Lincs Coast Birder

American Black Tern revisited

2011-10-26T18:28:00.001+01:00

American Black Tern (juv) - not surprisingly the star bird so far this autumn in Lincs.

Sea View & Grainthorpe 25/10/11

2011-10-26T00:01:00.009+01:00

With rain in the night hopes were high some good birds might be up for grabs on the coast. Unfortunately I didn't find the big one but I did find 2 Firecrests at Sea View - what cracking little gems they are. A Brambling and Lapland Bunting were also heard at Sea View.
A Black Redstart was on top of Grainthorpe Haven Pumping Station, while a young Marsh Harrier & 3 Merlin patrolled the adjacent marsh.

Firecrest - one of the two at Sea View

Arizona 2011

2011-10-24T13:03:00.003+01:00

Started trawling through my Arizona photos from earlier in the year - here's a few for starters...

White-breasted Nuthatch

Acorn Woodpecker - the most common woodpecker we encountered

American Robin - a species Lincs birders remember well

Wilson's Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler - along with Wilson's, the most common warbler species

Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake

Wilson's Phalarope - one of 386 on Wilcox lake, a memorable sight!

Red-tailed Hawk

Killdeer

Black Brant on the patch 23/10/11

2011-10-24T12:11:00.005+01:00

Southerly winds turned southeasterly and increased late afternoon. The star bird was a Black Brant - surprisingly the first I've seen on the patch. Also seen: 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Pinkfeet, the Greenshank still at Pyes, ringtail Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Merlin & 2 Lapland Buntings.

Black Brant, Donna Nook 23/10/11

Horseshoe Point 09/10/11

2011-10-11T00:56:00.005+01:00

Strong westerlies, rain, v poor light but the persistence at this exposed site is rewarded when this light, brown-coloured wader with a white chest band appeared in my scope whilst scanning a distant Golden Plover flock.

Dotterel

(very poor digiscoped record shot in awful conditions, but it's good enough to confirm the ID)

Donna Nook 19/09/2010

2010-09-20T00:27:00.006+01:00

An afternoon visit in moderate SW's with persistent rain was never going to be ideal for migration. A Curlew Sandpiper & Little Stint were with a small group of Ringed Plover & Dunlin. 2 Greenshank were at the Pyes end. A juvenile Marsh Harrier hunted the saltmarsh.
Dropped in at Cleethorpes on the way back after a report of a Spoonbill but there was no sign. 18 Little Egrets were logged heading off to roost.

Sandilands & Sea View

2010-08-30T21:44:00.005+01:00

Managed a 2 hour seawatch today in blustery NNW's (admittedly not at the best time of the day - 11.50 to 13.50).
Highlight was undoubtedly the party of 5 Long-tailed Skuas that drifted reasonably high south over the sea. Best of the rest were 4 Arctic Skua, 2 summer plumaged Red-throated Diver, a Purple Sandpiper N (my 2nd in 3 days) & 68 Common Scoter, A good selection of waders heading north though - Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Curlew, Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Dunlin & Sanderling all went through.
After the seawatch I dropped in at Sea View where the best bird was a Pied Flycatcher, with 3 Lesser Whitethroats & 6 Willow Warblers also seen.

Donna Nook 28/08/10

2010-08-30T21:25:00.005+01:00

With Wrynecks, Barred & Wood Warblers across the water in the Spurn area & an Icterine reported at Sea View, I thought I'd better check the local patch. In blustery conditions all I could manage were a few Willow Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats & a Reed Warbler. 3 Marsh Harriers together over Pyes was a nice sight and a fourth bird was seen on the southern section of the reserve. Other birds seen included Merlin, Whimbrel, 5 Green Sandpiper & 3 Greenshank. I then checked the tide edge & though I failed to see any skuas or shearwaters, I was surprised to find a Purple Sandpiper there. I've only ever seen one previous bird on the patch and that was along the same stretch of beach almost exactly a year ago (30/8/09). Purple Sandpipers are quite a scarce sight in Lincolnshire as we just don't have the right habitat for them and Donna Nook reflects this with sand & mud flats & no rocky habitat whatsoever. Purple Sandpiper is one of my favourite waders, probably because they are usually quite approachable - this particular individual was no exception....

Israel 27th April - 5th May 2010 (Part 2)

2010-05-09T15:45:00.005+01:00

Little Green Bee-eater

Honeys (click to enlarge).
Three of the typical variations of Honey Buzzard can be seen here.

This male Honey Buzzard was found dead by the side of the road

Looking for Temminck's Lark in the baking heat

Wood Sandpiper

Checking the saltpans at Eilat Birdwatching Centre

Scanning the skies

Little Stint

Cruising the Israeli highways

The back of a Thick-billed Lark!

Spur-winged Plover

& Spur-winged Plover chick

Collared Pratincole

Spanish Sparrow

The scenery was impressive

Sand Partridge

Quail - the first time I'd actually seen one, after hearing plenty over the years.

Mourning Wheatear

Up into the mountains we go

North Beach, Eilat

Levant Sparrowhawk

At times I got the feeling we were birding quite close to the Jordan border

Greater Flamingo

Broad-billed Sandpiper - After 15 years of birding I finally caught up with one!

One of the oldies can't keep up with the pace

Alan comes back from nod land

Israel 27th April - 5th May 2010 (Part 1)

2010-05-07T15:29:00.022+01:00

Slender-billed Gull

North Beach, Eilat at sunset

Masked Shrike (female)

Honey Buzzard

Some of the little critters really did blend in well with their surroundings

With such big areas to cover, locating target birds wasn't exactly easy! (note Howard in the distance)

Red-backed Shrike (female)

Rufous Bush Chat

Nubian Ibex

Smart building on a Kibbutz

Namaqua Doves

Kentish Plover

House Crows

You could see three countries from this viewpoint. Egypt is on the far right, the mountain in the foreground on the left is in Israel & the distant mountains also on the left being part of Jordan.

The border with Egypt

Alan clearly wasn't afraid of heights (click to enlarge)

Howard scanning for raptors

Yellow-vented Bulbul

In the middle of the desert we found the above - Temminck's Lark. We then had great views of a pair feeding young at the nest.

We also came across this material in the middle of the desert. Unfortunately the rest of the material is too pornographic to publish here (if you want to borrow it just give me a shout)

Bee-eaters were quite a common sight (click to enlarge)

Seawatching at North Beach, Eilat

We weren't sure what this sign said but we got the impression we shouldn't enter (note one of the team in the distance)

Black-winged Stilt

Curlew Sandpipers

(Desert) Little Owl

Two of the group sneaked off for a quick beer

After sampling one or two bottles, I can highly recommend Israeli beer (note the ornithological theme on the label)

Random little critter

White-winged Black Tern

The Grimsby (& Healing) boys on tour

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall 27/3/10

2010-03-27T21:44:00.003Z

A chilly, moderate westerly with sunny intervals today. Star bird was a female Bullfinch that flew over me calling and landed in a hawthorn bush immediately north of the car park. Bullfinches are very scarce birds in the Donna Nook area and I can back that up because this was my 1st ever for the patch! 5 Chiffchaffs were the only spring migrants I came across today. Peregrine also seen and a confiding Twite in exactly the same spot I had seen two on 23/3. A Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell were my first butterflies of the year. Just to add a fellow birder saw a male Hen Harrier in the area earlier in the day and this is likely to be the wintering male, which will no doubt be leaving for its breeding quarters anyday now - fingers crossed he has a successful breeding season.

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall & Covenham Res 23/3/10

2010-03-27T21:38:00.003Z

4 White Wagtails together was my highest ever single count for this species. Also seen: Peregrine, 2 Merlin, 2 Wheatear, Chiffchaff & 2 Twite.
A brief visit on the way home to Covenham Reservoir produced drake Red-crested Pochard & a 2nd Peregrine for the day.

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall

2010-03-21T23:17:00.016Z

Plenty of sun today with a moderate SW wind. Star billing has to go to the adult Common Crane which I picked up over Saltfleet Haven and then watched for at least 10mins as it drifted slowly towards me heading north along the coast - only my 2nd for Donna Nook. A Common Buzzard soaring high and then drifting over the beach at the southern end of the reserve was almost certainly a migrant on the move. 2 Peregrine, 3 Merlin (inc one in off) & a Barn Owl were the other birds of prey seen. 2 Chiffchaffs were my first of the spring. Also good numbers of Linnets noted heading N.

Vis mig on the patch 20/03/10

2010-03-21T00:15:00.011Z

In between the rain I caught up with my first spring migrants of the year. 2 Sand Martins were heading the wrong way - south, a flighty Wheatear noted and a soaring Marsh Harrier thought about heading out over the sea but then turned back and headed inland. 2 male Stonechats were further evidence of spring migration on the reserve. Also seen: Barn Owl, Merlin & a Peregrine sat on top of one of the trees at Pyes.

Stonechat
March is one of the best times to catch up with this attractive chat in Lincs as birds pass through on their way to the breeding grounds

I think I might've spotted a problem with the Armed Forces latest choice of transportation

Pyes Hall as darkness engulfed the area. The wind got up and then the inevitable rain hit.

The silhouette of a Peregrine on watch at Pyes Hall as the darkness set in

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall

2010-03-13T23:01:00.003Z

Spent the afternoon on the patch with a cold NW blowing. Not surprisingly, there were no spring migrants but raptors were well represented. Highlights from the afternoon were: Hen Harrier (a male that continues to winter here), 2 Common Buzzard, Peregrine, 2 Merlin & 6 Little Egret. The Goldfinch flock at Pyes appears to have made it through the winter - 8 birds there today. Watched one of the Merlins following the harrier and attempting to catch passerines that the harrier flushed - a sight I have seen before, but a sight that shows how clever the UK's smallest raptor is.

Winter & spring collide

2010-03-08T21:19:00.008Z

Apart from first thing this morning, the day was dull with a cold northerly wind increasing through the afternoon, hardly a day to be looking for adders - the UK's only poisonous snake. However, I was very surprised to find 2 individuals above ground at one of only a few reliable sites for this reptile in Lincs - a reptile that is sadly declining within the county.
Birds seen today were: Common Buzzard, 2 Egyptian Geese, 15 Common Crossbill, 12 Siskin, 6 Redpoll & 5 Green Woodpecker.

The good news was that the cold temperatures meant the Adders were very sluggish and quite approachable. The bad news? - dull light was always going to hinder photography

When an Adder is coiled up, it's hard to appreciate how long they are - this shot give's a more accurate reflection (click pic to enlarge)

Snowdrops are very conspicious at this time of year

A Cleethorpes winter speciality

2010-02-13T21:29:00.010Z

At the second attempt I finally caught up with Lincolnshire's only wintering Purple Sandpiper at the traditional haunt for this species - Cleethorpes. It was looking as though we wouldn't have one this winter after myself and a few other local birders had made numerous fruitless searches within the area, but thankfully this bird was found earlier in the week.
Also had a look for the Red-necked Grebe that had been found yesterday at Cleethorpes Country Park, but there was no sign today, though a 1st-winter Med Gull was present on the lake.

The only known wintering Purple Sandpiper in the whole of Lincolnshire
(click pics for larger images)

Norfolk 06/02/10 - a day of two halves

2010-02-07T21:17:00.024Z

Made the trip to Norfolk with Alan Daws, Steve Routledge & Dave Wright and was met by clear blue skies (when a dull, grey day had been forecast). First stop was Swanton Morley GP's to twitch the Black-throated Diver but most of the pit was iced over and the star bird had clearly moved on but Goosander and Kingfisher seen. Next stop was Whitlingham Country Park and it's not often you see so many scarce birds in one place - Ring-necked Duck, Great Northern Diver, Red-necked Grebe, Scaup & 2 Smew all on the lake. 2 Goosander, 4 Egyptian Geese also seen & a Marsh Tit heard (Marsh Tit isn't found in the northern half of Lincs so not a species we have much contact with). 4 Egyptian Geese also next to the River Yare as we crossed over on the car ferry. 6 Taiga Bean Geese were seen at Cantley (this and the neighbouring Buckenham Marshes are the only places you can see a wintering flock of Taiga's in England). 85 Eurasian White-fronted Geese were also at Cantley + a Stonechat. Mammal of the day was the Chinese Water Deer that was running around at Cantley. 400+ Pink-footed Geese were nearby. We got to Haddiscoe Marshes within 20mins of a Rough-legged Buzzard being seen and although I saw at least 6 Marsh Harriers, the day went downhill from there as the fog rolled in and never left for the remanider of the day. We had hoped to take in the crane/harrier roost at Stubbs Mill but the fog had stopped any chance of that, as we found visibility was non-existent at nearby Horsey.

Great Northern Diver (check out that stonking bill)

Red-necked Grebe

Egyptian Goose
Local birders were amused at 3 of us taking photos of this species, which is a common sight in Norfolk, but there's only one regular spot in Lincs were you can see Gypo Geese and they're not as confiding as this

I was enjoying typical Norfolk scenery in bright, sunny weather, then the fog arrived...

Windmill in the fog & a frustrated birder

Donna Nook Grey Seals

2010-02-01T00:38:00.004Z

Just in case anyone is still thinking of coming for the grey seals, I thought I'd mention that all of them are either right out on the tideline or back at sea. The number of pups born on the reserve continued to rise with a total of 1371 born last year, compared to 1,308 (2008) & 1,194 (2007).

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall 31/01/10

2010-01-31T22:37:00.012Z

A very productive raptor day on the patch with 3 Hen Harriers (2 males), one of the resident Common Buzzards, Peregrine & 2 Merlin all present. Also seen: 6+ Red-throated Diver, 4 Little Egret, Woodcock, Barn Owl, 20 Twite & 30 Snow Bunting. A male Shoveler flying around over the marsh was noteworthy for the reserve. Plenty of Fieldfares and smaller numbers of Redwings indicated a further arrival of these winter thrushes over the past couple of days. On the mammal front, hares were very conspicious on the fields inland of the dunes.

A beach all to myself

It's not often I see the strandline covered in snow

Checked the gulls following this trawler but no white-wingers. The trawler was a long way from home - NN is Newhaven, East Sussex

Pyes Hall at sunset

Cleethorpes to Humberston 30/01/10

2010-01-31T22:27:00.003Z

A walk from Buck Beck to Humberston Yacht Club pools and the surrounding area produced a male Hen Harrier, 3 Pale-bellied Brents, the confiding Ruff still present on the pools while 7 Bullfinch were also noteworthy.

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall 17/01/10

2010-01-18T22:36:00.009Z

Struggled to get my ass out of bed yesterday morning so was a bit late onto the patch & actually only spent 3 hours there. Had a look at the sea, then realised I shouldn't have bothered as there was absolutely no notable species, though I couldnt help but notice a mass movement of Herring Gulls heading upriver. Best bird of the day was the ringtail Hen Harrier at Pyes - my 1st for the patch this winter (none in the autumn either). At least 2 Pale-bellied Brents were present and I would have probably had more amongst the dark-bellied flock had a Peregrine not gone through the lot and caused them to fly off. Merlin also seen as well 117 Pinkfeet south (skeins of 67 & 50).

Found the above on the beach at Donna Nook. Not being one to shy away from trying to identify & appreciate new things, I've done my homework and come up with it being Common sunstar Crossaster papposus.

Black -throated Thrush in N Yorks

2010-01-16T22:30:00.013Z

Made a trip out of the county today along with Steve Routledge, Dave Wright & Nigel Genn, to see the 1st winter female Black-throated Thrush. We braved the wind and rain (which never eased off all the time we were there!) and was watching the star bird from close range just after 1st light in a garden at Newholm, which is 2 miles west of Whitby. She has been present in the garden since the 10/1 and feeding on the handouts left out for her, seeing off any Blackbird that dare enter the garden. This behaviour mirrored that I witnessed 13 years ago when I saw my only other Black-throated Thrush, also in January - a 1st winter male present in a Chesterfield garden. It was great to see another one of these Sibe thrushes after all this time.
Also saw 2 redhead Goosanders on Hackness Lake, 4 Nuthatches & 3 Marsh Tits at Forge Valley feeding station, before moving onto Scarborough where a pair of Peregrines were next to Marine Drive and 5 Med Gulls (3 x ad, 2 x 2w) gave fantastic views right next to the car at their traditional winter haunt of Holbeck Car Park.

The most frustrating part of the day was not getting any shots of the Black-throated Thrush. The bird gave very close views but the rain was just too heavy and I wasn't going to risk using a non-waterproof camera! The Meds were viewed from the car so I made the effort to get some shots for the day...

Adult Med Gull

Adult Med head

2nd winter Med Gull

Back to the Patch & a visit to Rimac

2010-01-03T21:15:00.018Z

Thought I'd check out Donna Nook & Pyes with the hope the seal circus would be easing off - thankfully I was right, with not many seals left on the beach, the car park having empty spaces all day & it must be only a matter of time before the burger van bids farewell.
Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Peregrine, 2 Merlin, Barn Owl, 4 Little Egret, Goosander (need to check my records as this could be a patch tick), 2 Woodcock, 3 Common Snipe, Brambling, 60 Snow & 2 Lapland Buntings was the patch list for the day.
A visit to Rimac, which has in the past been good to me for Hen Harriers, didnt disappoint on that score with 2 ringtails seen. 11 Whooper Swan went through. Barn Owl and Woodcock also noted.
Still large numbers of thrushes on the coast today.

One of the highlights on the coast over the past 3 days has been the mass influx of thrushes from Scandinavia - a fantastic spectacle. I witnessed all five winter thrush species visit one single hawthorn bush - 3 of those species are shown above (Fieldfare, Redwing & Mistle Thrush)

I just wanted to highlight that while thousands visit Donna Nook to marvel at the cuteness of the pups, on birth the pups themselves are immediately faced with a battle where there's a thin line between life and death. Quite a few dead pups scattered on the beach today but on a brighter note plenty alive and kicking...

Think this one is going to be just fine - it's got Big Brother watching over it after all

Infection in it's left eye?

Any idea on what is responsible for this? Found on top of a fence post

It didn't seem keen on lending me it's coat on what was another very cold day

Tetney Marshes

2010-01-02T21:33:00.008Z

A walk this afternoon at Tetney finally produced my 1st Hen Harrier of the autumn/winter - a cracking adult male. Hen Harriers are my favourite bird and over the past few winters the numbers wintering along our coast have been low compared to previous years. Our wintering birds are made up of British birds and continental migrants and I never tire of seeing them, especially when I think of the risks they face each year on their UK breeding grounds where they are often persecuted. Less than 10 nests successfully fledged young in England last year and the threat of this species becoming extinct as a breeding bird in the country is very real.
Also seen today were: 3+ Little Egrets, 5 Pale-bellied Brents in with the Dark-bellied flock, 130 Pink-footed Geese through, 2 Peregrines sat on the outer sandbank, 2 Merlin, Kingfisher & 400+ thrushes - again mainly Fieldfares.

3 of the 5 Pale-bellied Brents at Tetney today. A further 8 were reported at nearby Donna Nook.

Covenham Reservoir & Grainthorpe Marsh

2010-01-01T20:54:00.005Z

A productive start to the new year. The goodies remained at Covenham Res with both Great Northern Divers and the Velvet Scoter still present. 6 Goosanders, 2 Scaup & the drake Red-crested Pochard were also seen. A Marsh Harrier flew north along the west wall and is an unusual winter sighting for here. A Little Owl also showed well nearby.
At Grainthorpe the highlight was seeing c400 thrushes on the bushes south of Horseshoe car park as well as on the adjacent sea bank and field. The vast majority of the birds were Fieldfares wih a few Redwings and the odd Blackbird also. A further 150 thrushes flew over (again mainly Fieldfares) - clearly there had been a mass overnight arrival!
Also seen at Grainthorpe: 5 Little Egret, drake Pintail, Peregrine, 2 Merlin. 2 Barn Owl & a Woodcock.

Revisiting some old pics

2009-12-28T22:52:00.011Z

Grey-headed Wagtail
Kos, May 2008

Having trawled through some old photos taken when I visited Kos in May 2008, I came across the above shot which I must've clearly overlooked at the time. All of the Yellow Wagtails I encountered during my week trip were Black-headed Wagtails (Motacilla flava feldegg), or so I thought! The above individual clearly fits a migrant Grey-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava thunbergi) - click the photo for an enlarged image. All of this is personally significant as it's the first time I've encountered this race of Yellow Wagtail. The moral of the story - make sure you check any photos you've taken very carefully!

Close to home

2009-12-20T18:16:00.015Z

With plenty of snow & ice on the ground I decided not to venture far, covering the area between Cleethorpes Leisure Centre to Tetney Marshes along with Tony Housman & Ian Shepherd. Weatherwise it was sunny and clear but bitterly cold. I was pleasantly surprised at the list we built up so close to home. Notable birds seen were: 4 Little Egret, 4 Whooper Swan, 40 Pink-footed Geese, 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 60 Common Scoter, Merlin, Ruff, 8 Snipe, Barn Owl, adult Med Gull, Kingfisher, Stonechat, Brambling & Bullfinch.

Adult Med Gull
Med Gulls have been particularly hard to come by this winter - normally at least a couple of birds are present in the Cleethorpes area

Scene from Svalbard? Nah...its Cleethorpes Boating Lake where the feral Barnacle flock now numbers 40+. They successfully raised young this year (believed to have been born on the boating lake islands - well, there isn't exactly much arctic tundra around these parts is there?). Also note the dodgy hybrid goose - a poss Barnacle x Ross's?

Winter sunrise

Tetney Marshes doing it's best to look like arctic tundra

19/12/09 - An old friend returns....

2009-12-20T17:58:00.007Z

Having heard great news that the Canadian-ringed Turnstone had returned to Cleethorpes for yet another winter (seen by Bill Brooking 12/11/09), I was pleased to catch up with the bird for the 3rd successive winter at North Cleethorpes (Bill had seen the bird at the southern end).
Nothing else of note seen except for a Peregrine that went through and caused the inevitable panic amongst the waders.

Colour-ringed Turnstone back for at least it's 3rd successive winter. This individual was ringed at Alert, Ellesmere Island, Canada. Alert is the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world, being only 508 miles from the North Pole.

Tourists don't exactly flock to Cleethorpes in winter

Covenham Reservoir

2009-12-12T22:55:00.003Z

First chance I'd had to visit Covenham to take in the two juvenile Great Northern Divers present there and both gave close views, often next to each other. A confiding Water Pipit was in the SW corner. Also present: 85 Pinkfeet through, a pair of Pintail, single Scaup, Common Buzzard showing well perched in a nearby tree, Green Sandpiper & 3 Grey Wagtails.

Horseshoe to Seal City 6/12/09

2009-12-07T20:01:00.006Z

I need to shed a few pounds (no comments!) so decided to walk from Horseshoe and on to the patch as far as the Seal Mecca at Donna Nook. The weather was sunny but a moderate SW didnt help. Highlights were: 3 Pale-bellied Brents, 1 Peregrine, at least 1 Merlin, 2 Barn Owl, 102 Twite & a Lapland Bunting. A passerine that flew past giving the impression of hardly any tail had me thinking Woodlark but after working my way through a waterlogged field in walking boots and thus getting my feet and legs well and truly soaked, I managed to conclude it was just a tail-less Reed Bunting!
Sight of the day was watching a Merlin persistently trying to catch a small passerine, then out of nowhere a Peregrine appeared and had a brief swoop at the passerine. In the mayhem that ensued the passerine escaped and the Merlin, no doubt unhappy at the intervention of the Peregrine, went chasing the considerably larger raptor off it's patch - feisty little characters those Merlins!

The entrance to Donna Nook car park.

The pictures above & below show the reasons why I generally don't visit my patch in winter

How much for a seal burger?

As the sun goes down so the temperature plummets on the coast

Tetney

2009-11-29T20:54:00.002Z

With heavy, thundery showers this am, I only ventured our for 4hrs in the afternoon to Tetney when it felt like another day with clear skies, sunshine & mild temperatures. A handsome drake Goosander on the lock was the star bird. Other highlights were more typical coastal winter fare - 3 Whooper Swan, 21 Pink-footed Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brents with 473 Dark-bellied, Peregrine, Merlin, Short-eared Owl, Barn Owl, 4 Lapland Buntings & finally a pair of Bullfinches next to the chapel. A wasp that wouldn't leave me alone was the only remnant of summer. The Short-eared was actually my 1st of the autumn and only got up at virtually last light, gaining some serious height and was last seen heading towards Humberston Yacht Club - actively migrating?

Covenham Reservoir

2009-11-22T18:05:00.004Z

With strong winds I thought Covenham was worth a visit today. A good selection of duck present with the best bird being the drake Red-crested Pochard that has been in the area for sometime now. Other highlights: 15 Goldeneye, 6 Wigeon, 5 Teal were noteworthy for here, 9 Redshank, single Dunlin and a high count of 161 Cormorant. Great-crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Shoveler, Pochard all on the res as well.

Cleethorpes

2009-11-14T21:00:00.017Z

With strong to gale force southerlies and frequent persistent showers, I decided not to venture far today. Checked N Cleethorpes first to see if a Purple Sandpiper had come back to winter but no joy. Only bird of real note in the difficult conditions was the female Scaup still present on the boating lake in the company of 16 Tufted Duck. 3 Pochard were also on the lake.

Scaup

Pochard - smart duck

Greater White-fronted Goose or hybrid (with Greylag Goose left)

(click for larger image)
I think the council are aiming a little too high with the bird species they are hoping to attract to the boating lake, especially considering the size of the reedbeds (see below). I also don't fancy your chances of seeing the damselfly they have chosen to picture.

Shorelark surprise

2009-11-08T22:48:00.007Z

Hit the coast with Tony Housman & Ian Shepherd today. On approaching Thoresby Bridge we picked up 3 Whooper Swans with 24 Mutes and then moved on to Trusthorpe to have a go at a seawatch in the (admittedly light) NE's. The sea was quiet and we gave up after just over an hour, totals were: 3 Red-throated Diver, 15 Gannet, 1 Pink-footed Goose south, 7 Eider, 12 Common Scoter, 4 Wigeon, 10 Teal & a Guillemot on the tide edge.
3 Bearded Tit were seen at Huttoft Pit along with 7 Whooper Swan on fields N of the pit. No sign of the Huttoft Cetti's.
We decided to finish the day at Brickyard Lane were there had been a flock of Snow Buntings hanging around. Having just got onto the beach I clocked a small group of birds crouched feeding with my bins, putting the scope on them expecting them to be Snow Bunts, a few expletives came out of my mouth as I realised I was looking at 5 Shorelarks! Seeing these reminded of some great winters gone by when I saw regular flocks in the Donna Nook area (including a flock of 90 birds at Pyes some 10 years ago. Sadly this species has been very scarce along the coast since, with these being my 1st since a single bird at Freiston in 2006. Let's hope this winter is a better one for them. We also saw 25 Snow Bunting & 10 Twite in the area to complete a very productive trip to the Brickyard Lane area.

Some absolutely dire record digiscoped shots of one of the birds

Kirkby Pits 7/11/09

2009-11-08T22:25:00.007Z

Yet another dip, this time for the drake Ring necked Duck (which had been there for over a week up to and including the previous day). No Caspian or Yellow-legged Gulls on the tip. Highlights were 150 Pinkfeet south, 9 Egyptian Geese, 3 Common Buzzard, Green Sandpiper, Green Woodpecker & Grey Wagtail.

Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull & Carrion Crow give a doll the eye

Practising with the Swaro AT80 HD and Panasonic DMC LX3.

I was quite pleased with this digiscoped shot of this 1st winter Herring Gull on the tip, taken at some serious distance. It's good enough to ID the bird & I should be able to get a record shot if I come across anything scarcer on the tip.

Great Mullein

The big dip in County Durham

2009-10-25T18:58:00.009Z

Setting off at 4.50am, I made the 300 mile round trip with Alan Daws & Steve Routledge to South Shields, County Durham to see the 1st Eastern Crowned Warbler for the UK - shame we weren't to know the bird had cleared off during the night. Welcome to the world of twitching, some you win and some you lose. 3 Redpoll & a Tree Pipit were the only birds we saw there. We did have better luck twitching the drake Blue-winged Teal at Port Clarence Pools - a long awaited UK tick for me. A Peregrine played with the local corvids and 2 Little Egrets were also there.

We weren't the only ones who stared at Eastern Crowned Warbler-less bushes

South Shields

I guess she's new to birding

Alan "Sheepie" Daws (with Steve in the background looking in vain for the eastern gem)

Those little gems - Firecrest & the Seven-striped Sprite

2009-10-22T20:18:00.012+01:00

With rain in the night and winds remaining SE, hopes were high that some good birds would have made landfall along the coast. For once I gave the Donna Nook/Pyes area a miss and concentrated on the Sea View & Saltfleet areas. Today highlighted how birding can be a hobby of ups & downs. The morning was poor. I dipped on a Firecrest that had been showing 20 mins previously and then a Shorelark that flew off when I was within 5 mins of it. After covering plenty of ground, birds of note at this point were Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Siskin, Redpoll & 3 Brambling. In the afternoon it was onto Toby's Hill and a calling Chiffchaff was soon picked up, from then on the day got better & better - a calling Firecrest was soon pinned down & soon revealed a 2nd bird with it - what stunning birds, especially when one raised it's crest to show how the bird gets its name. Then news of a Pallas's Warbler at a private site (where I had access) in Humberston eventually had me on my way back up the coast. After a worrying spell when it seemed like the "Seven-striped Sprite" had moved on, the bird gave itself up and gave some great views. A Grey Wagtail & House Martin were also noted at Humberston.

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall 20/10/09

2009-10-21T00:25:00.002+01:00

Walked from the car park to Pyes but didn't stay long as it soon became clear that the strong SE wind hadn't brought anything in. A Pale-bellied Brent was the best on offer in the company of 240 of it's Dark-bellied relatives. Peregrine, Merlin & 5 Pintails also seen.

Coast

2009-10-18T20:57:00.011+01:00

A Barn Owl was between Conisholme & North Somercotes at first light.
Between Donna Nook RAF base & Pyes Hall: Yellow-browed Warbler at Pyes, 12 Whooper Swan through, 250+ Brents out on the mudflats, Common Buzzard, Peregrine, Merlin, Whimbrel, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, 2 Chiffchaff, single Goldcrest, 2 Brambling & a flyover Twite.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Sea View along with a Merlin & 2 Redpolls in off.
A Peregrine tried to catch a Redshank off Sea Lane, Saltfleet, but eventually gave up the chase.
The annual seal circus began today with the car park full by dinner and the burger van back for business - a reminder that the time is fast approaching when I look for somewhere quieter to bird, as the hordes of seal worshippers descend on Donna Nook.

Noon Flies (Mesembrina meridiana) basking in the sun at Sea View

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall

2009-10-11T20:39:00.013+01:00

I was unable to get out yesterday when there was clearly an arrival of thrushes, Yellow-browed Warblers & Firecrests, so today I was on the patch for first light. 2 Yellow-browed Warblers & a Black Redstart were the top birds of the day. Also seen: 11 Whooper Swan & 120 Pinkfeet went south at exactly the same time either side of me, 24 Little Egret, 55+ Brent Geese, Marsh Harrier, Merlin, Grey Wagtail, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, 2 Brambling, Snow Bunting as well as a few Redwings & Song Thrushes dotted about.
No Firecrests were reported in the area today.
Nearly forgot, I had a Barn Owl close to Tetney village at first light this morning.

Horseshoe Point to Pyes Hall

2009-10-04T19:57:00.002+01:00

Walked from Horseshoe to Pyes today. The winds were westerly which meant nothing in the bushes but there was a good showing of raptors with 2 Common Buzzards together, 2 Marsh Harrier (inc one that gained height & drifted south), Peregrine & Merlin. 72 Pinkfeet went through & 6 Brents headed upriver. Also seen: Greenshank, Whimbrel, Kingfisher, Stonechat & a Siskin through. A weasel showed well in Horseshoe Car Park & several Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on the wing today.

Mablethorpe Seawatch

2009-10-01T18:38:00.015+01:00

With moderate NW's forecast for one day, myself, Tony Housman, Adrian Royle & Ian Shepherd all descended on Mablethorpe & stared at the sea for a total of 6 hours. Star bird was an adult Glaucous Gull (my earliest ever) that drifted south with Herring & Great Black-backed Gulls. Also seen were: 3 Pomarine Skua, 1 Great Skua, 14 Arctic Skua, 14 Manx Shearwater, 35+ Red-throated Diver, 191 Pinkfeet, 12 Brent Geese, 93 Common Scoter, 10 Wigeon, 22 Teal, 3 Shelduck, Peregrine, plenty of auks & Gannets, as well as good numbers of Sandwich Terns heading north with at least 5 Common Tern. A Common Snipe, 28 pipits & 3 Skylark came in off.

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall 30/9/09

2009-10-01T17:54:00.012+01:00

140 Pinkfeet, Whimbrel, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Kingfisher, Redstart & 5 Wheatears were on the patch today.
It's not often I see the RAF practising their bombing runs at Donna Nook as this is done on weekdays when normally I'm at work, so I couldn't resist having my first ever go at photographing a plane...

Harrier GR.9 from 41 (R) Squadron, based at Coningsby, Lincs

bombs away!

Common Darter - these & the Small Copper below are still on the wing in good numbers in more sheltered spots.

Sea View

2009-09-26T20:32:00.003+01:00

Gave Sea View some stick for a few hours. Skeins of 18 & 70 Pinkfeet through, 2 Peregrine, single Redstart, Reed Warbler & a Grey Wagtail over - a poor return, but then it was far from ideal conditions with light westerlies on a clear sunny day (but nice weather to be out in all the same).
Plenty of Migrant Hawkers & Common Darters also enjoying the warm sunshine today.

Coast

2009-09-20T20:00:00.006+01:00

Put plenty of effort in today covering Stonebridge to Pyes, Sea View & Rimac to Churchill Lane but with not much reward. 107 Pinkfeet south, 2 Greenshank, Common Buzzard, Merlin, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Stonechat, 3 Whinchat, 5 Redstart, 3 Chiffchaff & a Lesser Whitethroat were the best of the day. 160 Linnets at Pyes was a good count. A possible Icky was seen briefly by fellow birders at Sea View but soon disappeared. Interesting by their absence, I didn't come across a single Whitethroat or Willow Warbler today.

Not often you see high tides as big as this on the patch - looking north & south from Stonebridge

12 things that will happen along the Lincs coast this autumn

2009-09-15T00:08:00.014+01:00

1. You will have a skulky LBJ that won't give itself up, you jus't cant make much out on it, an eternity passes by & finally, to your utter frustration, you realise it's just a...

...Garden Warbler

2. Someone will claim a Little Bunting and no-one else will see it.
3. A flyover Red-throated Pipit will be claimed on call but never even heard again, never mind seen on the ground.
4. 1000's of turdidae will pour in off the sea and through Lincs but no rare thrush will be found.
5. You will have another skulky bird that just won't give itself up, you spend ages on it only to eventually find its just one of these...

6. This will turn up on Seacroft golf course at Skeggy...

7. The winds will be howling westerlies on the week you have booked off work.
8. One of those dull, boring, possible eastern-type Lesser Whitethroats will be claimed by someone, somewhere.
9. A quality Sibe will be found on your patch the day after you've worked it.
10. The "Tasty Treats" burger van at Donna Nook will start to once again make a killing.
11. Hardly any Bluethroats will turn up & old school birders will recollect days when they were a common sight in autumn.
12. Another autumn will pass by without me adding this to my Lincs List...

Stonebridge to Pyes Hall

2009-09-13T21:02:00.007+01:00

In contrast to yesterday when the weather was sunny & warm with light winds, today was dull with a strong, chilly N - NE breeze. Unfortunately it soon became clear that nothing had come in on the winds, what few birds there were kept a low profile. Best I could manage on the Stonebridge to Pyes stretch was a single Pink-footed Goose (my 1st of the autumn), 1 Greenshank, 1 Chiffchaff & 2 Lesser Whitethroat.
In the next 2 months Donna Nook/Pyes should come into its own & show why it is one of Lincolnshire's top migrant hotspots & weather forecasts show Tues & Wed could see the first goodies of the autumn making landfall.

Barred Warbler

2009-09-12T20:14:00.010+01:00

Plenty of birder coverage on the coast today. Donna Nook & Pyes were generally very quiet with nothing of note being caught in the nets north of the RAF base nor at Quad 3. I managed only a Tree Pipit, Whinchat & a Kingfisher. A Pied Fly had been seen at Pyes.
I dropped back onto Horseshoe to take in the Barred Warbler found by Dave Bradbeer & Steve Meek. The bird proved to be a typical Barred - very skulky! I saw the bird briefly perched but otherwise I only had several flight views. The bird never called. This was my 5th Barred & my first since the very late Covenham bird back in Dec 2004. 2 Marsh Harriers were also seen from Horseshoe & a Whimbrel heard.

Cleethorpes

2009-09-09T23:14:00.003+01:00

Had a look at Cleethorpes after work this evening. An adult & 1st-winter Med Gull were present, the latter bearing a green ring, the code couldn't be read but the bird was ringed in either Belgium or France. 174 Common Scoters went upriver while only 6 Common Tern & 2 Sandwich Tern were noted.

The King finally pays a visit to Lincs

2009-09-06T23:27:00.033+01:00

Having heard stories of strange folk in the deepest, darkest south of the county including the one about brothers & sisters being far closer than they should be, I had successfully managed to resist visiting the area so far this year. However, when an eclipse drake King Eider (a 1st for Lincs) had been found the previous evening & was still there today, my resistance finally crumbled. The eider was never close but close enough to see the diagnostic orange bill with swelling at the base. The bird also showed a whitish breastband & small white patches could be seen on the forewings. It only loosely associated with the Common Eiders, always keeping a little distance from any of this species. It is in heavy moult and appears unable to fly.
Also seen: 3 Marsh Harriers, Peregrine, Merlin, Barn Owl, 5 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, 10 Little Tern, 4 Wheatear & 35 Yellow Wagtail. Finally, a remarkable 240 Little Egrets roosted - the most Little Egrets I've ever seen in one place.
This brings my half-hearted Lincs list to 292, not bad considering I work Mon to Fri, 9 to 5 + I've missed birds like Collared Pratincole & White Stork because I quite simply couldn't be arsed to make the trips at the time.

On arriving in the Lincolnshire fens, the locals started coming out to greet me.
The chap below was particularly keen...

Dark-bellied Brent Goose - my 1st of the autumn

The most remote bird hide in Lincs?

The Boston fleet return up the River Witham

Black-tailed Godwit (race islandica) - wonder what movements this colour-ringed bird has made

Finally, a big thanks to Six Fingers Steve for giving me directions when I got a bit lost...

Covenham Reservoir

2009-09-02T22:50:00.003+01:00

Moderate SW's with rain this evening meant that taking cover at Covenham Res Watersports Club was the sensible option. An adult Yellow-legged Gull & 8 Black Terns were the star birds. 1 Common Tern, 2 Common Sandpiper, a flyover Little Egret, 1 Swift & 1 Yellow Wagtail were the other noteworthy birds.

Stonebridge to Pyes Hall 31/8/09

2009-09-01T00:36:00.003+01:00

Strong SW's again! An Osprey was out on the humber to mid pm at least, a Marsh Harrier came in off while another was over Grainthorpe Marsh. 2 Greenshank were down the haven at Pyes. 3 Wheatears & a Swift in off were also logged.

Donna Nook 30/8/09

2009-08-31T23:17:00.007+01:00

Moderate to strong SW's didnt bode well for there being much in the bushes and that proved to be the case. Walking south from Stonebridge to Quad 3, I only managed 2 Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Willow Warblers & a Spotted Flycatcher. 6 Wheatears were on the saltmarsh. 2 Marsh Harriers were soaring in the distance above Grainthorpe Marsh.
I then joined Graham Catley and Neil Drinkall out on the tide edge for 3 hrs until the rain came down to add to the strong winds and we called it a day. In that time c4,000 Common Terns arrived from the SE but bizzarely heading up river rather than south. What few Sandwich Terns there were all went south. Also seen: a few Gannet heading upriver, 1 Fulmar, 1 Arctic Tern, 7 Black Tern, 1 summer plumaged Red-throated Diver, 10 Common Scoter, 4 Teal, 1 Whimbrel & the surprise of the night - an early juv Purple Sandpiper which landed very close to where we was standing - click here for a photo of the bird on Graham's Blog.

I think this Whitethroat has seen better days

Little Egret - more common than Grey Heron along the Lincs coast these days

Redshank - sentinel of the marshes

Pied Fly

2009-08-23T16:28:00.007+01:00

With brief SE's forecast in the night I took a 3hr walk this pm from Stonebridge car park to the southern end of Donna Nook (Quad 3). It was generally quiet, though a Pied Flycatcher was picked up calling and then showed in sycamores at the RAF base. Apart from a flyover Yellow Wag & 4 flushed Snipe there was nothing else of note.

British Birdwatching Fair

2009-08-22T21:24:00.009+01:00

Made the annual pilgrimage to the British Birdwatching Fair today. I invested in a few books but undoubtedly the most useful item I got was a free chart showing how to identify a Slender-billed Curlew, just in case one day one of those Lincolnshire Curlews looks a bit odd.
Birdwise, I did manage to see 2 Ospreys (including one low over our car park), Green Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, Common Tern & Yellow Wagtail.

Although Ospreys are without doubt cracking birds, the bird I had really hoped to see at the fair today didn't show...

Bird fair no-show

Cleethorpes 19/08/09

2009-08-21T00:01:00.002+01:00

The high tide at Cleethorpes this evening was quite disappointing. Only 24 terns in total - 23 Common & a solitary Sandwich. A Med Gull moulting from juvenile to 1st winter plumage & juv Marsh Harrier in off from Spurn were the best birds. 2 Little Egret, 22 Curlew, 220 Redshank & a single Yellow Wagtail were also noted.

Horseshoe Point

2009-08-09T22:41:00.003+01:00

Did the high tide roost at Horseshoe this evening. 1000+ Common Tern with c200 Sandwich Tern there. Bizarrely I couldn't pick out a single Med amongst the throngs of gulls. A Spoonbill flew over the marsh briefly before disappearing down a creek. A Little Stint was with a 50-strong mixed flock of Dunlin & Ringed Plover. Also seen: 2 Marsh Harrier, 7 Greenshank, 10+ Whimbrel, 2 pale-phase Arctic Skuas & a Corn Bunting (the latter singing in the same area as 5/8).

Back to the patch

2009-08-08T20:09:00.009+01:00

It was dead for wildlife at Pyes Hall today
Can anyone put a name to this? If so, they seriously need to get out more.

Back on the patch today after a 2 month absence. Late June to mid-August is generally quiet at Donna Nook/Pyes, but from mid-August the 1st Pied Flys & Redstarts of the autumn will start moving through, with the chance of a rarity in amongst them (Red-backed Shrike, Greenish & Icterine Warblers etc). Still early, I didn't expect much today. 2 Marsh Harriers were over Grainthorpe Marsh, 4 Greenshank were down the haven at Pyes along with 2 Common Sands. 2+ Whimbrel, 2 Yellow Wags & a Kingfisher also noted. There were signs of some passerine migration with 2 Willow Warblers calling in the bushes.
Went to Paradise to check for waders and found 5 Common Sands there with a further 10 down Saltfleet Haven. Greenshank & 3 Whimbrel also seen at the haven.

Horseshoe Point

2009-08-05T23:30:00.004+01:00

Had a look off Horseshoe this evening where the main highlight was the number of Common Terns present - 1160 in total with regular groups of birds ranging from 30 - 90 birds gaining height & heading high inland. 250 Sandwich Tern were also present. 3 adult Med Gulls were in the roost & waders for the night were: Green Sandpiper, Greenshank & 6 Whimbrel. My first Merlin of the autumn was on the marsh. Hirundines were moving south with a mixed martin flock of 50 birds & a 30-strong flock of Swallows through. A Corn Bunting was singing next to the airfield.

Covenham Reservoir

2009-07-29T23:21:00.003+01:00

I had planned to check waders off Horseshoe but with persistent rain I opted for the cover of Covenham instead. Wader highlights were 5 Common Sandpipers & 2 Green Sandpipers. 2 Common Terns had been forced down by the weather but soon departed when there was a break in the rain. 2 adult Med Gulls were logged as the gulls stopped en route to their evening roosts on the coast. Plenty of Swifts & hirundines were also feeding low over the reservoir. The only passerine of note was a solitary Yellow Wagtail.

Cleethorpes 22/07/09

2009-07-23T00:53:00.003+01:00

Checked the evening high tide roost & in between heavy showers results were: 2 Little Egret, 15 Common Scoter offshore, 4 Little Ringed Plover, 14 Black-tailed Godwit, 12 Whimbrel, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, 60 Common Tern & 7 Sandwich Tern

Scotland - the final chapter

2009-07-19T14:10:00.008+01:00

The Swamp Thing
You can just make out how deep I sunk by the swamp line below the water bottle

Northern Spinach

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Another Red Cyril

Green Tiger Beetle

Who says all moths are dull & boring? - introducing the Garden Tiger Moth

all pics courtesy of Dave Wright

Scotland cont...

2009-07-12T18:53:00.018+01:00

Team Grimsby

(from left to right) Dave Wright, moi, Dave Bradbeer, Howard Bunn, Alan Daws & Ian Shepherd

Inverour Guest House, Spean Bridge.

We stayed here for 3 nights. A poster can now be found on the door with a mug shot of a man wearing cheap, made in Hong Kong, fluorescent sunglasses - accompanied by the word "BANNED"

Flower sp. on the Cairngorms - any ideas?
The flower is Starry Saxifrage - thanks Steve

An epic ascent of the treacherous Cairngorm mountains

During our attack on the mighty Cairngorms we thought we'd reached a dead end but then (unfortunately) Howard spotted a steep poor excuse of a path alongside the right hand side mountain face which would clearly involve some rock climbing with bare hands (click pic to see the path from hell that I'm on about). Six of us went to Scotland, one (rather sensibly considering the temp was 86 degrees) decided not to even attempt the Cairngorms, another went no further when he saw the above path, the remaining four idiots went for it.

First to the top.

There's life in the old dogs yet.

Just like a walk in the park

Content to take a bronze medal, yours truly felt it would be a nice gesture to let the (much) older Howard & Dave be the first two to make the summit (thats not sweat by the way, I'd just poured a bottle of water over me - honest).

Last to the summit & thus just outside the medals - Al.
Shame there were no sheep up there to spur you on eh Al?

Cairngorms plateau

Cairngorms - you know you're high when you can see snow below you in July.

A trip to Scotland isn't complete without a pic of the Red Cyril

Birch Saw Fly

The only other place I've seen this whopper fly is at Crowle

Rhagium bifasciatum (thanks to Adrian & Steve for the ID)

Some of the team just couldn't live with the pace

Abernethy Forest - home to the big black turkey

Iona - fabulous place

It just felt like you was in the med when you looked at the clearness of the water & the white sandy beaches. Flowers & wildlife thrive here (presumably warmed by the gulf stream?).

Northern Marsh Orchid

Loch Morlich early morning

Without doubt one of the RSPB's best reserves

After waiting 4 and a quarter hours for a Pine Marten to show the man above decided to go to the toilet - you can guess what happened next....

With plenty of the above habitat around it wasn't surprising that Common Sandpipers, Dippers, & Grey Wagtails were common.

Big place this Scotland

Scotland 27/6/09 - 3/7/09

2009-07-12T15:02:00.022+01:00

Recently returned from a weeks birding & dragon/damselfly trip to Scotland. We stayed for 3 nights at Spean Bridge (close to Fort William) which included a trip to Mull for White-tailed Eagle & Iona for Corncrake. We also spent 3 nights in Aviemore.
Highlights were: Pr of Black-throated Diver, 2 prs of Red-throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe with young, 5 Black Guillemot, 2 White-tailed Eagles, Golden Eagle, several Osprey (including 5 in the air together), 3 Capercaillie (including a male walking down a road at 4.55am!), Black Grouse heard, Corncrake, Ring Ouzel, Wood Warblers, Crested Tits & Snow Bunting.
2 Otters were seen on Mull & Pine Marten seen on 2 seperate evenings close to Loch Garten. Plenty of Red Squirrels also seen.
All four target species of dragon/damselfly seen - Northern Emerald, Azure Hawker, White-faced Darter & Northern Damselfly. There are now only 2 resident species of Odonata in the UK that I've yet to see - Norfolk Hawker & Irish Damselfly.
Butterflies included Large Heath, Dark Green Fritillary & Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Painted Ladies were seen at several sites including on the summit of the Cairngorms!
The weather couldn't have been better - sunny and hot every day which saw us climbing the Cairngorms in 86 degrees heat.
Quite a productive trip considering that the end of June/start of July is not the best of times to go birding in Scotland (though prime time for the dragons/damsels).

Black Guillemots

Siskins - along with Chaffinches, were the most abundant bird of the trip.

Note the mature right hand bird, clearly receeding at the front of the head.

Sunrise on Tulloch Moor

Golden Eagle country

Now I see why we only saw one Golden Eagle - only one of us was actually looking.

Heath Spotted Orchid

This was by far the most confiding of the 4 Capercaillie we saw.
Looks like his tail took one hell of a beating from another male?

Carlsberg doesn't do birdwatching? Oh yes it does - beer & Ospreys both on tap.
Here's two old timers taking full advantage. 5 Ospreys were seen soaring together that evening.

We came, we saw nothing, we left.

Ian Shepherd & bog pool at Glen Affric - home to Northern Emerald & White-faced Darter.
I personally wont forget this bog, we became well & truly acquainted after I went for an unplanned swim.

Northern Damselfly - next to Loch Garten

Record shots of White-faced Darter - Loch Garten
This species did not allow a close approach.

Azure Hawker - Glen Affric
No shots of the other member of the big four I'm afraid - the Northern Emeralds just don't like to sit & pose for photos.

Terrific Terek

2009-06-17T22:20:00.007+01:00

Twitched my 1st ever & Lincolnshire's 2nd Terek Sandpiper at Gib this evening - see a pic here on the Lincs Bird Club Photo Forum. The bird gave excellent views on Tennyson's Sands from Harvey's Hide. Also seen: Marsh Harrier, Little Ringed Plover, 10+ Avocet, 2 Common Tern, a strong southerly passage of Swifts & 2 Bahama Pintails to add an exotic flavour to the evening. Red Kite & Buzzard seen on the way to Gib & a Badger running along the roadside on the way back.

Spoonbill

2009-06-10T23:38:00.003+01:00

A few hours in a cold easterly checking Grainthorpe Marsh this evening. Highlight was a Spoonbill that flew through heading south. Also seen: 6+ Little Egret, 2 Barn Owl, Corn Bunting & a couple of Painted Ladies.

Back to the patch

2009-06-07T16:42:00.016+01:00

Back covering Stonebridge to Pyes today. Very quiet in a moderate and cold NE wind. Best birds were: 2 Cuckoo, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat and a Chiffchaff. Little Egret numbers are now clearly on the increase - signs of a good breeding season? Suprisingly, there was some movement today, Swifts were moving down the coast & good numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were moving N (along with smaller no's of Herring Gulls).
Butterflies included Large Skipper, Small Heath, Common Blue & Painted Lady.
Several Bee Orchids were seen & the first Pyramidal Orchids were starting to appear.

Silver-ground Carpet

Bee Orchid

Pyramidal Orchid coming into flower

Finally, from a trip to Humberston yesterday, another bank appears to have gone under thanks to the recession - people can't say they weren't warned here

Red-necked Phal

2009-06-05T23:45:00.002+01:00

A quick twitch after work to Humberston Yacht Club Pools for the male Red-necked Phalarope which showed very well - only the 2nd one I've seen in Lincs.

Horseshoe

2009-05-31T16:32:00.009+01:00

Checked the waders off Horseshoe & it soon became clear I wasn't going to find a Broad-billed, Kentish or Terek when all that was there were 40 Oycs & 4 Ringed Plovers. There has clearly been a large scale departure of waders on the humber over the past few days, also noted by others on the upper reaches of the humber & at Spurn. Still a few Painted Ladies heading up the coast at speed and my first migrant Silver Y of the year.

Silver Y

Random rainbow photo not taken today at Covenham Res

Lincs birding Update

2009-05-30T16:20:00.012+01:00

Not out birding today - my body wouldn't take it, probably something to do with getting in at 4am after a night on the town (well I am only 36 you know & not quite ready for bingo just yet).
Thought I'd have a look at what's currently happening on the Lincs birding scene. The vast majority of records are not surprisingly coming from the southern county sites of Freiston & Frampton, not surprising as the RSPB have invested considerably on creating ideal habitat on these 2 reserves - bet it's a bit of a "dude fest" down there though. Here in the north of the county we have to work a little bit harder (no such "on a plate" RSPB luxuries here).
So what birds are around? Single Red-necked Phals at each of the above sites and a plastic goose - was a Ross's Goose, in the company of Canada Geese & at the end of May, going to be anything other than plastic?
Barton area and the Tetney to Rimac stretch quiet. Gib quiet (less records coming from here than Frampton and Freiston).
Surely there must be a Broad-billed, Kentish or Terek out there somewhere so I'll try to do my bit tomorrow. Be sure to check back for full details of my imminent failure.

Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-05-28T00:01:00.004+01:00

My 2nd Fulmar in as many days close in to the tide edge off Grainthorpe Marsh. A male Peregrine seen taking out a pigeon. A Pale-bellied Brent was with 109 Dark-bellied (the Brents often linger late here). Also: several Little Egret, 2 Whimbrel, Barn Owl, Yellow Wagtail, Corn Bunting & 3 Painted Ladies.

Cleethorpes

2009-05-26T23:09:00.010+01:00

Checked the high tide this evening but surprisingly few waders present. A Fulmar flying around over the tide edge was the star bird. Also seen: 3 Little Egret, 5 Brent Geese, about a dozen Oystercatcher, 4 Sanderling, 9 Dunlin, 60 Ringed Plover & 2 Cuckoo, A Painted Lady butterfly shot through.

A blank on the Bee-eaters

2009-05-17T22:30:00.003+01:00

News of 5 Bee-eaters seen next to North Somercotes had been jumping in the car again & hitting the coast. The Bee-eaters had been present since at least yesterday evening but news didn't reach the ears of the birding world until today. Seen at 3pm, I was on site from c4.15pm but 4 hours of scanning the area produced none of these rainbow birds. Plenty of birder coverage in the surrounding areas but still no sign. I did however have one colourful bird fly over, a drake Mandarin Duck! Barn Owl also seen.

Lincs Sprosser

2009-05-16T23:23:00.007+01:00

Hadn't planned to go birding today but when I got a call to say there was a Thrush Nightingale on the patch I was soon in the car and putting the pedal to the metal. Thrush Nightingale was a lifer for me, I had dipped on one at Gib a few years ago & it wasn't looking good this time either, as the bird skulked in a dense area of sea buckthorn & elder. It didn't help that the bird didn't sing at any point but my patience was rewarded when eventually I observed the skulky sprosser taking flight to another bush. Thrush Nightingale becomes my 2nd lifer in the UK this year & the added bonus of it being seen in my home county as well.

Gib & Covenham 14/5/09

2009-05-15T22:01:00.007+01:00

The dull skies with cool easterlies made it feel more like autumn at Gib rather than spring. With overnight rain and the easterlies hopes were high but the bushes were very quiet. Only birds on the move were terns, hirundines & swifts. Highlights: 27 Avocets, 8 Common Sandpiper, 7 Common Scoter, 9 Eider, 2 Gannet, c40 Commic Tern, c30 Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, 2 Turtle Dove and a Fulmar over the saltmarsh!
Dropped in at Covenham on the way back for the White-winged Black Tern but the star bird had moved on. Did see 7 Black Tern, 3 Arctic Tern, 1 Common Tern, Hobby & 4 Common Sandpiper.

Cinnabar Moth - the caterpillars feed almost exclusively on ragwort, ingesting cyanide contained in the ragwort.

Hungry sea & townie Kittiwakes

2009-05-13T20:59:00.009+01:00

Made a (non-birding) trip to the East Yorks coast on Monday. The Kittiwake pairs have increased annually here in Bridlington town centre & clearly like the town life.
Crippling views to be had from those top windows.
I'm also guessing ear plugs are an everyday essential for the residents.

The pics below show the frightening pace of coastal erosion. Taken at Skipsea compare the shots from Apr 04 & May 09.

April 2004

May 2009

You can see the road in the top left corner of the 1st shot. I would give it a miss driving down the road these days - the potholes can be pretty big.

April 2004

May 2009

Again, compare the road on the above two pics.

Messingham

2009-05-13T19:55:00.015+01:00

Strong easterlies with heavy showers today.
Thought I'd have a break from the coast today so headed inland to Messingham. A Wood Warbler was a surprise find, it sang 4-5 times and I had brief views of it in the tree canopy before it disappeared in the blustery conditions. 4 Black Terns went through (an influx of these stunning terns occured in the UK today during strong easterlies). 2+ Common Tern, Green Woodpecker, Cuckoo & Garden Warbler also present. Messingham is of course a dragon/damselfly mecca but today was far from ideal conditions. Not surprisingly I failed to locate any Hairy Dragons but a few damselflies were found sheltering in foliage.

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Red-eyed Damselfly (inc close-up)

Agapanthia Villosoviridescens (thanks to Adrian for the ID)

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall/Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-05-10T18:13:00.009+01:00

Sunny and warm am but it clouded over pm and with a NE wind picking up, it created chilly conditions. Best bird of the day was a late Redwing at the RAF base. Also seen: 10 Whimbrel, Greenshank, 2 Cuckoo, 1+ Turtle Dove, 5 Wheatear, 5 Lesser Whitethroat, plenty of Whitethroats now in, 2 Blackcap, 3 Sedge Warbler & Reed Warbler (the last two being patch year ticks). Steady passage through of Swallows with a few Swifts and a Sand Martin.
Best butterflies were Wall Brown (year tick), Orange Tip, 2 Small Copper (year tick) & 2 Green Hairstreak.

Water Crowfoot

Small Copper

Stonebridge to Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-05-02T17:19:00.006+01:00

Not much to shout about today. 3 Whimbrel were on the marsh. A Short-eared Owl was still at Pyes. 2 Cuckoo, 5 Wheatear, Lesser Whitethroat & plenty of Whitethroats. On the butterfly front I had my 1st Green Hairstreaks of the year. Finally after all the years I've been going to Pyes I did come up with a patch mammal tick...

Pyes Wildcat (record shots) - a patch tick
As you can see from the bottom shot the individual is unringed & has no neck collar. It was extremely wary and within seconds of clocking me it bolted into the main bushes south of the haven. At no point did it respond to silly noises made with my mouth. Note the black & white plumage, pink nasal area & piercing eyes.

Dotterel

2009-04-29T23:36:00.004+01:00

Had a walk around a very quiet Covenham Reservoir this evening. No terns, very few hirundines & wagtails. The best on offer was Scaup, 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Barn Owl, 4 Yellow Wagtail. Then halfway round the res I received a call close to 7.45pm of 2 Dotterel at Tetney Marshes, so then it was a brisk walk & then rally stage to Tetney before last light. Fortunately on arrival there was enough light to enjoy these star waders before retiring to the pub to complete the evening.

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall/Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-04-25T23:32:00.017+01:00

Most visits to the Donna/Pyes area in spring will produce Wheatears

Water Carpet (with damaged wing)

Brown Tail caterpillars - the 2 orange spots near the tail easily identify them.

These caterpillars will soon strip the surrounding sea buckthorn bare.

never ever come into contact with them as the hairs can cause serious skin irritations.

Late afternoon at Pyes Hall

Clearly more summer migrants in on the patch today compared to last weekend. Here's the highlights: Marsh Harrier, Short-eared Owl, 2 Barn Owl, 3 Whimbrel, 3 Cuckoo, Turtle Dove, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 9 Wheatear,15+ Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, 4 Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff & a Siskin over. Gadwall are not common here so it was good to see a pair on the haven at Pyes. A single Roe Deer was getting wet in the saltmarsh on a 7 metre high tide. Also my 1st Speckled Woods of the year on the patch with at least 3 seen.

Grainthorpe Marsh 22/4/09

2009-04-23T22:08:00.003+01:00

Paid a visit to Grainthorpe Marsh yesterday evening. A very dark Marsh Harrier and a ringtail Hen Harrier were there but I couldn't complete the set with a Montys. Also Short-eared Owl, 3 Barn Owl, 7 Little Egret, 2 Greenshank, 4 Yellow Wag & a singing Corn Bunting, the latter actually a year tick.

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall/Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-04-19T22:11:00.003+01:00

Some good quality migrants on the patch today with a male Ring Ouzel & 2 Black Redstarts present. Also seen today: 6 Little Egret, Common Buzzard through heading NW, Marsh Harrier, Spotted Redshank (not far off full summer plumage), Greenshank, Yellow Wagtail, Short-eared Owl, 3 Barn Owl, 25+ Swallow through, Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 5 Willow Warbler & 8 Chiffchaff. Also 2 Barn Owls at Thoresby Bridge & another at Conisholme made it 6 Barnies in total for the day.

Covenham Reservoir

2009-04-15T23:27:00.001+01:00

An early evening trip to Covenham coincided with the 1st movement of Arctic Terns into the UK & 8 birds were present on the res. Also seen: 2nd-summer Little Gull, 40+ Swallow, 20+ House Martin, 10+ Sand Martin, 8 Yellow Wagtails, 4 Wheatear, Willow Warbler & also a brief view of what was presumably the flava x flavissima hybrid that's been there for the last 2-3 days.

Egypt - bits & bobs (part two)

2009-04-13T21:44:00.012+01:00

The underwing and upperwing of another butterfly I can't ID

Birding was often hard work, you could walk for ages in the barren desert without seeing a thing - come to think of it, just like a lot of the Lincolnshire countryside

Some very important people and John Major

Me not next to the North Sea

Sunrise at our hotel

random Egyptian waiter and...

....the Mrs. I explained to the waiter I would accept just 2 camels... but he still wouldn't take her

The entrance to our hotel - in stark contrast to that B & B I once stayed in at Southend-on-Sea

A big thank you to Stella who went down very nicely..... the local beer was to be a constant friend of mine during my 2 week stay. No relation to a famous beer from Belgium.

I found a reliable & very reasonably-priced taxi driver for my birding trips - meet Mohammed.
If anyone is going to the Sharm El Sheikh region give me a a shout & I'll give you his tel no. He will take you wherever you want to go at any time of the day or night. He now understands what us birders are all about (though at our 1st meeting he did call me "Crazy Man" when I explained I wanted to spend 7 hours in the desert).
PS - A bit of advice if you do get in a taxi in Egypt - close your eyes & pray

I had a (plain clothes) police bodyguard for 4 hours while I was birding at Nabq National Park. As you can imagine, I wasn't in the most relaxed state of mind for those 4 hours. We got on very well though - he even gave me a cake bar.

Smart fish

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall/Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-04-12T16:10:00.004+01:00

Highlight of the day was a Red Kite that went low NW over the dunes at the southern end of Donna Nook at 10.15am. The Kite then circled over the RAF base before appearing to drift inland.
Other than the above, generally quiet in cloudy, drizzly conditions accompanied by a chilly NW wind.
Best of the rest:
1 Woodcock, 1 Barn Owl, 4 Wheatear, 10+ Swallows through, 2 Fieldfare, 1 Redwing & 4 Chiffchaff.

Donna Nook/Pyes Hall/Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-04-10T23:20:00.005+01:00

Spring migration evident today. 8 Swallows, 2 House Martins, single Sand Martin, 2 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff & 3 Wheatears logged. Spotted Redshank down the haven at Pyes showing signs of summer plumage coming through on the underparts.
The wintering Greenshank had been seen earlier down the haven but had gone AWOL by the time I was there.
Butterflies - 6 Peacocks and Small White also on the wing.
Moths - Brown Tail caterpillars were starting to become active in their webs on the sea buckthorn.

Egypt - bits & bobs (part one)

2009-04-09T22:44:00.017+01:00

St Catherine's Monastery - the area around here held Rock Martin, Desert Lark, Scrub Warbler & White-crowned Wheatear (Sinai Rosefinch are allegedly supposed to be here as well)

The entrance to Ras Mohammed National Park was impressive

For those that don't know me well I'm a Tottenham fan (for my sins), so out of 2,000 taxis in the Sharm el Sheikh region trust me to pick this one.

Couldn't go to Egypt without taking the obligatory camel shot.
He seemed happy enough having his pic taken.

Starfish type thingy & eel type thingy

Spot the Osprey nesting on this ship wreck (click image to enlarge)

Moth sp.

Any idea what this butterfly is?

Don't think the locals had done their Russian homework

Yellow Wags in Egypt

2009-04-09T22:19:00.007+01:00

Superciliaris?

feldegg

flava

Egyptian highlights

2009-04-06T21:03:00.046+01:00

Record shots of Striated Mangrove Green or whatever it is Heron & Ortolan Bunting

White-eyed Gull.

(the best I could do with the poor light)

Western Reef Heron.
White birds were clearly the most common of the two morphs.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
1 of 3 passing through on a golf course

The 1st time I'd seen a summer-plumaged Bluethroat - what a stunner

Spur-winged Plover - a noisy but beautiful wader

Carrot-billed Terns regularly patrolled the beach

Indian Silverbill. Not the most stunning of birds but a new one for me all the same. A surprise find seeing 2 birds mixing with the sparrows in the hotel grounds . The bottom pic shows the diagnostic white uppertail coverts which separate it from African Silverbill. Indian Silverbill has established itself in the wild after likely originating in this part of the world from escapes.

Citrine Wagtail
I seem to have a knack of finding this species. Found one in Kos last year and this bird - the only ones I saw on each trip. I now just need to find one in the UK!

Having only seen a White Stork in North Yorks many moons ago (truly wild of course), it was great to stumble on the above bird. I then looked over a sand bank and saw this impressive sight...

Over 300 White Storks were here in total and it was a memorable sight over the next few hours to watch groups of them take to the air and spiral high over the nearby mountains.

White-crowned Black Wheatear

I woke up each day to the sound of 2 species - House Sparrow and the above. Laughing Dove was common & most birds were quite tame with birds often perching on chairs right next to people (see top pic). Far more Laughing than Collared Doves seen.

Red-throated Pipit - nice & easy to ID when they look like this

Egypt Expedition

2009-03-17T22:19:00.002Z

The blog will not be updated for just over 2 weeks as I'm heading out to Sharm El Sheikh on Friday. It's a holiday with her indoors so I won't be able to check out the wildlife in the area all of the time, but rest assured there should be one or two pics for the blog when I get back ;-)

Donna Nook to Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-03-15T21:34:00.003Z

Checked the local patch for the last time before I head out on Friday for 2 weeks in Egypt. In the lovely spring sunshine I had a Pale-bellied brent with 26 Dark-bellied, 2 Merlin, Spotted Redshank, the wintering Greenshank, Grey Wagtail & 3 Twite present. Then on to Covenham Reservoir & had 9 Goosanders (all redheads). Also 4 Barn Owls for the day - two alongside the A1031 between Tetney & Marshchapel, one at Grainthorpe & another at Covenham.

Donna Nook to Grainthorpe Marsh

2009-03-08T18:54:00.011Z

Braved the wet and windy W - SW's this pm but probably shouldn't have bothered. Think we are in that period where a lot of winter stuff has moved on & we are waiting for the spring migrants to arrive. Anything still present probably stayed low today in the mod - strong winds. The male Hen Harrier & Greenshank continue to stay put. A Merlin was on the marsh. 83 Cormorants on a sandbar at the tide edge was a good count. A lone Song Thrush halfway down the track was probably an outward bound migrant. No sign of any Laplands in the usual spot, 10 Reed Buntings still there though. Only 2 Little Egrets seen - there has clearly been a reduction of Little Egrets present on the marsh over the winter, presumably having moved off due to the cold weather, with an clear increase of inland birds recorded.

Even the Armed Forces are being hit hard by the credit crunch

Covenham Reservoir

2009-03-07T18:18:00.024Z

Had a look at Covenham Res this afternoon & the water levels there remain quite low. Here's the highlights for the area: Little Egret, 5 Goosander, 32 Great Crested Grebe, 50 each of Goldeneye & Wigeon, 8 Tufted Duck, Peregrine, 14 Redshank & single Grey Wagtail. Another fruitless search for a rarity!

Goldeneye from today...

Back to the local patch

2009-02-22T23:05:00.002Z

Did between the RAF base and Grainthorpe Marsh today. Here's the results: Male Hen Harrier still wintering, Merlin, Short-eared Owl, 2 Barn Owl, the hardy Greenshank still around, 50 Twite, 42 Snow Bunting & also 3 Laplands still in the usual wintering spot. 3 Roe deer were noteworthy - don't often see them around here. Also noted a steady passage of Herring Gulls upriver throughout the day.

North Yorkshire

2009-02-21T22:11:00.011Z

Paid a visit to North Yorkshire today & had one of those rare days when everything just fell into place. Barn Owl south of Driffield 1st thing whilst on the way to Scarborough. Drake Red-breasted Merganser twitched on Seamer Road Mere + Kingfisher present. No sign of the 1w Iceland Gull in the Scarborough harbour area but 2 Red-breasted Mergs (male & female) in South Bay along with an adult Shag. Ad Med Gull scoped over Holbeck Car Park. A confiding imm Shag in the harbour itself. The pair of Peregrines showed very well on the nearby cliffs. Plenty of Fulmars also back & paired up on the cliffs. Breakfast in a bun complimented by a nice hot chocolate from a nearby snack bar recharged the batteries, then onto Scalby Mills and literally the 2nd gull I checked out was, yep, you guessed it - the 1w Iceland. Purple Sandpiper also at the Mills as well as 275 Wigeon.
Finally destination was the Wykeham/Troutsdale area for the big Gossie. It's always a pleasure to bird in this scenic area & everytime I've visited it the Goshawks have put on a great show - today was no exception. 5 Goshawks logged including some close views of adult & imm male birds, at one point 3 males were in the air together. Also in the area: 5 Common Buzzards, Grey Wagtail, 2 Kingfisher & several Siskin.
A successful twitch of the Great Grey Shrike in the area rounded off a memorable day and put the icing on the cake.

An Iceland Gull-less harbour

The coast is never complete without these

Not the wintering bird from my work patch, but an imm Shag of the Scarborough variety

How do you keep those primaries so white?

Back on the coast

2009-02-15T22:02:00.014Z

Better results today. Covered the stretch from the southern end of Donna Nook to Grainthorpe Marsh. Here's the results: Whooper Swan, Tundra Bean Goose, 3 Hen Harrier (2 males), 3 Merlin, 4 Barn Owl, the wintering Greenshank, 75+ Twite, the wintering flock of Goldfinch at Pyes numbered 15 & finally a Lapland Bunting showed well N of Pyes.
The Tundra Bean has apparently been present at the southern end of Donna Nook since Nov & is believed to be the individual originally seen at Saltfleet Haven in the same month - I saw that Beanie, so if it is the same then I've reconnected with it exactly 100 days later.
Seeing 3 Hen Harriers today was my highest day total of the winter. They are one of my favourite raptors & I always savour each time I see one, especially when I think of the threat of persecution they continually face when back on their breeding grounds. Where did these 3 birds originate from? Continent, UK or both? I wonder how many birds are currently wintering on our stretch of coastline between Tetney & Rimac? I watched a female N of Howden's this am in the company of a male, then not long before last light a female flew N towards Pyes and then 20mins later was heading back south in determined flight over pylons in the direction of Howdens - I've presumed it to be the same female. Whilst Hen Harrier numbers can fluctuate as birds readily move from one area to another, one thing I do know is there are clearly 2 separate males along our coast that continue to remain site faithful (at least whilst hunting), with possibly a 3rd male also present.

More signs that spring is getting near today.
Snowdrops in flower...

... Skylarks were singing & some of the hairy locals were getting horny...

Inland

2009-02-14T22:01:00.011Z

With a weather forecast of sun, little wind and milder temperatures, I decided to head inland with thoughts of a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker or maybe even an early Woodlark. The weather forecast turned out to be spot on though there was still plenty of snow on the ground. The above birds never materialised and it's safe to say this won't go down as my most productive day in the field. Here's my sightings from Linwood Warren & the Walesby area: 2 Common Buzzard, Woodcock, 2 Green Woodpecker, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 4 Siskin, 9 Bullfinch & a single Crossbill. Pleasing to hear plenty of birds in song though (including Siskin),Greater-spotted Woodpecker drumming & a very vocal Common Buzzard. Snowdrops also on show.
Expect an improvement tomorrow when I hit the coast.

Finally, any idea as to what made these? I'm trying to improve my knowledge of tracks & signs.

I'm guessing Badger

Wintry wolds

2009-02-01T20:13:00.009Z

Still not having had decent views of the Wolds Rough-legged Buzzard, I decided to make my 3rd trip to its wintering area. Admittedly I couldn't have picked a worse day weatherwise, a raw easterly of siberian origin with frequent sleet & snow showers in my face made viewing very difficult & uncomfortable. Not surprisingly, I didn't see the RLB. To show how unlucky I am with this bird, I did find a raptor with a white rump - unfortunately it was "only" a ringtail Hen Harrier, actually a much rarer sight here this winter than the Rough-leg! I did clock up 3 Common Buzzards before succumbing to the weather. Snowdrops in a copse near Cadwell Park gave me hope that spring isn't far away
Here's a pic of something totally different, a Black Vine Weevil Otiorhynchus sulcatus that was patrolling my lounge floor last night.