2:20 -5:30pm. Weather: cloudy but bright, cool; cold wind (southerly).
Departing Teeside heading to Norfolk I wanted to visit the famous reservoir on the way, & hoped to see an English osprey. It was a long drive, but not too gruelling down the motorway & it was good to see the finally see the place I'd heard so much about.
Car-park, Visitors' Centre & Hides.
Jackdaw, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan.
Egyptian Goose - 2.
Gadwall, Mallard, Pochard, Black-Headed Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Moorhen, Teal, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Shelduck, Rook.
Song Thrush - heard only.
Chiffchaff - singing near the hide, one of the first of the year.
Redshank.
Robin - heard.
Goldeneye, Crow, Shoveler.
Pheasant - heard.
Dunlin Hide.
Oystercatcher, Redshank, Common Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull.
Swallow - 3 arriving migrants.
Sandpiper Hide.
Little Ringed Plover - 2 on a small sandbank then another flew in to make 3.
Dunlin - 1 with the LRPs.
Shoveler Hide.
Scaup - 2 on the reservoir's far-side from the hide, kindly pointed out by a fellow birder.
Little Grebe.
Visitors' Centre.
Wren - heard.
Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Greenfinch, Dunnock, Goldfinch.
Mallard Hide.
Great-Crested Grebe, Curlew, Kestrel.
Sand Martin - plenty buzzing around the reedbeds & over lagoon 1.
OSPREY - after being disappointed in not seeing any birds on their nesting platforms, we were about to depart disappointed when one floated in from the south & high over the hide. Quite distinctive & although I had seen one in Britain before in Scotland (which I didn't record anywhere) this was my first in England.
Car-park.
Great Spotted Woodpecker - the trees adjacent to the car-park.
Woodpigeon - a usual car-park dustbin presence!
50 species.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Widdybank Fell, County Durham, 03/04/2010
2 - 7:30pm. Weather: cloudy, some sunshine, a few showers, one heavy & long.
After a snooze to recover from our early morning outing, Rob & I headed off to a location where Rob had seen ouzels before, another target bird for the trip. We parked up & headed off towards Cow Green Reservoir & then joined the Pennine Way, along Falcon Clints to Widdybank Farm & then Sayer Hill, before a long slog up the road back to the carpark. A much longer walk than I do normally but thoroughly enjoyable, even after nearly getting a leg sucked off in a hidden bog & after getting caught in a downpour when the heavens opened up, & with some great upland birds too.
Widdybank Fell.
Golden Plover - a few couples about, presumably preparing to breed, later on several over calling.
Lapwing, Meadow Pipit, Curlew - all seen amongst the upland tussocks.
Red Grouse - a few with heads poking out from the heather & calling distinctively.
Black-Headed Gull - over the reservoir.
Ring Ouzel - 3, after a quick stop for lunch besides the river which flows from the reservoir, Rob & I clambered down to the Pennine Way. As we did so we looked down into the valley where we were headed & I caught a good look at a distinctive black bird with a white collar perched bodly on a rock. It wasn't there for long but it was close & distinctive: a male ring ouzel. As we descended we saw the individual again as well as a couple more including a good view of a female which clucked disapproval at our presence for a few minutes until it disappeared & we headed off, well satisfied.
Dipper - as we continued along the path next to the river a distinctive dumpy bird in the river was unmistakeable. An unexpected treat, a bird I hadn't seen in a while.
Widdybank Farm.
Pheasant, Redshank.
Snipe - 2, roding constantly over a nice secluded area of upland bog, a great sound & nice to see the birds after only hearing them in the dark in the morning.
Common Gull, Starling, Fieldfare, Skylark, Woodpigeon.
Black Grouse - distinctive lekking calls heard but we couldn't locate them on the hills.
Song Thrush - 2.
Greylag Goose, Oystercatcher.
20 species, 1 new species.
After a snooze to recover from our early morning outing, Rob & I headed off to a location where Rob had seen ouzels before, another target bird for the trip. We parked up & headed off towards Cow Green Reservoir & then joined the Pennine Way, along Falcon Clints to Widdybank Farm & then Sayer Hill, before a long slog up the road back to the carpark. A much longer walk than I do normally but thoroughly enjoyable, even after nearly getting a leg sucked off in a hidden bog & after getting caught in a downpour when the heavens opened up, & with some great upland birds too.
Widdybank Fell.
Golden Plover - a few couples about, presumably preparing to breed, later on several over calling.
Lapwing, Meadow Pipit, Curlew - all seen amongst the upland tussocks.
Red Grouse - a few with heads poking out from the heather & calling distinctively.
Black-Headed Gull - over the reservoir.
Ring Ouzel - 3, after a quick stop for lunch besides the river which flows from the reservoir, Rob & I clambered down to the Pennine Way. As we did so we looked down into the valley where we were headed & I caught a good look at a distinctive black bird with a white collar perched bodly on a rock. It wasn't there for long but it was close & distinctive: a male ring ouzel. As we descended we saw the individual again as well as a couple more including a good view of a female which clucked disapproval at our presence for a few minutes until it disappeared & we headed off, well satisfied.
Dipper - as we continued along the path next to the river a distinctive dumpy bird in the river was unmistakeable. An unexpected treat, a bird I hadn't seen in a while.
Widdybank Farm.
Pheasant, Redshank.
Snipe - 2, roding constantly over a nice secluded area of upland bog, a great sound & nice to see the birds after only hearing them in the dark in the morning.
Common Gull, Starling, Fieldfare, Skylark, Woodpigeon.
Black Grouse - distinctive lekking calls heard but we couldn't locate them on the hills.
Song Thrush - 2.
Greylag Goose, Oystercatcher.
20 species, 1 new species.
Langdon Beck, County Durham, 03/04/2010
5:30 - 7:30am. Weather: misty dawn, heavy sleet & snow showers.
One of the main reasons to visit Langdon Beck is that it's one of the best places in the country to view lekking black grouse, so Rob & I got up & out before dawn in the hope of experiencing one of the wonderful sights (& sounds) of spring. The weather was disappointing but the birds were not.
Oystercatcher - a couple standing on the gravel in a layby of the main road.
Snipe - what sounded like several birds roding constantly in the pre-dawn gloom; quite an unearthly sound but though very close we didn't see any birds doing it.
Curlew, Lapwing.
Black Grouse - just like the snipe the sound of the lek was heard long before we were finally able to pick out some birds from the expanse of the moor visible from the road. There were at least half a dozen males involved in the lek & though the morning was gloomy we had some good prolonged sightings & some fantastic leeking behaviour.
Meadow Pipit, Skylark - also heard.
Holwick Scar
1pm. Weather: heavy rain shower.
Wheatear - one male, three females; first of the spring & a splash vibrancy in the gloom.
One of the main reasons to visit Langdon Beck is that it's one of the best places in the country to view lekking black grouse, so Rob & I got up & out before dawn in the hope of experiencing one of the wonderful sights (& sounds) of spring. The weather was disappointing but the birds were not.
Oystercatcher - a couple standing on the gravel in a layby of the main road.
Snipe - what sounded like several birds roding constantly in the pre-dawn gloom; quite an unearthly sound but though very close we didn't see any birds doing it.
Curlew, Lapwing.
Black Grouse - just like the snipe the sound of the lek was heard long before we were finally able to pick out some birds from the expanse of the moor visible from the road. There were at least half a dozen males involved in the lek & though the morning was gloomy we had some good prolonged sightings & some fantastic leeking behaviour.
Meadow Pipit, Skylark - also heard.
Holwick Scar
1pm. Weather: heavy rain shower.
Wheatear - one male, three females; first of the spring & a splash vibrancy in the gloom.
RSPB Saltholme, Middlesbrough, County Durham, 02/04/2010
12:30 - 2:30pm. Weather: overcast, grey, cold, still.
First outing on the third annual Easter extravaganza, this time I wanted to visit the uplands of the north east of England where I hoped to see a couple of specialities of that habitat. To start though I picked up Rob up from Middlesbrough train station mid-morning after a very late night drive up from London the night before. As well as the uplands I wanted to visit on the RSPB's flagship reserves in the area after reading quite a lot about it in the membership magazine. It was easy to find & a pleasure to visit covering an impressive area of land which yielded an impressive number of species.
Sand Martin - first of the returning summer visitors just after the visitors' centre.
Tufted Duck, Reed Bunting, Goldfinch, Coot, Magpie.
Wildlife Watchpoint:
Black-Headed Gull, Black-Tailed Godwit, Mallard, Redshank, Meadow Pipit.
Wigeon, Gadwall, Shoveler, Little Grebe - heard from reedbeds.
Cormorant, Crow, Linnet (3 over), Greylag Goose, Kestrel.
Paddy' Pool Hide:
Mute Swan, Great-Crested Grebe, Moorhen.
Brown Hare - one hunkered down in a form; we heard the hide volunteer saying that there are several on the reserve & before the area became a reserve people often chased them with their dogs for some sport.
Teal, Curlew, Shelduck.
Mediterranean Gull - scanning the black-heads I picked out this beauty which I wasn't expecting & which I shared with the others in the hide.
Avocet - a couple on one of the islands in front of the hide.
Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Starling.
Saltholme Pools Hide:
Hooded Merganser - a lone male busily fishing in a more secluded part of the pool, as always with this species it seems there was speculation of its origin & whether it was just an escapee. Judging by the lack of reports on the internet & in magazines subsequently published it was not considered worthy of a genuine vagrant status, but a first for me nonetheless.
Pink-Footed Goose - a lone straggler on the adjacent grassland not look in the best of health, looking rather forlorn & obviously incapable of flying further north with the big flocks.
Goldeneye, Pochard - lone male.
Little-Ringed Plover - alerted to its presence by others in the hide, it foraged a channel at the edge of the pool affording excellent sightings before wandering out of view.
Pied Wagtail, Great Black-Backed Gull, Skylark - heard over the meadows as we made our way back to the car.
An excellent reserve that has already far exceeded its expected numbers of visitors, as it matures it can only get better which is an exciting thought, & a great way to get the Easter holiday up & running.
42 species, one new.
After Saltholme Rob & I continued along to Seal Sands & then out to Seaton Carew. There wasn't much at Seal Sands other than huge oil processing plants & we then passed a Wildlife Trust reserve on the way to the coast. At Seaton Carew we walked amongst the dunes to the beach & watched some impressive kite-surfers, impressive because the wind was freezing & the beach was covered in oil & other detritus! It was an impressive scene nonetheless but we eventually headed off up into the hills.
First outing on the third annual Easter extravaganza, this time I wanted to visit the uplands of the north east of England where I hoped to see a couple of specialities of that habitat. To start though I picked up Rob up from Middlesbrough train station mid-morning after a very late night drive up from London the night before. As well as the uplands I wanted to visit on the RSPB's flagship reserves in the area after reading quite a lot about it in the membership magazine. It was easy to find & a pleasure to visit covering an impressive area of land which yielded an impressive number of species.
Sand Martin - first of the returning summer visitors just after the visitors' centre.
Tufted Duck, Reed Bunting, Goldfinch, Coot, Magpie.
Wildlife Watchpoint:
Black-Headed Gull, Black-Tailed Godwit, Mallard, Redshank, Meadow Pipit.
Wigeon, Gadwall, Shoveler, Little Grebe - heard from reedbeds.
Cormorant, Crow, Linnet (3 over), Greylag Goose, Kestrel.
Paddy' Pool Hide:
Mute Swan, Great-Crested Grebe, Moorhen.
Brown Hare - one hunkered down in a form; we heard the hide volunteer saying that there are several on the reserve & before the area became a reserve people often chased them with their dogs for some sport.
Teal, Curlew, Shelduck.
Mediterranean Gull - scanning the black-heads I picked out this beauty which I wasn't expecting & which I shared with the others in the hide.
Avocet - a couple on one of the islands in front of the hide.
Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Starling.
Saltholme Pools Hide:
Hooded Merganser - a lone male busily fishing in a more secluded part of the pool, as always with this species it seems there was speculation of its origin & whether it was just an escapee. Judging by the lack of reports on the internet & in magazines subsequently published it was not considered worthy of a genuine vagrant status, but a first for me nonetheless.
Pink-Footed Goose - a lone straggler on the adjacent grassland not look in the best of health, looking rather forlorn & obviously incapable of flying further north with the big flocks.
Goldeneye, Pochard - lone male.
Little-Ringed Plover - alerted to its presence by others in the hide, it foraged a channel at the edge of the pool affording excellent sightings before wandering out of view.
Pied Wagtail, Great Black-Backed Gull, Skylark - heard over the meadows as we made our way back to the car.
An excellent reserve that has already far exceeded its expected numbers of visitors, as it matures it can only get better which is an exciting thought, & a great way to get the Easter holiday up & running.
42 species, one new.
After Saltholme Rob & I continued along to Seal Sands & then out to Seaton Carew. There wasn't much at Seal Sands other than huge oil processing plants & we then passed a Wildlife Trust reserve on the way to the coast. At Seaton Carew we walked amongst the dunes to the beach & watched some impressive kite-surfers, impressive because the wind was freezing & the beach was covered in oil & other detritus! It was an impressive scene nonetheless but we eventually headed off up into the hills.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Hampstead Cemetery, London, 21/03/2010
11:50am to 12:50pm. Weather: bright, hazy sunshine, mild; little or no breeze.
A Spring has sprung patch visit, in contrast to my last wintry visit. Many species in good voice particularly the resident robins of which I estimate there to be at least a dozen territories around the cemetery. Otherwise fairly quiet without the buzz of winter thrushes & tit feeding parties.
Entrance:
Magpie, Woodpigeon.
Robin - many singing & prominent during the walk.
Dunnock - also in good voice; I saw 3 fighting & more later.
Chaffinch - a bright male & a few others around.
Wren, Carrion Crow.
South-side:
Green Woodpecker - heard yaffling, seen later flying off in the east-central area.
Blackbird, Blue Tit, Great Tit.
Jay - a couple heard.
UCL Sports Grounds:
Song Thrush - one heard singing in the distance, & I later saw what looked like one fly up into shrubs near the playing fields.
East-side:
Long-Tailed Tit - 3 or 4 in a mobile party.
Greenfinch - 5 with a few great tits buzzing a bush but I couldn't see why.
Starling - 2 up from the ground.
Redwing - 1 into a tree as I made my way to the exit; late in the year but looking in fine fettle prior to flying home, it may have been that this was the song thrush I saw earlier.
17 species.
A Spring has sprung patch visit, in contrast to my last wintry visit. Many species in good voice particularly the resident robins of which I estimate there to be at least a dozen territories around the cemetery. Otherwise fairly quiet without the buzz of winter thrushes & tit feeding parties.
Entrance:
Magpie, Woodpigeon.
Robin - many singing & prominent during the walk.
Dunnock - also in good voice; I saw 3 fighting & more later.
Chaffinch - a bright male & a few others around.
Wren, Carrion Crow.
South-side:
Green Woodpecker - heard yaffling, seen later flying off in the east-central area.
Blackbird, Blue Tit, Great Tit.
Jay - a couple heard.
UCL Sports Grounds:
Song Thrush - one heard singing in the distance, & I later saw what looked like one fly up into shrubs near the playing fields.
East-side:
Long-Tailed Tit - 3 or 4 in a mobile party.
Greenfinch - 5 with a few great tits buzzing a bush but I couldn't see why.
Starling - 2 up from the ground.
Redwing - 1 into a tree as I made my way to the exit; late in the year but looking in fine fettle prior to flying home, it may have been that this was the song thrush I saw earlier.
17 species.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Senegambia Hotel Gardens, The Gambia, 25/02/2010
6:20pm to 7pm. Weather: sunny, warm, to dusk.
A final evening walk around the hotel's grounds as the holiday sadly came to an end. Fortunately I encountered some of the exotic species I had seen on the first guided walk & even had some better views of them than first time around.
Brown Babbler, Bronze Manakin, Red-Eyed Dove, Long-Tailed Glossy Starling, Speckled Pigeon, Village Weaver.
African Paradise Flycatcher - two in the 'usual' thicket near the volleyball court & near my room in Oriole block, I spent some time watching them, though one soon moved off, trying unsuccessfully to get some good photos in the gloom.
Oriole Warbler - another I'd hoped to see again & another that was present in the thicket. It stayed for a few minutes before moving off, & although still short it was a longer view than the first time.
Red-Billed Hornbill, Yellow-Crowned Gonolek, White-Capped Robinchat - also around the thicket.
Gray Woodpecker - just outside the thicket on the edge of the main green, an individual was perched on a low tree & was not disturbed by my presence affording some nice close-ups.
Grey-Backed Camaroptera - one foraged on the ground just outside the thicket, also allowing some good close-ups;
Northern Crombec - in the old construction area adjacent to Kairaba, its orange underparts & tiny tail were seen properly this time rather than a fleeting view of one flying as at Lamin Lodge.
Western Plantaineater, African Thrush - also in the old construction area.
Broad-Billed Roller - two perched high up in a dead-looking trees near the thicket where they stayed until dusk afforded decent views of what was my first roller species.
Little Swift, African Palm Swift - both overhead as dusk settled.
Pied Crow - noisily roosting.
20 species.
A final evening walk around the hotel's grounds as the holiday sadly came to an end. Fortunately I encountered some of the exotic species I had seen on the first guided walk & even had some better views of them than first time around.
Brown Babbler, Bronze Manakin, Red-Eyed Dove, Long-Tailed Glossy Starling, Speckled Pigeon, Village Weaver.
African Paradise Flycatcher - two in the 'usual' thicket near the volleyball court & near my room in Oriole block, I spent some time watching them, though one soon moved off, trying unsuccessfully to get some good photos in the gloom.
Oriole Warbler - another I'd hoped to see again & another that was present in the thicket. It stayed for a few minutes before moving off, & although still short it was a longer view than the first time.
Red-Billed Hornbill, Yellow-Crowned Gonolek, White-Capped Robinchat - also around the thicket.
Gray Woodpecker - just outside the thicket on the edge of the main green, an individual was perched on a low tree & was not disturbed by my presence affording some nice close-ups.
Grey-Backed Camaroptera - one foraged on the ground just outside the thicket, also allowing some good close-ups;
Northern Crombec - in the old construction area adjacent to Kairaba, its orange underparts & tiny tail were seen properly this time rather than a fleeting view of one flying as at Lamin Lodge.
Western Plantaineater, African Thrush - also in the old construction area.
Broad-Billed Roller - two perched high up in a dead-looking trees near the thicket where they stayed until dusk afforded decent views of what was my first roller species.
Little Swift, African Palm Swift - both overhead as dusk settled.
Pied Crow - noisily roosting.
20 species.
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