March 2012 - Out and about near Hatfield Moor

Sunday 25th: Whilst out and about on this sunny and warm day, I came across this small flock of Linnets on the wires. Couldn't get much closer so photos are heavily cropped. An original flock of 13 spent 15 minutes perched on these wires. Below these and not photographed were 2 Quails, both females. In the same field not far away, again not photographed were a pair of Kestrels, hunting together.

February 2011 - Local Patch.

A walk through two local woods recently, yielded a surprising host of birds. A bright sunny day always helps and though cold, that big yellow ball in the blue sky made for good conditions for us and the birds! Across the road from our estate is a small wood...well, a wooded area beside Cantley Road. In fact on older maps, it is known as Church Plantation.

Earlier this year or late last year Sandra had seen 30+ Redwings here and she was keen to see if they were still in residence. Luckily they were. We're not sure exactly how many but we did see quite a few, 20+. Unless you are almost on top of them, they are not very photogenic as they spend most of their time on the ground amongst the leaf litter and so blend in remarkably well! I did get a few good pics as can be seen here.

A Chaffinch was very obliging and supplied an unusual shot from below. Blue and great Tits along with a few Long-tailed Tits were seen. We did see a Nuthatch but my photo doesn't do it justice as I was shooting into the Sun. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers were conspicuous by their red underparts.

Once out of the wood we walked across the vast expanse of lawn between the flats the wood. Soaring high above was a Common Buzzard. Against the blue sky it made for a pleasant sight. A couple of passers-by were quite interested in what we had seen and asked if we were looking for Waxwings. We were but so far had drawn a blank. I did point-out the Buzzard overhead and that got an "aha!" from the pair.

Walking all the way down the road for about 2 miles, didn't produce anything in the way of birds but after a quick stop at my place we continued on to Kirk Moor Plantation Wood. Here in the mid-afternoon Sun we got superb views of a Treecreeper, so good that I didn't even take photos! At the other end of the Wood by the Pub, high up the top of Silver Birch and Alders were a small flock of what we believe we Lesser Redpolls but on examining the photos, I am 90% sure that there are a couple of Linnets mixed in with them! A great day walking around our local patch and still plenty more to see!

September 2010 - Old Moor RSPB

Wednesday 22nd: Today I went over to my local RSPB nature reserve near Rotherham. A warm late September day meant that it was shirt-sleeve weather -no need of a jacket! I called for Sandra and we got there just before lunch time. almost immediately we were treated to some sights: a male and female Bullfinch, Sandra's first since 2006! Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits and even a Willow Tit (we think), was seen from the hide attached to the Visitor Centre. Luckily everything is very close at this hide as my binoculars are just too powerful... must remember to bring the 10x25's as well! Being a warm day, there were plenty of Dragonflies about and one of the Red Darters even landed on Sandra's hand, obliging long enough for me to grab some photos! The Tree Sparrow Farm area was strangely quiet with a couple of birds about, a Tree Sparrow (Sandra's FIRST) and a chiffchaff.

On the Main lake there were the usual suspects: Canada Geese (37), Mallards, Coots, Gadwalls, a couple of Mute Swans, 5 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Little Grebes with 2 Cormorants and 10 Wigeon. Across the lake wheeled 8 Swallows or were they House Martins?

The highlight of the day was over at Wath Ings hide. Here there were flocks of various types of bird, all congregated over the grassy banks and mudflats. Unusual to say the least was the sight of 11 Grey Herons all equally spaced along the bank or fishing in the shallows. A large flock of Lapwings was on the mudflats, could have been 200+. Amongst them were smaller numbers of Golden Plover. As always I take my scope and that just added to the enjoyment of seeing the details of the birds. Amongst all this were... well at least 20 maybe 30 Linnets! Again Widgeon with some Pochard and quite a few Shovelers! A Kestrel disturbed the flock and all Lapwings, Plovers and Linnets took to the air. A mass flock swirled around the sky as the Kestrel tried to pick one from the swirl! Fantastic... but the sight of a lovely plumaged Black-tailed Godwit on the far bank was the bonus!

After a quick bite to eat we toured the outlying areas of the NR where we came across what I took to be a Scaup. Now female Tufted Ducks are often mistaken for Scaups but this duck was bigger than your average female Tufted Duck. The jury is still out on that and I will need to consult some more pictures and compare with mine.

The late afternoon had brought the cool air and the sky became overcast. It was time to depart for home and reflect on a marvelous day out. I have some video footage that when transferred from tape, I will attach to this entry... soon.

March 2010 - Old Moor RSPB

Wednesday 31st: Wow, it was perishing cold! In mid-afternoon the wind got up and made it even colder, thankfully I had taken the precaution of wearing layers of clothing and remembered my gloves! After 2 days of rain, I decided to chance the weather and get out amongst the wildlife.

Not many people at Old Moor as you would expect on a cold and blustery day. Above, you can see a photo of a Dunnock that I took at the Tree Sparrow farm. As you can see it has a ring on it's left leg. Although not unusual to see a common bird ringed, I wonder where it was captured and ringed, was it here at Old Moor or somewhere else? I think I'll have to make enquires. The highlight of the visit was the sighting of a male Yellowhammer and three Linnets at the Tree Sparrow farm. On the wader scrape the 4 Goosanders (1 male and 3 females) there gave a good showing and I was surprised that they were still in residence.

Although it was cold and not at all Spring-like, thirty to forty Sand Martins and a few Swallows were zig-zagging in the air and skimming the waters' surface. Back at the reception hide, amongst the Greenfinches and Chaffinches was a pair of Bullfinches and a male Greater Spotted Woodpecker. So apart from the wind and the cold...a fairly satisfying day out!

May 2009 - Of Linnets, Damselflies and Starlings!

Sunday 24th, two Damselflies visited our garden pond at lunchtime today. The weather was sunny and warm and this is the first occurrence of these summer beasties this year, that we are witnessed in the garden. The photos show a Common Blue (male Damselfly and a Large Red (male) Damselfly.

Later in the afternoon, I visited Wroot to see what bird life could be seen in the wide-open spaces of the countryside. Some glorious views of Reed Buntings and lots of Swallows were seen. But one particular showing of a Reed Warbler seen in full song through my scope was outstanding! Unfortunately I have no photos of this .

Going onto Hatfield Moor, I was treated to fantastic views of a pair of Linnets! Both male and female showed very well, being very accommodating on a nearby Birch. The birds stand-out very nicely against the blue sky. On the video, you may just hear the call of a distant Cuckoo. That bird was continually calling over a 30 minute period but too far away from me to go and search. Maybe next time.

It's that time of year when the newly-fledged Starlings descend onto all the feeders. This year there doesn't seem to be as many as in previous years but there are still quite a few that have made our garden their feeding station. The species is on the RED LIST OF CONSERVATION CONCERN and all efforts, even in a small way such as providing food should be made.