and Frank. Rainham North was full of Whitethroat, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, and Cetti's Wablers, but Whitethroats really stole the show with their wonderful display flights. A large flock of Starlings came down onto the path in front and this lead to a Pied Wagtail being found in and amongst them. Some Mallard were in the channels and a Canada Goose flew over head along with some Linnets. Above and Below: Some of the 36 Common Whitethroats seen and heard today. I then walked through Rainham West where a Grasshopper Warbler briefly sang. More of the same Warblers as before were singing their little hearts out and a Hobby flashed pass heading North very quickly. A Ring-necked Parakeet was then picked up heading in the direction of the landfill and then a small group of Swallows came through. Lesser Black Backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Great Black Back Gulls, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were the main attractions as far as the air was concerned however occasionally a flock of Goldfinches or Linnets would come through. A pair of Gadwall was still in the channel in their normal place and a couple of large groups of starlings squabbled in the field next to me. A Long-tailed Tit with nest material was eventually found when nearing the end of Rainham West and so too were Robin and Dunnock. Above: Common Whitethroat Below: Sedge Warbler Above: Common Whitethroat Below: Sedge Warbler I then headed down the path towards the Stonebarges and was greeted with amazing views of a singing Reed Warbler. A Willow Warbler sang from the trees above as did a Chiffchaff, but surprisingly no Blackcap! As I neared the end of the path the obliging Lesser Whitethroat from last time started to sing, but this time deep in cover. Above and Below: Reed Warbler At the Stonebarges all was quiet except for the singing Whitethroats. An Oystercatcher flew past the Barges heading down stream as did a Whimbrel. I then decided to move on however when I looked back I spotted a small wader underneath the pier, so I decided to check it out. When I got closer I could see that I was correct in calling it a Common Sandpiper and no sooner had I picked it up I found 2 more. I then moved on realising the time and the fact that I still needed to find Dante and Frank. Above and Below: Common Whitethroat Above: The Common Sandpiper from a distance. Below: Getting Closer and then... Decent shots of the Common Sandpiper below Below: A pair of Shelduck I then headed along the sea wall towards Coldharbour Point when news broke that a Little Tern had just flown down stream past Dante and Frank. However annoyingly that bird must have flown past me to get to them and therefore it is a missed opportunity to get a lifer. However this turned out not to be a bad omen for how the rest of the day would pan out. Above: Dante Shepherd's cracking image of the Little Tern. When on the path to Averly Bay lots of Arctic and Common Terns were seen heading up stream. Probably about 20 Arctic Terns and almost five times that amount of Common Terns. Also Wheatear were seen with five seen on the way to Averly bay and my first 2 Common Swift of the year zipped through. A large flock of Corvids flew on the horizon, with 20 Jackdaw, and around 50 Carrion Crow, but surprisingly no Rooks. 2 more Common Sandpiper flew downstream and a large group of Common Swift fed over the marshes with at least 10 individuals. I then went to set up camp with Dante and Frank for our River Watch session. Below: Northern Wheatear Above and Below: Common Tern Above and Below: Northern Wheatear Above : Skylark Below: Wheatear by Frank Osterberg When I got to Frank and Dante, I was filled in with what I had missed and also put onto the group of Bar-tailed Godwits alongside a few Black-tailed Godwits, A group of Ringed Plover was distant, but you could see that there were a few Dunlin mixed in. A couple of Whimbrel flew about and then all of a sudden a group of 2 Grey Plover flew in. A British List tick for me, and this was just the beginning of the excitement. A pair of Greenshank were then also relocated as the Grey Plovers moved off in their direction. Frank and I then went off and had lunch leaving Dante to tell us what wonders he had found. Above: Bar-tailed Godwit Below: Ringed Plover and Black Headed Gulls Above: Grey Plover with a Bar-tailed Godwit Below: Greenshank Below: Grey Plover, Redshank, Shelduck Luckily for us as we set out for Purfleet hide, he hadn't had much luck. After a look in Purfleet hide came up with nothing much we moved on towards the Butts hide. When we got into the Butts hide we immediately picked up an absolutely smashing summer plumaged Spotted Redshank, albeit distantly. There were also at least 3 Ruff about on the far banks too. A pair of Marsh Harrier were up over the marshes as well as left over Teal and Shoveler feeding on target pools. 4 Little Ringed Plover and some Dunlin were also out on the pools and a Male Kestrel hovered up over the hide. 3 Whinchats moved through on the posts bringing the day total up to at least 8. Above: Spotted Sandpiper Below: Ruff Above: Spot the Little Ringed Plover Next 2: Male Kestrel Above and Below: Male Whinchat Above: Great Black Backed Gull Below: Spotted Redshank Above: Greenshank Below: Little Ringed Plover, Teal, and Spotted Redshank Below: Marsh Harrier I then looked the other way from the hide and picked up 2 Little Egret, Pochard, Tufted Ducks, Little Grebe, Cormorant, a pair of Great Crested Grebe, and a lone Drake Wigeon, before news of a pair of Common Scoter on the Thames forced us to leave the hide. Above: Drake Wigeon and Drake Tufted Duck Below: Drake Pochard Above: Little Egret Below: Greylag We then moved back towards the sea wall via the toilet block. Whilst here we picked up some caterpillars and Common Lizards. A Hobby also came through above very quickly and again was lost to the North within a few moments. Above and Below: Common Lizard Above: Common Lizard Below: Tiger Caterpillar? Next 3 photos are by Frank Osterberg of the Caterpillar and Common Lizard. When we got to where Dante was we were greeted by a large group of birders. This was good because the more eyes the better, and no sooner than when we had gotten to our places we were put onto the 2 Common Scoter. This was a special moment for me, because I had never seen a species of Scoter before and so this was a long over due Lifer. These Scoter actually stayed around in the middle of the Thames all afternoon and were still there even after we left. All the previously seen birds were still in the bay, but a new Grey Plover had come in along with a few more Bar-tailed Godwit. The Ringed Plover flock was also now up to 14 individuals. We then heard news of a Curlew Sandpiper on Target Pools and so we all rushed off back to the reserve whilst a young Med Gull flew past. Above: Common Scoter Below: Ringed Plover Above: Dunlin and Ringed Plover Below: Barwit and Ringed Plover Above: Grey Plover Below: Ringed Plover Above: Common Scoter and Gull Below: Dunlin and Ringed Plover When we got to Target pools we all immediately picked up the Curlew Sandpiper, again it was distant and therefore almost impossible to photograph, however in some of the better scopes available to use the views were amazing. Again this was a Lifer for me having missed out on several last Autumn. 6 Ruff were also present. Next 2: Male Whinchat We then headed back out to the sea wall to see in the rest of the tide. This also worked a treat with a Sanderling coming into view and then scurrying in and out of the Ringed Plover. When the tide finally covered up the last of the mud all the waders took off and headed in the general direction of target pools. A group of Dunlin also made a fly past in the final moments of the day with a Turnstone tagging along behind them. We all then called it a day and as we did a Cuckoo could be heard singing from the enclosed bay. This is the first one I have ever heard, but until I can't count it as a lifer I have to be able to see it, and so the quest continues to find one that I can actually see. Above and Below: Sanderling, Ringed Plover, and Black Headed Gull Above: Ringed Plover, Sanderling, and Barwit Next 4: Barwits, Blackwits and a Redshank And so this rounded off an excellent day which saw at least 90 Species of birds recorded in total including a good mix of migrants and rarities, and although many others are heading back tomorrow in the hope for a better days birding, I will be stuck doing work and revision. My life list now stands at 166 species for Britain and is slowly improving. I wonder what my next lifer will be!!??
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As I set out this morning the day hadn't quite warmed up yet, for there was still Ice on the cars and frost on the ground, but for most people reading this they will have seen a nice sunny day when they woke up. Oh how things can change and for the better in this case. Me and Dante headed off towards Rainham North and in this section we had already had 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, and 3 Cetti's, as well as a Whitethroat. Next we headed to Rainham West. The traffic noise was for a change drowned out by the extravagant Male Warblers singing. 25 Sedge Warblers, 4 Reed Warblers, a Grasshopper Warbler, and a Willow Warbler were all singing away as well as the bellowing Cetti's. The Sedge Warblers were also showing quite well and basking in the abundant sunshine. An added bonus was a flyover Little Egret, Shelduck, and Mute Swan, as well as Swallows, Linnet and Goldfinch. Skylarks were about to performing their 'Happy' song. Next 4 photo's: Sedge Warbler Below: Male Reed Bunting We then continued on round the bend and had a pair of Mute Swan, a pair of Gadwall, and some Mallard. A Stock Dove appeared and so too did a Yellow Wagtail, right on cue, that came out from where the cows were grazing and headed towards the reserve before changing its mind and heading in the opposite direction and over the A13. Below: Mute Swan We then headed round towards the Stonebarges with lots of singing Reed and Cetti's warblers for company and the first couple of Blackcap too. When we got round to the Stonebarges a cracking Male Lesser Whitethroat was out singing from the top of one of the bushes. My first proper sighting of one of these stunning birds. Nothing much on the shore, however a Rock Pipit was interesting and quite a late record for one. Skylarks continued doing what they do best on the land fill and all 4 of the common gull species were seen flying past. Above: Female Chaffinch Below: An Absolutely stunning Lesser Whitethroat. Above: Male Chaffinch We then carried on and found some rather distant and less exciting Common Whitethroat. A pair of teal was asleep on the shore and that pretty much summed up the rest of the walk round to the path over the landfill. However at Coldharbour point me and Dante did have a pair of what we thought were Common Tern, but apparently are Arctic Tern. (oops) Also Goldfinch and Linnet were present and the first 2 Robins of the day were seen. (Plot twist with regards to the Terns, we picked them up because one was calling and it was a Common, however I have photographed an Arctic, how odd) Above: Left, Male: Right, Female Teal Above: Common Whitethroat Below: Arctic Tern When we got onto Rainham Mound Northern Wheatear were everywhere. There was 4 Males in total just sitting on posts and for the first time ever we heard a snippet of their song. (A bit odd because I didn't think they would sing until they get to their breeding grounds). Meadow Pipits were also about, and so too were the numerous Skylarks and Reed Buntings. Then all of a sudden a bird of prey came flashing through. A female Hobby and no sooner had we seen it, it was off and over towards Rainham West flying very low. Above: Skylark Below: Northern Wheatear Above: Female Reed Bunting Below: Meadow Pipit We then headed back over the landfill and had a rather lengthy scan of Averly Bay with a Marsh Harrier up over head. In the bay there was a pair of Avocet, a Ruff, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, and the regular Teal, Redshank, and Shelduck. A Grey Heron also provided a nice fly past. Above and Below: Male Marsh Harrier Above and Below: These are very Ruff pictures Above: Avocet Below: Grey Heron Above and Below: Grey Heron in flight Below: Black Headed Gull Just before we headed to the top of the sea wall we picked up another 2 Hobbys, but this time hunting over the main reserve. A Yellow Wagtail also came over and dropped down somewhere in the reserve. When we got onto the wall we picked up 3 more singing Whitethroats, and Howard sent us in the direction of the Grasshopper Warblers. Me and Dante sat by one bush whilst Nick sat by another waiting for the Male Grasshopper Warblers to show themselves and after a while they did and superbly. My best viewing ever of a Grasshopper Warbler and what special little birds they are. We must have watched them for at least 20minutes before heading inside to have lunch. Above and Next 2: Grasshopper Warbler Above: Male Reed Bunting Below: Male Stonechat (I realise now that I haven't yet mentioned oystercatcher even though I saw nine and that is purely because I have forgotten to, but oh well.) After lunch we headed out onto the reserve and immediately found Shoveler, Teal, Coots, Moorhen, Greylag, and Canada Geese. We then headed round to Dents drop where we picked up 2 Little Ringed Plover out in the distance and also some Lapwing, Redshank and a few Gadwall. A Sparrowhawk was also up overhead. Above: Sparrowhawk Above and Below: Little Ringed Plover We then headed through the woodland where at least 2 Chiffchaff were singing. We also picked up a Lesser Whitethroat singing. The woodland feeders despite being topped up were also devoid of life not even the rats were on show. A few Sedge Warblers sang and so did some Cetti's but overall it was quite. We then had a quick scan to add the Barn Owl to the list and sure enough he was sitting on the entrance to his box as per usual. Above: Chiffchaff We then headed to the Ken Barret hide. Once in the hide all you could hear was Sedge Warblers. Little Grebe were out in front of the hide along with a few of the usual suspects and so to were Shoveler. Above: Little Grebe We then headed round to the 2 viewing platforms where the light was really poor. However we still managed to pick up 2 Great Crested Grebes, Little Grebes, Pochard, Tufted Ducks, Shoveler, and Shelduck. A Linnet also sat on the pylon and Sedge and Reed Warblers continued to show nicely. Above and Below: Great Crested Grebe Below: Linnet We then headed round to the Butt's hide. Along the way we picked up 2 Whitethroat and some Common Buzzards thermalling, as well as 3 Hobby's now hunting over wennington. Rooks also continued to trickle through over head. Above and Below: Hobby Below: Male Reed Bunting Above: Rook (Dante Shepherd) Below: Hobby (Dante Shepherd) Once in the butt's hide we could see a pair of Avocet out on target pools as well as a pair of Greenshank. A pair of Pintail was out on these pools, as well as Gadwall, Shoveler, Shelduck, and Teal, but not as many as on previous occasions. Above: Avocet Below: Greenshank Next we looked over towards the main hide. Here we had Pochard, Tufted Ducks, Shoveler, and Lapwing chicks among others. Also the first Pied Wagtail of the day was present alongside some other common species. Above: Drake Pochard Below: Pair of Shoveler Above and Below: Lapwing chicks Below: Mute Swan On the way back to the centre I was blessed with more spectacular views of Lapwing chicks as well as a Mallard with 4 Ducklings. A nice Marsh Frog showed from the bridge near the turnstile as well as Coots in the channel, and Sedge Warblers showing well almost everywhere. I personally can't remember a time when I have seen and heard so many Warblers and the views were truly stunning. The Reed Warblers were however not showing yet, but they will do very shortly. Little Grebes also showed very well for a change in front of the MDZ, but that was all to be seen from in there, bar a few Shoveler and Lapwings nest sitting. It was even quite from the Purfleet hide with mainly Redshank and Lapwing to see. As I came out of the hide a nice Male Reed Bunting showed well for a couple of minutes, before being bullied off the bush by a Whitethroat. Above: Although you can't see it this Lapwing has 2 Chicks with her. Below: Marsh Frog Above: Coot Below: Sedge Warbler Above: Little Grebe Below: Coot Above and Below: Reed Bunting Below: Redshank I then headed for the centre. Here I had a snack and updated everyone on what we had seen. I then headed along the river wall to rejoin the others. When I arrived to where the others were, we had 2 Whimbrel fly past and the 3 Bar-tailed Godwits were still in the bay including a ringed one. After this I then had no choice, but to call it a day and head for the station. Above and Below: Bar-tailed Godwit Above: Bar-tailed Godwit including ringed individual. Below: Dante Shepherds much better photo of the ringed individual. Above: Male Pheasant Below: 2 Shelduck on Ant Hill Whilst I was on the train I was constantly being updated about what Dante and Nick Croft had seen whilst I was gone and sure enough they got their species list up to near 90 for the day by adding Short-eared owl, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, and Sand Martin to their list. However I will now leave you with my 3 best and most memorable images, as well as Dante's not so good image of a SEO. This is also likely to be my last blog for a little while due to exams. I thank everyone reading this for their continued support, and I hope you have enjoyed reading my blogs.... Above: SEO being mobbed by Black-headed Gull (Dante Shepherd) Below: A truly special little bird: The Lesser Whitethroat Above: My first ever time seeing more than just a flash of a Grasshopper Warbler Below: A truly special Sedge Warbler with my best ever views. What a Special day it was and I hope for many more like this in the future...
Hengistbury Head On Saturday morning I found myself heading out to Hengistbury head to try and do a migration watch of sorts. When me and my dad got there we could see that it was going to be successful, because no sooner had we got out of the car and crossed the road the first wave of migrants came in of the sea in the form of 3 Swallow, and 4 House Martin. This was then followed shortly after by 2 Terns coming in off the sea, I believe they were Common Tern, but they were quite far away to see. Greenfinch and Linnets were present in the field that we walked through and so too were Starling. Above: Greenfinch The next field contained a Male Pheasant, as well as Skylarks doing their happy song up over head. We then moved on towards the heath land. Here it was easy to pick up both Male and Female Stonechat, as well as Linnets. A male Whinchat also showed himself briefly, as did a Dartford Warbler collecting nesting material. Whilst over head held Sand Martins and lots of them. In fact at times there were so many and they were so low that you could literally tread on them, thankfully no one did and so we moved on. Above and Below: Male Stonechat Above and Below: Female Stonechat Above: Male Stonechat Below: Linnet Above: Sand Martin Below: Female Stonechat I then continued to the top of Hengistbury Head and took a look into Christchurch Harbour. A group of 6 Oystercatchers came in off the English Channel at this point and head over into the bay. In the bay there was a little Egret, 56 Mute Swan, 1000's of Gulls (mainly Great Black Backed, and Black Headed), 26 Cormorant, 20 Black-tailed Godwit, and also a similar amount of Redshank. Above: 4 out of the 6 Oystercatchers Below: 20 of the 26 Cormorant, along with 3 GBBG, and 3 Black Headed Gull I then continued along the headland and back into heath land. Sand Martins were still up above insect hunting and Stonechats were ever present on the tops of the Gorse bushes. Above: Sand Martin Below: Male Stonechat Below: Male Stonechat Me and my dad then continued on until we reached the pond where the old quarry used to be. Here at the start I could only see Mallards. Then a pair of Gadwall shot out of the far end of the pool and headed off towards Christchurch Harbour. Once me and my dad had reach the other side of the pond we could see 2 pairs of Teal fast asleep on the bank mixed in with the under growth. Then realising the time me and my dad started to head back, but not before a Female Sparrowhawk had been seen hunting over the back of the pool. Above: Teal Below: Female Sparrowhawk The way back was like digging for gold. You can either strike gold or miss it completely. Linnets on the path ahead were a good start. Then a Kestrel up over where 2 Little Egrets now were. Then 4 Mediterranean Gulls came over head calling and headed off in the general direction of Poole Harbour. The gave pretty decent views as well. Next up Sand Martins were now zipping through the fields at knee height, and 2 Male Pheasant had a scrap over a Female. Above: Linnet Below: Little Egret in tree Above and Below: Med Gull in flight Above: Male Pheasant Once in the car we drove along the cliff road and every so often there would be a wave of Swallows coming in off the Channel and up over the road heading off to their breeding grounds elsewhere in the UK. Ickford On Sunday I found myself in the car on a family outing to Ickford. On the way we headed up the A34 and I decided to do a car watch. After an hour and forty minutes I had 17 species noted down. This included 47 Red Kite, 28 Common Buzzard, 4 Kestrel, Rooks, Crows, Jackdaws, 5 Swallow, Pheasant, Lapwing, Skylark, and more. When we arrived in Ickford the first thing I noticed was that there were at least 5 Red Kites up over head, and Swallows were singing from the telephone wires. Above: Swallow Above: Red Kite Below: Swallow The first walk in Ickford was quite quiet until the middle of the walk. 2 Chiffchaff were heard, 27 Red Kite were seen, 3 Common Buzzard, 4 House Martin, Pied Wagtails, Swallows, Stock Dove, Pheasant, Meadow Pipit, and Linnet were all noted, and best of all my first Yellow Wagtail flew over head and called loudly for everyone to hear. During lunch I set about photographing Red Kites again, but the light was still poor and gave me some decent silhouette shots. The second walk in the afternoon produced much the same however I added Skylark, Lapwing, Mute Swan, Cormorant to the day list as well as the Thame's apparently first ever Little Egret in this area. The second walk did however produce one rather odd thing, a field of Alpacas!!! Above and Below: Alpacas Above and Below: Common Buzzard Above: Common Buzzard Below: Red Kite Below: Red Kite On the way back I did another car watch. This time along the M40. 42 Red Kite were seen including ten in a feeding frenzy just near where we drove onto the M40. 2 Pheasant were also seen along with, 2 Kestrel, 20+ Rook, 25+ Herring Gulls, a Common Buzzard, 2 Collared Dove, 4 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, Starlings, and 5 Mallard. Then after 45 minutes we arrived home, and when I went out to fill up the bird feeders I heard the first Singing Blackcap in my garden for 3 years.
And so this rounded off a great weekend, but I was not to know that it would only get better... Another glorious day on Saturday meant that I was able to go out for a pre-volunteering walk. When I got down to the Model boating pond the first thing I noticed was that all the Gulls had disappeared. This told me that spring was well and truly here. Coots were the main attraction on the pond, with Stock Dove flying over head, and a Cormorant sighting out on the platform. I then moved on to the bird sanctuary pond where a group of Tufted Ducks were feeding. A couple of Canada Geese were also present and Ring-necked parakeet fill the air with their chatter. Above: Coot Below: Cormorant Above and Below: Drake Tufted Duck I then headed up and onto the path through the middle of the new meadow habitat area above the Model Boating pond in the hope of a Wheatear or the Black Redstart reported in recent days, however I only managed Magpies, Jackdaws, and Blue Tit. I then headed back down the hill towards the Highgate Men's Bathing Pond. Above: Jackdaw There were singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap at this point from almost every section of bush on the heath, it was truly amazing to hear. A Great Crested Grebe had appeared on the Model Boating Pond once I had gotten to the bottom of the hill, as well as another 2 on the Men's Bathing pool, with ironically a group of Drake Mallards. A Great Tit appeared in the trees above just as I started to head towards Highgate Dog Pond. Above and Below: Great Crested Grebes Above: Great Tit When I got to the Dog pond, the first thing I noticed was the Mute Swan right infront of the viewing point alongside a group of Tufted Ducks. A Coot was sitting on a nest just off to the left hand side of the view point. A pair of Indian Runner ducks were also around presumably escapees. Herring Gulls sat on the rafts alongside a Cormorant, and a Mandarin Duck sat hidden in the bushes near the path. It was truly amazing to watch the Tufted Ducks diving so close to where I was standing and with the water being reasonably clear it gave me an insight into their lives. Above: Drake Tufted Duck Below: Coot on nest Above: Left, Female: Right, Male Tufted Ducks Next 2 Diving Tufted Ducks Above: Mute Swan Below: Indian Runner Duck Above: Feral Pigeon Below: Cormorant Above: Herring Gull Above and Below: Drake Mandarin I then moved on from here and headed towards where the Waxwings had been seen however unfortunately for me they weren't still there and that was another missed chance to tick them off for me. Instead got Starlings for compensation and a group of Greenfinch. I then headed up to Parliament Hill. I was going to head straight to the Volunteer hub, until I spotted 2 small birds fly catching from the tops of the trees right on top of the hill. When I got there I managed to find 2 Wheatear fly catching from the tops of the trees quite successfully it has to be said. After watching them for 20 minutes I then headed for the volunteer hub. Above and Below: Northern Wheatear Above: An Absolutely Smashing Starling When I got to the Volunteer hub I was surprised to find out that we were going to do a bird watching session. And at just after 12:30 we set off to teach the little'uns about birds and how fun bird watching can be as well as getting them to do some identifying activities. Once at the Dog Pond the first thing I noticed whilst I was setting up was that absolutely nothing had changed in the last hour, except a Grey Heron was now patrolling the back of the pond as well as a pair of Shoveler had just flown in from the West as we arrived and were now feeding on the pond too. Whilst we were by the pond the Mandarin Duck decided that he wanted to come out and have a bit of a preen and clean session in front of all the kids sending water flying in all directions. A kestrel flew across the back of the pool, before another flew into the trees above our heads. Ring-necked Parakeets and Long-tailed Tits kept us company at all times moving between the different trees above us. I was actually quite surprised at how many birders were on the heath on such a busy day and I recon we had more birders stop than children in the end, which wasn't really the point of us being there. Most of the kids that stopped really enjoyed the activities and I hope we managed to inspire the next generation of bird watchers. Above: Drake Shoveler Above and Below: Drake Mandarin Duck We then headed back to the volunteering hub and unloaded the wildlife bike of all our kit. Rather than finishing my day there I went back through the Heath to get to the Bus Stop. I checked the Trees again for Waxwings, but with no luck I moved back to the Dog Pond. From the Dog Pond I found a pair of Pied Wagtail out on the raft as well as a Grey Wagtail, which was quite a surprise. A Pair of Canada geese also flew in from the West and the Cormorant had decided he had enough and flew up circling and slowly gaining height until he headed off to the East. I also found another Scaup look-a-like Female Tufted Duck. Above: Ring-necked Parakeet Below: Male Pied Wagtail, with Female obscured Above: Drake Shoveler Below: Grey Wagtail Above: Herring Gull and Grey Wagtail Below: Female Pied Wagtail Above: Canada goose Below: Female Tufted Duck doing it's best impression of a Scaup I then headed round to the Men's bathing pond, however with people actually in it I didn't pick up anything new. Then at the Model Boating pond a pair of Egyptian Geese had appeared along with their 2 youngsters. A Great Crested Grebe was also feeding right up close to the path. Then from the Bird Sanctuary pond I picked up a pair of Gadwall as well as a Canada Goose sitting on a nest in an old tree trunk on the waters edge. Above and Below: Egyptian Geese Next 4: Great Crested Grebe Above and Below: Long-tailed Tit Above: Pair of Gadwall Below: Male Left, Female Right: Gadwall Above: Canada Goose on odd nest Below: Moorhen I then headed to the exit and unfortunately just after I packed my camera away 2 Goldcrests came and landed on the tree beside me giving insanely good views, typical. And so that was the end of my day on the Heath. Totteridge Valley Today was the first official meet up of the Totteridge valley birders. We showed each other new routes and also shared local knowledge with each other, and of course as with all good birders we went birding on what feels like an under watched valley. First of all we took a public footpath off Frith Lane in the hope of some summer migrants and a Swallow wasn't a bad start. Stock Dove are all over the place at the moment and so to are the Ring-necked Parakeets. A pair of Lapwing and a Red-legged Partridge were in the first field that we checked which was a very good start. House Sparrows can now officially be added to the patch list with one near the farm building we walked past. A pair of Pied Wagtails were also around with the male sitting watch from the top of the Barn and the Female feeding in the fields. Above: Jackdaw and Lapwing Above: Female Pied Wagtail We then lost a member of our group to other commitments, however 3 of us kept going. We ended up on the path coming down from Partingdale lane to the sound of Calling Nuthatches, and finally a patch year tick for all of us a Singing Willow Warbler at the top of one of the large Oak trees that wasn't fully leafed up yet. Then all of a sudden we disturbed something from one of the near by trees and when I got it in my binoculars it was a Little Owl. What a beauty he was too. Above: Little Owl We then carried on our journey to the sound of singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff occasionally getting a viewing of one of them. Butterflies were the main attraction on the path towards Burtonhole Lane with Orange Tip, Peacock, and Speckled Wood all making an appearance. Above and Below: Speckled Wood We then headed down past the Nursaries to cow field with no sign of any Wheatears, however our first Buzzard of the day was seen alongside a Sparrowhawk. We then headed North of the Cow field and took a look in the bordering field to find 3 Lapwings alongside the usual Jackdaw and Carrion Crow. This brought us up to 5 for the day and is a record for this year, bar Simons flock flying over earlier in the year. Above: Jackdaw with Lapwing We then headed into the Owl field, and this brought about 2 calling Reed Buntings, as well as more Buzzard, Stock Dove, and Chiffchaff. Butterflies were also good here with a Common Blue among others. Above: Common Buzzard We then headed to Darlands Lake, where there was a Moorhen, a sleepy Grey Heron and also still 4 Teal (3f 1m) out on the Lake. A couple of Wrens also sang from round the edge, Green Woodpeckers Yaffled, and Great Spotted Woodpeckers drummed. Above and Below: Drake Teal We then followed the Folly Brook along and found the Snakes Head Fertilary that originally got this site it's SSSI status, until they decided that it had been planted here rather than a naturally occurring plant species for here. Next we headed on towards Woodside park and the Dollis Brook. Along the way we picked up 3 Jays, another 4 Buzzard, a Herring Gull, a Collared Dove and Best of all 2 Pairs of Bullfinch eating the buds of one of the trees, what a treat it was to watch these little beauties for a few minutes. This was the second time I had seen this species in a Week after failing to do so for almost a year since my first at Garston Wood on the Wiltshire, Dorset border last May. We then headed back along the Dollis Brook until we parted ways and marked the end of what is going to become The Totteridge Valley Birders. Above and Below: Snakeheads Fritillary. And so the Totteridge Valley Birders have met and now we are setting about getting more people on patch. This is partially due to the large area of the patch and also because we all can't bird the valley all the time. We aim to improve this by running guided walks and helping/ enticing people into falling in love with this area just as the 4 of us have done. There is a walk led by John for the local RSPB group coming up on May 20th (2pm meet outside St Pauls church), for those that are interested majority of the Totteridge Valley Birders will be present on the day. Our first official Totteridge Valley Birders guided walk will be sometime in June and the date and timing is still TBC. For all those that are interest here is a link to the website for recommended walks as well as a regularly updated Totteridge Valley Bird List.
This marks the end of a busy spell of birding for me and with further blog posts to add I should probably get a good nights sleep. Unfortunatlely my life list hasn't got any bigger today, however my Totteridge Valley list has, with House Sparrow, Little Owl, Bullfinch, and Lapwing all added today, and with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker possibly being heard the other day by Ian (potentially the first since 2009) there is still the potential for more species to be added to my Totteridge Valley list, and life list... When I set out this morning it was freezing, with even a touch of frost on the grass, but that soon changed into probably one of the warmest days of the years so far, and I probably should have worn shorts and shorts sleeves. I decided to head to Rainham today and moved somethings around so that I could actually go in the sun for a change. The day started off well with a Swallow seen from the train just before West Ham on the Overground. When I got out of the train at Rainham, the air was full of the song of Cetti's warblers, singing their little hearts out from the other side of the track from where I stood waiting for the level crossing's barriers to go up. Once onto the other side a Collared Dove came over head and landed in Rainham North. A Coot was also in one of the channels beside me. Goldfinch and Linnets were all over the place and so to were the Midges. Below: Coot Unusually Rainham North produced nothing more and so I headed under the A13 and onto Rainham West. Immediately this all changed with 3 Reed Buntings appearing in a short space of time (2m 1f). Cetti's Warblers not only called, but also started to show themselves too. A Pair of Mute Swan took off from one of the channels and headed up and over the A13 and continued until they were just dots in the sky. A pair of Mallard, and also a pair of Canada Geese also did the same. Lapwing could be seen out on Rainham North and a pair of Gadwall seemed agitated. Below: Male Reed Bunting I then took a pause by the second bridge in Rainham North and identified that I was listening to at least 3 Cetti's Warbler, and to make it easier for me 2 of them decided to show themselves. A couple of Dunnock were also in the bushes here and so too was a singing Chiffchaff, however rather annoyingly I couldn't locate it. I then continued along a little further and found my first caterpillar of the year, a Garden Tiger Moth. I then continued to the bend once I had seen the Caterpillar cross the path safely. From the bend I managed to pick up 5 different Cetti's Warblers calling and finally I managed to pick up some Skylark singing and bug hunting over the fields. A Ring-necked Parakeet also flew over whilst I was here heading towards the landfill, which is a rare sighting for this part of London. 4 Shelduck appeared overhead and 2 Coot were seen in the channels. I then continued on my journey and checked in and amongst the cows for Yellow Wagtails, but I could only find Magpies. Another 3 Cetti's Warblers called along the final section of the walk way in Rainham North and I emerged on to Coldharbour Lane listening to the songs of Blackbirds and Blackcaps. Above and Below: Dunnock Above: Garden Tiger Moth Caterpillar Below: Male Blackcap I then took the path towards the Stone Barges where Howard had told me that 2 Cetti's Warblers were calling. I can now confirm that there are 3 Cetti's Warblers calling from this section of the reserve with one at each end and one in the middle. The one in the middle is by far the showiest. As I neared the Stone Barges a flock of Starlings came through over head and as I headed to the pier I found nothing, but blue sky and Feral Pigeons. I was rather excited to find out that it was high tide for a change. I actually haven't been to this part of the reserve at high tide before, due to the fact that I normally come on a 2 week basis and recently that has been at low tide. Redshank weren't present at the Barges, however a large amount of large gulls were. Most of these Gulls were Great Black backed, Lesser Black Backed, and Herring, as well as Black Headed gulls dotted about on what little mud was left. Around the Barges there were still a few Teal, but numbers were certainly down on previous occasions and also a pair of Shelduck were feeding alongside a number of Gadwall. Above: Male Gadwall Below: Shelduck Above: Left, Male Teal: Right, Female Teal I then continued on my journey with Skylarks singing up on the tip and Linnets also flying about. As I rounded the corner I found a pair of Oystercatchers on the last little bit of mud left and also a Drake Teal and also a pair of Mallard. A Cormorant also flew past and headed off into the distance in the direction of London. Above: Oystercatchers Below: Left, Drake Mallard: Right, Female Mallard Above: Drake Teal Below: Pair of Mallards I then continued up towards the path over the Landfill picking up a flock of 12 Shelduck sitting on the edge of the landfill as well as lots of Peacock and Small White butterflies. A group of Gadwall was found alongside a small group of Teal that had been pushed off the mud and into the Thames by the rising tide. A section of dense bushes contained the first Robins of the day as well as a group of Goldfinch and also some Linnets. After this a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly was found and a group of Skylarks and Linnets were seen over towards the landfill. Above and Below: Peacock Butterfly Above and Below: Small White Above: Group of Shelduck Below: Pair of Gadwall Above: Drake Left, Female Right: Gadwall Above: Small Tortoiseshell I then headed up onto the path over the landfill. This path was full of Linnets, Skylarks, and Meadow pipits. There was also the occasional Reed Bunting. I stood on top listening to the cacophony of noise from the Skylarks and Meadow Pipits but I couldn't pick up any Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, or Wheatear. I then moved down a bit and rather than looking over Wennington from the Serin Mound I decided to do it from a better vantage point. This paid off with me immediately picking up two Male Marsh Harriers over the Marsh and also a Female coming up every so often to take food from on of them. A couple of Pheasant were also in the fields and Lapwing made their strange noise every time something larger than them stepped anywhere near their nest. I then decided to continue my journey onwards. Above: Linnet Below: Skylark Above: Peacock Butterflies Below: Linnet Above: Meadow Pipit Below: Reed Bunting Below: Meadow Pipit I then headed for the visitor centre picking up a Pheasant on the bend by Coldharbour Lane carpark, a Reed Warbler singing near the enclosed Bay, lots of Linnets and Goldfinch along the sea wall, and a couple of Redshank on the Sea Wall sheltering from the high tide. I then retreated into the visitor Centre for some lunch and unusually the feeders had very little on them bar the regular House Sparrows. Above and Below: Linnet Below: Drake Shoveler After lunch I headed out of the centre and did my usual duck count on Purfleet Scrape. However with no Wigeon present it was much easier than usual. I managed to also pick up a Common Snipe along the back edges of the pool and a couple or Redshank and Lapwings were about for company. Above: Common Snipe Below: Redshank I then headed round to Purfleet hide and picked up a magnificent Drake Pintail as well as the usual Shoveler and Teal, But with a rather long winded scan I could pick up nothing more, and headed out of the hide to find a Swallow up over my head heading out onto the Thames. Above: Drake Pintail, with Gadwalls Below: lapwing Below: Drake Pintail I then headed up to the MDZ and along the way I found a couple of bushes full of life. One contained at least 3 Starlings, and the other contained a displaying Sedge Warbler. The channels also held quite a bit of life, with a couple of Little Grebes and also a pair of Coot. Above: Starling Next 3: Sedge Warbler I then headed into the MDZ, and picked up Shoveler, and also a Coot on it's nest. Rather worryingly the Kingfishers haven't been seen this year in their normal nesting site and maybe the cold snap at the end of January has taken its toll... I then came out of the MDZ to the sound of croaking frogs coming from all directions. I then headed round the bend and found a cracking Male Stonechat on the fence next to the Marquee field. I then checked the channels there and found a large group of Stickleback, and a Reed Bunting perched above them. I then headed to the bridge by the turnstile and found one of the Big'uns, a massive croaking Marsh Frog. I then continued to the Butt's hide and on the way had more Lapwing, Shelduck, and Cetti's Warblers, and unfortunately no Bearded Tits, or Yellow Wagtails. Above and Below: Male Stonechat Above: Spot the Stickleback from the Stick Below: Male Reed Bunting Above: Male Stonechat Above: The Beast Below: Lapwing Next up was the Butt's Hide. I started off as per usual looking into the Reserve. Here a Cormorant sat on one of the islands and also a large amount of Pochards and Tufted Ducks sat around the pools lazily. A Wigeon which was new to the day list sat in an amongst a group of Shoveler, and a Little Egret fed along the bank at the far end alongside Canada Geese and Greylag. A Great Crested Grebe was also out on this pool. Above: Cormorant with female Tufteds. Below: Cormorant and both female and male Tufted Ducks Above: Male Pochard Below: Tufted Ducks and Male Pochard Above: Cormorant doing the back crawl Below: Tufted Ducks Above and Below: Little Egret Above: Male Pochard Below: Gadwall Below: Grey Heron in flight I then proceed to looking out on to Wennington. Here I picked up a distant Common Snipe, as well as 12 Gadwall, 22 Shelduck, 31 Teal, 12 Pintail, 70 Shoveler, 8 Wigeon, some Coots, and some Moorhen, and a Cormorant also sat on the box out in the middle. A Sand Martin was seen coming in from the Thames before heading straight off North and over the power lines turning into a tiny speck in my Binoculars. A Kestrel then briefly hovered outside of the hide before heading off. Above: kestrel Below: Cormorant I then continued and found a nice pair of Mute Swan and a group of Mallards in one of the pools before continuing through the reed beds to the viewing platforms. Just before I got to the viewing platform I heard a monstrous noise and out of the reeds flew up a Water Rail and as soon as it saw me it dived straight back in. It was like it was on a trampoline. This noise however had disturbed a Reed Warbler which decided to come to the tops of the Reeds to sing his little heart out, but unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to get a photo, and soon the reeds were quite again. Above: Mute Swan Both the viewing platforms contained the usual Tufted Ducks and also Pochard, as well as a small group of Little Grebe out in and amongst them. A Great Crested Grebe was also out by itself in the middle of the pool and an Oystercatcher was at the back with the Group of Shoveler. An interesting insect, which an ID would be greatly appreciated, landed on my arm and with it not budging, I gently put it on a reed next to me and continued my journey. Above: Great Crest Grebe Below: Tufteds, Oystercatcher, Herring Gull, and Shoveler Above: Grey Heron I then continued round to the Ken Barret's hide and found a Wren before seeing the Terrapin for the first time, and to be honest it couldn't have been more obvious. I don't know how I missed it on previous occasions. I then also looked up to find a Magpie nest in the nearest tree. I then continued to the hide. Above: Wren Below: Terrapin Above Magpie Nest... Spot the Magpie From the Ken Barret Hide it was mainly Mallards to be seen. A pair of Little Grebes were around and a sleepy female Pochard sat on the side. After some time a Greylag goose flew in rather nosily and so did a Drake Shoveler. Above: Little Grebe Below: Female Pochard Above: Greylag Below: Drake Mallard Above: This was paired up with the Mallard above, but something is bugging me about the beak. It just doesn't seem right Below: Drake Shoveler I then headed round to the Woodland Feeders. Along the way I found a singing Chiffcaff and also a Green Woodpecker. Unfortunately the Barn Owl wasn't visible, because he wasn't sitting on the edge of his box. Above and Below: GreenWoodpecker Above: Chiffchaff When I got to the woodland feeders I saw a Male Reed Bunting fly away and also 6 Brown Rats around the feeders accompanied by 3 Dunnock, and a Robin. There was also a Collarded Dove and some Blue and Great Tits, but with nothing else in store I moved on. Above and Below: Brown Rats I then continued round the Woodland loop and found both Greenfinch and Chaffinch to add to my day list, as well as what I believe to be a Chiffchaff, but it neither sang nor showed its face before flying off. A Collared Dove flew into one of the trees near the cordite store and a Blackcap was seen near Dents Drop. I then headed rather quickly back to the centre to get a bottle of water before the café shut. Above: Greenfinch Below: Chiffchaff Above: Collared Dove Below: Male Blackcap I then headed for the station and had a train cancelled on me. I decided to do a spot of bird watching and picked up 6 Linnet, 2 Male Blackcaps, and a day first a Great Spotted Woodpecker just as the train pulled into the platform at Purfleet.
A truly magical day with magical lighting, saw me see 64 Species of birds in the end and leaving my life list intact. What will my future birding trips hold? (I have a massive backlog of blogs at the moment so sorry for the bombardment in the coming days...) RSPB Arne An early start on Monday seemed the best idea when me and my Dad set out, however by the time we had reached Arne the mist had rolled in off the sea and turned day into night. We decided to have a walk on the Coombe Heath side of the reserve. When we got out onto the reserve there was an eerie feel to the place, partially due to the fact that we were the only people there. The songs of many Blackbirds, Chiffchaffs, Wrens, and Robins could be heard, however seeing these birds was virtually impossible. The first birds were seen eventually, in the form of 2 Chaffinch, 2 Song Thrush, Blue Tits, Great Tits, and also a Great Spotted Woodpecker. A pair of Goldcrest were seen along the heathland side of the path busily catching any insect that dared to trend in their path. Just as me and my dad were about to take the right hand path at the intersection the unmistakable sight of the White Doe Sika Deer appeared on the path in front and could just about be seen with around 30 other Sika Deer. The fog still wasn't clearing as we headed down the path towards the view point. A Goldfinch called from the top of a nearby tree and Linnet and Meadow Pipits called overhead, but they were virtually impossible to see through the fog. Below: Goldfinch We headed down to the view point, however you couldn't see Middlebere channel. We had a fly past from a pair of Shelduck and I just about managed to pick out the calling Chiffchaff from the top of the tree nearby, but that was all so we headed onto the hide. Along the way we picked up another group of Sika Deer in and amongst the heather, then into the hide we went. Above and Below: Singing Chiffchaff From the hide you could see nothing, but the mist/ fog was starting to show signs of lifting. After a while you could see the bank in front of the hide and I picked up a group of Teal asleep on the side. You could just about make out some Shelducks flying down the channel and also some Black Headed Gulls. Eventually the Channel revealed itself and showed us 6 pairs of Shelduck and about 16 Teal on the far Bank. With the Fog showing no sign of further retreat, we got up to leave the hide and notice a Sika Deer staring at us from the Salt Marsh below. Above: Teal Below: Shelduck Above: Shelduck Below: Teal Once we were out of the hide and back onto the footpath, there was a large group of Meadow pipits about, some Chaffinch were also on the path and both a Wren and Dunnock called out from one of the nearby bushes. We then headed down to the viewing and picked up a Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit as well as just about picking up some more Shelduck out in the distance, but the visibility was still poor and therefore we headed back on to the path and continued our journey. Above and Below: Meadow Pipit Above: Meadow Pipit Below: Chaffinch Above: Meadow Pipit We then headed along the path and found a Chiffchaff singing in the 'wet' Woodland on the right hand side of the path, as well as a Wren singing from one of the bushes. It was starting to clear up a bit now as we headed further and further inland. The Group of Sika Deer were still present when we made it back to the junction and 2 Drake Mallards were feeding on one of the ponds. Above and Below: Chiffchaff Above and Below: Wren When we got back I went to my post for the day, on the welcome hut. Once inside I scanned the feeders, due to the fact that it wasn't very busy yet. A couple of pairs of Siskin had come down to feed as well as Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Blackbirds, a pair of Nuthatch, and a Male House Sparrow. A Group of Wood Ants were near the hut and were very busy due to the sun shinning right on their entrance. Above and Below: Male Siskin Above: A Pair Of Siskin Below: Wood Ants The reserve did soon get very busy and eventually the bird sightings flooded in. After about 12:30 the initial flurry of people arriving had settled down and with the tent in car park 2 taking the full force of all the visitors, at the Welcome hut we set about a sky watch. At first we got nothing, but a few woodpigeon, but the when the other volunteer in the hut went away to make some hot drinks, I was rewarded with 4 Thermalling Buzzard drifting NW, and a Swallow heading in the same direction. Then it went quiet again once the other volunteer had returned. Eventually we had quite a good amount of Buzzard movement with one coming over every 10 minutes or so. At around 3 o'clock I went out to find Firecrest for the day list, and as I was leaving the hut 2 more Swallows came over heading NW. Unfortunately the Firecrest were not in their usual holly bush, however a pair of Blackcap were and that was a good addition to the list. One the way back I stopped to look at a Robin in a nearby tree and got a Goldcrest insect catching as well. Once back in the Hut we carried on the sky watch producing Green Woodpeckers, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Mistle Thrush, and then excitement came again as a Tern flew over the tree line, however before any of us could identify it, it had turned around and headed back to the comfort of the EU and who could blame it, and that was it bar a Kestrel that came over. After Volunteering on the Hut I went out for an after 'work' walk on the Shipstal side in the hope of getting a Dartford Warbler. When we got down to the view point the Dartford Warblers weren't present, however Curlew were patrolling the Salt Marsh below as well as Oystercatchers, Cormorant, Little Egret, and a Black Tailed Godwit. Also 2 more Swallow came in off the bay and a Buzzard was seen thermalling over one of the nearby islands. Black Headed Gulls were everywhere and 2 flyby Med Gulls were good, although those were the only ones that I could pick up. Looking the other way from the view point produced a Coal Tit and also a flyby Raven. A Pheasant was also heard calling, but I didn't manage to locate it. A Group of Sika Deer were also around with the White Stag present. Above: Curlew Above: Oystercatcher Below: Black Headed Gulls, with Cormorant Above: Black Headed Gulls Below: Common Buzzard Above and Below: Wood Ants Above: Black-tailed Godwit Below: Coal Tit Above: Black Headed Gulls We then continued our Journey back through the woodland finding Rabbits, as well as 2 Swallow up over the Farm, and occasionally they would come down through the herd of Long Horns. Just as me and my dad entered the car park a Robin sat in a patch of Brambles next to me and started singing. This ended a truly magically day at Arne, and even though I didn't manage to get a Dartford Warbler I still had a great day Volunteering at Arne. Above: Robin Next 3: Robin Stour River Valley: Kingfisher Barn When me and my dad arrived at the Kingfisher Barn it was peaceful and with the sound of House Sparrows chirping, Starlings, and Jackdaws it felt like I was in the middle of the olden days English countryside. This I find is becoming increasingly hard to find due to the dramatic drop in the number of both House Sparrows and Starlings in the UK in recent years. Me and my dad set off heading upstream. A Treecreeper could be seen climbing about hunting for tasty treats on the trees on the other side of the water as well as a Pheasant in the field there too. Chiffchaff were singing from all over the place and Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, and Great Tit were all seen. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into the trees above us and a Drake Mallard and a Mute Swan were on the river front. Above: Drake Mallard Below: Mute Swan We then moved on and had a flyover Cormorant as well as a Chinnook. A Grey Heron was also eventually picked up in the River fishing on the opposite bank and a Chiffchaff sang from a nearby telephone wire. Herring Gulls and Black Headed Gulls were also becoming quite numerous overhead. Above and Below: Grey Heron Above and Below: Chiffchaff We then moved on and into fly mania. A pair of Common Buzzards were using the thermals to gain height and 2 Swallow could be seen demolishing the flies. A Song thrush also sat at the top of one of the bushes singing its little heart out and 2 Black Headed Gulls sat on the rocks waiting for something to stray into their paths. Above: Song Thrush Above and Below: I believe these are Common Buzzards, but I am not too sure anymore... Next 3: Black Headed Gulls We then reached the end of the footpath and turned around to the sound of a Cetti's Warbler. When trying to locate the Cetti's Warbler I only managed to find a Robin, however when I realised that there was something else in the bush with this Robin it came a quite a surprise, A pair of Bullfinch. This was the best view I had ever had of a Bullfinch (until the 4 in Totteridge on Sunday) and watching them was quite a privilege. A Greenfinch was also present, but was out done by a truly special finch family member. Above: Greenfinch Below: Bullfinch Above and Below: Bullfinch I then went to check out the Sewage Works to see if the Siberian Chiffchaff was still around, but as per usual it was nowhere to be seen or heard, however a Cetti's Warbler made my dad jump out of his skin when it erupted into song from a very close by thicket. There weren't any wagtails on the sewage plant either, however Herring Gulls were just about everywhere you looked. Above: Wren Above: Different aged Herring Gulls Below: Greenfinch We continued our journey and added a few more singing Ciffchaff, as well as 3 Mute Swans. When we got back to where we had parked I had to take an opportunity to photograph the House Sparrows, due to the fact that there were just so many and they also are becoming harder and harder to find these days. (except at Rainham) Above and Below: Mute Swans Above: Blackbird Above and Below: male House Sparrow Bournemouth and Lytchett Bay Early in the morning me and my dad went out for a walk along the beach and unlike the walks that we had done in winter this produced literally just Herring Gulls, Great Black Backed Gulls, and Feral Pigeons, but at least it was sunny. In the Afternoon me and my Dad headed to the Poole side of Lytchett Bay. The reason for this was to see the Green-winged Teal and the Lesser Yellow Legs, however I misread the instructions that I was given and ended up on the wrong side. When we arrived it was clear that the tide was starting to push everything up into the bay. Black-tailed Godwits were out in large numbers, as well as Black Headed Gulls and Redshank. Shelduck were also around and so too were House Sparrows. A Buzzard also sat rather menacingly on the edge of a bush. Above: Black-tailed Godwit Below: Common Buzzard We then continued round to the view point where we picked up a Mute Swan as well as Curlew off in the distance. As we continued our journey round to the new viewing platform I picked up a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the trees over towards the housing as well as some Teal, Redshank, and a Little Egret in the bay. Above: Little Egret Below: Teal Below: Redshank After walking through a wall of singing Chiffchaffs and 2 singing Cetti's we arrived at the viewing point. Immediately the action started with a Sparrowhawk shooting into the nearby tree and narrowly missing a Goldfinch. Then a Peregrine appeared overhead and when I tried to get a photo of it, my camera would only focus in on the Buzzard that was mobbing it. Out in front of me it was quieter with Teal feeding, in and amongst the Black-headed Gulls, and 4 Little Egrets walked in and out of them in search of fishy prey. Above and Below: Common Buzzard Above: 3 of the 4 Little Egret, along with Black Headed Gulls. Below: Drake Teal Above: Female Teals, with Black Headed Gulls Below: Teals Me and my Dad then headed back to the car, with a brief stop just before South Haven Close. Here we picked up a pair of Mute Swan, a pair of Shelduck, a Little Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling running in and out of the Redshank flock, 3 Collared Doves on the local houses, a male Pied Wagtail on one of the boats, and I am starting to wonder if I have photographed a Greenshank, however the photo is so dodgy that it is virtually impossible to tell. Above: Spot the House Sparrows Below: Mute Swan Above: Mute Swan, Black Headed Gull flying, Shelduck out in the middle and assorted others along the back bank. Below: Redshank, with LRP (middle bird in the line of 3), and possible Greenshank on the right. And so we headed back to the car after a truly wonderful trip to Dorset and drove home. Unfortunately my life list still stands at 161 after coming so close to 4 potential British lifers. I wonder where my next adventure will take me...
Me and my Great Aunt set out early on Sunday morning to do our Early BBS Survey. (Breeding Birds Survey) Our square takes us along the Dollis Brook between the Viaduct and Windsor open space, and then through the suburbs of Finchley central for our second section. As per usual we had picked a truly stunning morning with no wind, rain, or clouds to do the Survey on. Once out on the first section we could hear Green Woodpeckers Yaffling, and we picked up what is a rare find on the brook, a Goldcrest. As per usual Woodpigeon was our highest count with 8 in the first section. The Second section brought up another Goldcrest making it the most numerous count for them in one survey since the first year this square was covered, 2000. Again woodpigeon was most numerous here with Robin coming in a close second. On to the Third section and by this time Wrens singing was becoming more common, and occasionally they would show themselves. 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen and also 2 Song Thrush were seen suggesting that resident birds could be back after only previously being seen in the winter months. Again Woodpigeon was our highest count in this section. Section 4 was a good one for us with a flock of 10 Ring-necked Parakeets in the trees above us, 3 Herring Gull also came over which is the largest ever amount to be recorded on this square. Also a massive tick for the day was a singing Chiffchaff which is the first one recorded in this square since 2007. Also a pair of Stock Dove was seen, as these birds continue to thrive in this area. Unfortunately even with the large numbers of other bird species Wood Pigeon were still most numerous with 13 individuals. Moving onto section 5, this brought us our first Grey Heron for 2 years and also 2 Green Woodpeckers, more Ring-necked Parakeets appeared and so did the pigeons with 14 woods and 3 Feral's seen in this section. Next a break was had as we moved into position to do the second transact. As per usual everything was silent even though we have to cross a busy main road. Onto Section 6 now and a flyby Starling is always a good start to a section. We also managed to add our first Collared Doves on the so called Collared Dove corner. Rather unusually the most numerous bird in this section was Blue Tit with 6 individuals seen. Section 7 is always a poor section, we did however still manage 5 species. The most numerous bird here was the Robin. Section 8 is always interesting and as per last year we had Jay's on the correctly named Jay tree and a Long-tailed tit was seen by itself feeding on, I believe, insects in a tree. The Woodpigeon reclaimed top spot in this section after slacking a bit in the previous. Section 9 start with a bang, and that sent a flock of 11 Goldfinch up in to the air. This was about as interesting as it got and the Goldfinch claimed most numerous here. The last section, Section 10 produced our first Nuthatches guarding a nest hole in a pollarded tree, lots of pairs of Goldfinch were seen flying about at the tops of the trees, making it again the most numerous species. And then another great survey was complete. 28 Species were recorded in this early survey and we are on track to brake our record of 32 from last years. Woodpigeon numbers were up from last year with the second best year on record for them, and Goldfinch numbers have sored from none in 2000 to a steady increase, and now at 22 birds at least in this area. We will be back at some point in May to find out how the Brook differs between now and then. So when I got home I realised that I was locked out, but I had my birding gear on me, so I went for a local walk onto the Brook, and don't worry there are pictures in this part. As soon as I headed down the path towards the Brook over head there were 6 Stock Dove having a bit of a scrap at the tops of the trees, and a pair of Jackdaw were collecting nest material, which depending on were they breed could be the first local record for 5 years! Above: Stock Dove Below: Jackdaw When I got down to the bridge I had a quick scan around and picked up a couple of Squirrels, and a pair of Long-tailed Tits collecting nesting materials. A Mistle Thrush also briefly flew into the top of a large Oak tree. Above and Below: Long-tailed Tit I then decided to turn right before the bridge and head along the 'new' path, here I picked up a singing Male Blackcap, as well as some Robin's, Wrens, and a pair of Stock Dove checking out a nesting hole. The Little Egret wasn't in his normal place and the Kingsfishers haven't returned to their hole yet and so I continued my journey heading back on the opposite side of the Brook. Above and Below: Male Blackcap Above and Below: Stock Dove Above: Wren Below: Robin As I headed onto the other path, a Treecreeper appear on the trunk of the tree in front of me, however I wasn't quick enough to get a photo, before a Dog came charging through and scared it into the denser trees at the back. This is my first one on the Brook for quite some time, but as always it is good to see that they are still here. A couple of Ring-necked Parakeets called nosily from the trees above as I continued my Journey and headed for the bridge again. On my way I managed to find the Chiffchaff that had been singing and also a lovely Robin came and sat next to me. Above and Below: Chiffchaff Below: Robin Rather than going home I decided to do the next section of the Brook and so I headed for the next bridge along. Along the way I picked up mainly Blackbirds and Robins and I was disappointed not to find a Grey Wagtail. Just after the next bridge I found the pair of Teal that have been present since January in their favourite part of the river feeding and for a change didn't seem to notice me, because they were too engrossed in their food. All Above photo's are of Teal, with left hand birds being Male and Right hand Females... I then continued round to the pond where I found my first Mandarin Duck on the Brook for almost six years. He was sat in the shade and trying to get some sleep, A group of Mallard also flew in, and some Moorhens were present. This pond used to have both breeding Canada Geese and also Mute Swans, but the last 6 years the Mandarins, Canada Geese, and Mute Swans have moved away and are scarcely seen. A pair of Jay's were also seen at the top of one of the nearby trees. Above: Mandarin Duck Above and Below: Drake Mallards Above and Below: Jay Below: Mandarin Duck I then headed back along the Brook and took the chance to take some scenery photo's before heading home. Above and Below: Drake Teal And so that was the end of my birding day, and except for well over 30 Buzzards thermalling above the M3 it was a pretty quite rest of the day. My life list still stands at 161 for Britain and I have totaled my entire world life list at 263 Species.
(I am sorry about the delay to this blog and also the next one, but I am having problems with uploading photos at the moment...) |
AuthorI have been a birder since i was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 16. ArchivesCategories |