Bit of a breeze

Just back from the pond, which must have seemed more like the sea to its inhabitants. The wind was creating some substantial waves and spray, pushing most into the sheltered bays.

515+ Black Headed Gulls were all squeezed in the public hide bay, joined by 3 Lesser Black Backed Gull, 1 Great Black Backed, 3 Herring Gull, and 2 Adult Med Gull (one ringed). 33 Canada Geese, 2 Greylag Geese and the Bar-Headed Goose were also sheltering in the bay, also a lone Lapwing, a Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey Heron and 27 Jackdaw.

8 Pochard (5 male, 5 female), 10 Tufted (5 male, 5 female), 20+ Teal, and 5 Coot braved the waves.

I love my patch, Part 2

August 3rd was my first evening back on patch, heading down quite late the aim of the night was to see how the Barn Owls had faired, I was extremely pleased to find 3 individuals, of which 2 I think are this years fledge chicks. Moving on to the Dene a Tawny Owl family could be heard calling, the first young I've heard calling on patch. BD text me informing me of a Green Sandpiper, which I could just make out in the failing light, along with a lone Redshank and 4 Snipe.


Back the next day to find Joe's Spotted Redshank, which was showing extremely well, joined by 2 Green Sandpiper. BD joined me later, but with a lack of Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank made a brief appearance but didn't hang around. We headed up to the North Pool, and were rewarded with an adult Barn Owl, Joe arrived not long after this, but the Shank still wasn't present, just as we turned to leave it came plummeting out of the air, presumably from the Beehive Flash.


The next morning I arrived at Holywell for 04:00am with the plan being to photograph some of the passage waders, kitted up I headed for my chosen site, getting into position before the light began to break. As the light began to build I could pick out both Greenshank and Green Sandpiper, it was now a waiting game. The time passed relatively quickly with the whirring of ducks close over head, and the very close proximity to a Moorhen, I began snapping, firstly distance objects then steadily closer as the light grew. Following the Greenshank it gradually moved closer and closer towards me, until it was literally 30cm from the lens, to close to focus, happily feeding. The feeding must have been good as the Green Sandpiper soon joined it, and I sat watching both birds for a good while before they began moving into range, stopping to the noise of the shutter, then continuing on. The chance of great light and better shots was lost when a female Sparrowhawk flew from the North Wood, where her family could be heard calling.


A Grey Wagtail family and a lone Dipper were down the Dene that morning as well.


It wasn't long before I was back, picking Brian and Stephen up at 17:30 in search of the waders and the reported juv Black Necked Grebe. It proved to be an exciting and busy evening at Holywell, with Stephen picking up 4 lifers, including a juv Med Gull. Bumped into John down there as well.


Here's some photo's from the night, but my best images are below this post.

Juv Med Gull

Two leggy birds (Ruff and Greenshank)

Black Necked Grebe

This post was planned to be published yesterday, but I had an unexpected visit, and over night stay to the Hospital. I was discharged this morning, not wanting to waste the rest of the day my Dad and I headed for Whitburn in search of the Humpback, unfortunately we didn't connect with it, but it was good to get out.

Tonight I've been rearranging my blog, I'm planning to post my better images as the size below from now on, but as always with the smaller images, double click for some more detail. Any feedback on the new layout would be great, especially its causing any problems or difficulties :)

And finally I have a new blog to plug, a volunteer from SLS, she's now in South Africa and proving to be a challenge to keep up with ! 

http://ladyhollysiddons.blogspot.com/

Quick one.

Things have been beginning to come in up here as well, a Pectoral Sandpiper has paraded the front of the Visitors Centre for the past few days, along with Ruff, up to 6 Greenshank and a roosting Med Gull. (But their no Holywell Terek)

Today the reserve staff had a brush cutter training course, so after doing the morning tasks, including emptying the Moth Trap, which held, 2 Dark Arches, 1 Burnished Brass, 3 Double Square Spot, 1 Silver Y, 1 Antler Moth, 3 Common Rustic, 2 Large Yellow Underwing, 1 Middle Barred Minor, 1 Common Wainscot, 1 Square Spot Rustic and 1 Lesser Yellow Underwings. I was also asked to observe if there was any Corn Bunting activity in an area of the site, which I found a copulating pair.

So by early afternoon I was free, feeling a bit twitchy I headed for a reported Glaucous Gull site, that one of the local birders had told me about in the morning, and once she realised I hadn't seen one before she said I had to go. Not knowing what to expect, as most twitches for them back in Northumberland resulted in dipping, I headed down to Peterhead. I pulled up in the car park to find a reasonable sized group of Gulls on a sandy bank just below the bridge, it didn't take long for me to pick up the Glaucous.

I enjoyed watching this Gull for a while before heading South, to Black Dogs, in search of the Black Scoter. On hindsight I should have done it the other way round, as when I arrived on the dunes, the realization of the task ahead became apparent. Hundreds of Eiders, possibly thousand, as well as the same amount of Common Scoter cluttered an area of sea just North of Mucar Golf Course, bobbing up in down in the waves the amount of separate rafts made it look like I would be there for a while. Scanning across to the more distant rafts I was soon onto 2 Drake Surf Scoters, and then not along afterwards the Black Scoter, another lifer for the day.

Pleased to see both birds I wandered back to the car quite content, being distracted from these beauties before heading for the reserve.

Holywell Pond and the Obelisk Area

Decided to bike down to Holywell after school tonight saying that the wind had died down. Got there about 16:20 and was greeted by quite a few gulls, quick scan produced nothing, then I looked just in front of hide, only a few metres and there was a 2nd Winter Med Gull. After a closer look the bird didn't look to well, making to short flights, with its right leg trailing.

I was joined by Simon and he agreed the bird didn't look right, at 16:36 the Med Gull flew off to the west looking pretty fine other than the trailing leg, I guess it most of just of needed a rest and a drink to sort itself out. I follow Boulmer Birders blog I find his field notes and sketches amazing so I had a go drawing the pattern of black feathering on the head and the beak pattern, I also noticed the amount of the black this gull had on its wings, which I made note of. Here are two poor quality pictures I took, the 2nd to show wing pattern.

Scanning the rest of the gulls I found 2 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, amongst Herring, Common, and Black Headed. On the pond in the way of wildfowl there was 40+ Greylag, 2 Canada, 16 Mallard, 2 Great Crested Grebes performing the reed dance, 1 Little Grebe, 15 Tufted, 21 Wigeon, 6 Pochard, 2 Teal, and 2 Mute Swan, 6 Coot, Moorhen and a Grey heron were also on the pond. The feeding station was relatively quiet with 2 Long-Tailed Tits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker being the highlights. Large Numbers of Goldfinch were in Birch Trees at main gates, and the usual House Sparrow flock in hedgerow leading from estate.

A walk down to the public hide produced 1 Curlew with 3 overhead. i decided to have a walk down to the Obelisk to look for Little Owl and Partridge. When I got down there I picked up 2 Red-Legged Partridge almost straight away they were feeding under a pheasant feeder, also down that way I seen a few Song Thrush, Jackdaw, Rook and a Brown Hare which was new for the area.

I continued down to the path leading to Dene travelling through tall hawthorns, 5 Linnets, Female Sparrowhawk and more Song Thrush were in this area. Quick check of the North Pool produce nothing, then it was off home at 18:30.

Good evening with 45 species, bringing my patch list to 67.

Oh had a Song Thrush on Newsteads Drive on the way to school this morning as well, hopefully they'll breed again.