Scillies - Day 1 - Firecrest & Nightingale kick off proceedings

Skybus got us on the islands a day early

Quick coffee at Pauls before we headed to Lands End

Cornish coast 

Nightingale (Cornwall Birding)

Firecrest (Adam Hutt)

Old Town Bay

Penninis Head

                                        View outside our Scillies home

First Black Redstart

Mandarin

 

Scillies week had finally arrived. Thankfully the threatened lockdown was not announced until we returned the following Saturday.

With it looking like a very bumpy sailing on the Saturday we jumped ship to the Skybus which would also give us an extra day on the islands for my 5th visit. (The Scillonian was £125 return whilst the upgrade on flights was £30 each way)

Squire did the driving honours, leaving home at 5.15am and picking up Adam Hutt & Paul Freestone in Hayle on the way through. After quickly throwing our kit in our usual house in Hugh Town we were off out for some early success. Once again there were six of us in the shared house with other members being Brad Dallas & Mick Turton. We quickly had some fleeting views of a Nightingale over at Portcressa. It was diving from garden to garden, once landing on the path in front of me for a micro second.

We undertook a route through Lower Moors and then around Peninnis Head, always a great spot. Stonechats were numerous and it wasn’t long before we recorded our first Black Redstart of the trip above the Old Town Cafe.

Our best find were a pair of Firecrests that flew across our patch as they headed back towards the church yard. This pair treated us to some super views.

At Lower Moors we were lucky to see a scilly rarity which was a male Mandarin, it was only recorded once more during the trip. A Cetti’s burst into song as we walked through which rounded off a full day. 

With the Co-op empty of produce & supplies we all had a suburb fish and chip supper from the new shop just a couple of doors up from us, very handy.

Rolling into August at the pits

  Common Blue 

 Black-tailed Godwit

 Brood of Tufted Duck

 View from north side

 Mandarin

 Mandarin

 Common Blue

 Common Blue 

Mandarin Duck became our 131st species of the year at the pits. The high water levels & westerly winds are certainly not helping us attract any passage waders. What I'd give for a Turnstone !

Last Sundays webcount was as follows :- 27 Little Grebe + broods, 1 juvenile Great Crested Grebe, 3 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 13 Mute Swans + young, 370 Greylag, 178 Canada Goose, 1 Mandarin, 6 Gadwall, 13 teal, 320 Mallard + five new broods, Sparrowhawk with 3+ fledged juvenile, 8 Buzzards + brood 2/3 in plantation, 2 Kestrel, 1 Hobby, 1 Water Rail, 149 Coot, 122 Lapwing, 1 breeding plumage Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 31 Black-headed Gull, 90 LBBG, 1 Herring Gull, one juvenile Cuckoo, 1 Swift, 3 Green 1 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 50 House Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail, lots of Warblers including several Sedge & lesser Whitethroat, 20 Long-tailed Tits, several Coal Tits & Goldcrests, 350 Rooks, 150 Jackdaw & 4 Raven. Also 7 Painted Lady, 1 Holly Blue.

Another Hobby over Broom.  

Forest of Dean birding and bores

Mandarin

Cannop Pool

A real raptor day

 New Fancy View

Overgrown viewpoint

 Great Grey Shrike

Great Grey Shrike

 You looking at me

Nice with Chorizo

With the big freeze approaching fast you could certainly feel the easterly wind on Friday as I headed down to the Forest of Dean with fellow patch birder Chris Lane. I planned a circle of the forest giving us the best chance to see as many of local species as possible. 

First stop was Cannops Pools were the highlight was 36 Mandarin Ducks. I've had to work hard for these on occasions but this time we had no such worries as they were swimming around, resting on banks & also flying between the pools.

We didn't score with Crossbills at Parkend Church but did get stunning view of Goshawk emerging from the forest in front of us then circling giving us super views as two Greater Spotted Woodpeckers were drumming hard. Siskin were noted in most places during the morning. Two Hawfinches flew east behind the church and we saw another couple on the green when passing through.

It was then up to New Fancy View where there were a handful of birders looking for their year ticks. It was quiet for twenty minutes until I picked up two birds on the horizon of which one started to display to the pleasure of the audience of birders. Chris picked up a Peregrine & there were also Sparrowhawk & Common Buzzards.

I did warn Chris on the walk to Crabtree Hill I'd never seen this particular Great Grey Shrike on five previous visits and a number of photographers past us returning to the carpark with glum faces and telling us "no sign mate ".

There was no need to worry as the Butchers Bird perched up beautifully and stood out as we reached the brow of the hill. We watched him move around his terriotry and catching prey. The distant images I took do no justice to this stunning bird.

Back at the car park four Wild Boar were munching their way through any remaining grass looking to a late lunch. It was fabulous to see the boars at such close quarters but also a bit alarming that they appeared so tame. A morning of quality birding..............

Little Ringed Plover & Manadrin fly into Salford Priors

Little Ringed Plover

Patch Gold

Redshank

Frisky Monday

The old Jack Snipe lagoon

February league table

After a very productive February, March has been a real disaster in terms of new species at Salford Priors. After three weeks of cold biting winds, three days of consecutive visits and the easing of the weather we now see spring migration picking up pace.

Saturday saw me finally catch up with the Redshank that has been playing a very good game of hide and seek with me. I first saw the bird on Pophills with a Green Sandpiper but it is also using the main pit. At the bottom of the reserve the first migrant Chiffchaff was singing, an additional two birds could be heard on Monday. Four Wigeon, probably from Abbots Salford, were around for most of the day.

Sunday looked liked a good day with clear skies but the passage seemed to be going on way above the pits. Wildfowl numbers included 46 Teal, 12 Gadwall and 10 Shoveler.  The Water Rail was again by the reeds on the main pit. 

I had two trips on Monday as Paul (The Alcester Squire) was on the main pit when a pair of Mandarin ducks flew in. Patch gold of the highest order. I couldn't stuff my sandwich quick enough ! The Mandarins kindly hung around for my arrival, its a first for me on the site although I've seen one at Abbots Salford. Just as I was snapping the Mandarins our first Little Ringed Plover landed, just brilliant. Having looked at sightings it could well be the first returning bird to Warwickshire.

Loving the Wyre Forest

The Wyre Forest is an annual spring 'must visit' location and its only thirty minutes from home. Walking from Dry Mill Lane with the good lady wife we were quickly among the Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. 

When we reached the bench we headed into the paddock on the left where Mary Ann picked up a bird which turned out to be a Tree Pipit. The bird was displaying and was perched very high on a number of the trees around us. At the same time a Greater Spotted Woodpecker was drumming high above us. We then picked up a calling Cuckoo north of our location, a true sign of spring. 

We didn't have any luck locating the Pied Flycatchers I was keen to see in Knowles Coppice but a Redstart was in the old orchard. The Cuckoo kept calling but he was out of sight over the ridge but we did find a Treecreeper going about it's early morning business. 

Upon reaching Dowles Brook two Mandarin Ducks were swimming by the bridge but quickly flew up stream when they saw us. As we headed along the brook we observed Kingfisher, Grey Heron and Grey Wagtail but sadly no Dipper. 

The visit was rounded off by watching the Wood Warblers at close quarters on the slope back to the old railway line. A lot of the time you are looking up at their white under parts as they sing above you but occasionally you get to see the stunning yellow upper parts. We rounded off the morning with a coffee and sandwich in Bewdley. 

Hawfinch Hunt in Forest of Dean

Welcome to the Forest of Dean

Nagshead

Hawfinch

Mandarin

Mandarin

Crabtree Hill

An early start took me down the M5 on Saturday for a day in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. I arrived at an undisclosed site at around 8.30am and didn't have to wait to long to catch a view of my first Hawfinch of 2015. Hawfinches are difficult to see if you don't do your research. I estimated I saw 7 in total but the best image I could get ways at a very long range. You can clearly see the birds powerful frame and huge beak. In the same area I also picked up a small number of Crossbills and Siskin.

Nagshead was very quiet in terms of people and it was good to hear the calls of so many birds including Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Long Tailed Tits and Chaffinches. A number of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers were also observed.

I then headed up to Cannop Ponds where I completed a long circular walk along the pond edges and through the forest. This area is great to catch up with Manadrin at close quarters who were joined on the ponds by five Greylags, Tufted Duck, Mute Swans, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard and Little Grebe. On the walk back I picked up a Marsh Tit which was a bonus for the year list.

Next stop was Crabtree Hill for a bit of a Shrike search. Sadly despite a really good look it seems the Shrike had moved on to a different area of clear-fell. Passing Woorgreens Lake a Lesser Black-backed Gull flushed 30 Snipe which took flight and flew in formation before landing again with a single Goosander within the same scope view.

Taiga Bean & Hooded Crow star in Slimbridge Twitch

 Black-tailed Godwits

 Mandarins

 Taiga Bean Geese

 Hooded Crow

 Hooded Crow

Kingfisher

Despite a full day in Cambridgeshire the day before and a bad forecast the draw of super birds at Slimbridge made it another early start. On the way to picking up @midlandbirder in Stourport I stopped in Shenstone to locate a couple of Corn Bunting. As I approached Stourport, Craig text me to drive through to the field gate as two of the local Mandarin were sitting up on a tree by the river.

Once arriving at Slimbridge we headed straight to the Holden Tower to locate the two Taiga Bean Geese. A seriously rare bird in these parts. They are normally only ever seen in small numbers in Norfolk. The birds were close enough to enable us to get some excellent views. Other notable sightings were 5 Little Egret, 14+6 Golden Plover, 2 Peregrines, Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Pintail and Skylark. 

It was then down to the Kingfisher & Ziess Hide to locate the Hooded Crow. After about 30 minutes I saw the Crow land in the field. I'd never seen one of these birds before and I  was struck with how striking he was. Whilst in the Kingfisher hide we observed a pair of Kingfisher sat outside the nest they were excavating. It was brilliant to watch the Kingfisher at close quarters, normally I only see these birds flying fast. Upon leaving the hide a Swallow past over head - a sure sign that summers round the corner.