May 2012 - Old Moor RSPB and Hatfield Moor YWT

Sunday 6th: A bright and sunny day, albeit a bit cool when out of the sun. A visit out to RSPB Old Moor NR near Barnsley and an early start to get there for 9am. Sandra joined me today and straight away she was spotting the Bullfinches, Greenfinches et al in the bird garden. A Wren was singing loudly as they always do, flying to and fro from it's nest in a shed. It looked as though it was carrying food and presumably there were chicks in the nest. A Great Tit was also busy gathering food from the feeders and returning to a nest box as can be seen in the photo below.

Above: Male Bulfinches always look resplendent in their peach, white, grey and black plumage.

Above: Canada Geese with some of the Goslings

Male Greenfinch

A female Mallard Duck with her chicks.

Male Reed Bunting singing loudly from a high perch.

Tree Sparrow.

Above: Twitch of the Day - this Lesser Whitethroat was in full song in the bracken. We followed it up and down the lane. The photo was taken from inside the hide.

A sure sign of Summer - Willow Warbler

Above: A male Blackcap was in full song from his perch with a male Greenfinch higher up.

Above: Coming a close second to the twitch of the day is this Common Sandpiper. This caused quite a stir in the hide as they tend not to be so common!

Later in the afternoon we took the short drive out to Wombwell Ings. A satellite reserve of Old Moor. Sandra saw a couple of Kingfishers which, of course I missed. Lapwings were there also with chick, Graylag Geese, Canada Geese and Tufted Ducks. A Grey Heron flew over and tucked in a quite spot was a single Avocet.

As time was getting late we drove back towards home and a quick visit to Hatfield Moor (south) and Boston Park lake. Here we encountered 5 Yellow Wagtails as seen below and plenty of low flying Swifts and Swallows. In fact the Swifts we flying so low that we almost had our hair parted several times!

This was a very good day out. Three different venues visited, sunny and three cracking bird species seen!

May 2011 - Lakeside Little Gulls!

Wednesday 2nd: This afternoon was wonderfully warm, so much so that I was out on the island at Lakeside...with no coat on! Makes a change to have a warm sunny day amidst these past weeks of rain! I'd set up my scope at the edge of the island so that I could get a good sweep all around the lake area. The Willow Warbler that I had just had a close encounter with was continually singing and did for the entire hour I was there. The Warbler was most obliging and perched openly so that I got some good photos.

Sweeping the lake, there were the usual Black-headed Gulls with their summer plumage fully blossomed. But there on one of the buoys was a Tern! Good views of it through the scope and photos too. Eventually (when I got home),  Mel and I decided that it was a Common Tern and not an Arctic Tern as I had first suggested!

As I swept the scope further around the lake, three (out of place) gulls came into view. These I had not seen before but in the scope could easily identify them as Little Gulls. These are the smallest gulls known and are about 25% smaller than a Black-headed Gull. Usually only found around the coast, they do come inland occasionally, with reports of Little Gulls at Old Moor RSPB too. Immediately recognisable by the jet-black plumage of the head and neck, whereas the chocolate-brown of Black-headed Gulls, end at the back of the head. The three Little Gulls were identified as two adults and their offspring - one 2nd year gull, as can be seen from the incomplete black plumage around the bill. Two of my photos have been published on the doncasterbirding website and that is where the immature gull was identified as a 2nd year gull.

2nd Winter Little Gull.

Two adults and 2nd winter Little Gulls.

Black-headed Gull and Little Gull for comparison.

Two femaleCommon Coots were also nesting at the lake. One of which was being attended by a male, Great Crested Grebes were there and I counted 2 pairs but there are more around in the marina. Loads of Mute Swans, about 35 and Mallard along with Tufted Duck and some resident Canada Geese.

Maiting 7-spot Ladybirds

So in the space of an hour, I had three summer species of bird, one of which, the Little Gulls was a FIRST for me!

October 2010 - Spurn Point YWT

Sunday 10th: The morning started overcast but as the Sun got up, the cloud was quickly burnt-off by the Sun. It looked like Sandra and I were going to have a very good outing to Spurn Point. The autumn migration is underway and Spurn is a good place to see birds coming into these islands.

A 2-hour drive soon passed and we were greeted by the sight of an army of Birders marching along the narrow country lanes. As I slowed to pass some Birders, I looked down to the roadside on my right and saw what was to be the first of many Siskins at close quarters. There were so many birds about that we didn't know which way to look! We went on through to the Reserve and immediately saw large numbers of Redwings criss-crossing the fields.

A lone female Chaffinch seemed to be interested in us when we ate our sandwiches and hung around the parked car. We wandered over to a hide on the Humber estuary coast where we saw Robins on the beach, Little Plover in another Birders scope, 3 Redshanks, a couple of Oystercatchers and other Waders not identified, some Great Black-backed Gulls and even a Meadow Pipit or two also on the shore. Through my scope 11 Brent Geese waded in the shallows. It seemed that the shoreline attracted a great many birds, presumably as they arrive exhausted and drop down on the beach to feed!

We decided to move on and drive down to the Point. I volunteered us to walk around the Point not knowing that it was going to be a bit of a hike. Down on the Humber-side of the beach I lost count of the number of Northern Wheatears patrolling in and around the clumps of seaweed and shingle. We saw at least two males but many more females. Also there, large numbers of warblers; Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. Siskins were abundant as elsewhere. At the Point I managed to see and photograph a Common Redstart (another first)!

Climbing up to the Nature Reserve, I saw vast numbers of Redwings together with numbers of other unidentified birds! In fact Sandra did well in getting up a steep incline from the shore on the North Sea side to the roadside! There were so many Wheatears and Siskins that I lost count but we both got some good photos! Most of these birds would be making ready to migrate back to Africa while yet more; Robins, Redwings etc would be just coming-in for the autumn/winter. A truly amazing spectacle! I've not seen so many different species of bird in such a small area before - no wonder Spurn Point is a mecca for birdwatchers!

To round off the day, we drove back to Kilnsea and after some refreshments, a fellow birder lined-up a Lapland Bunting in my scope. We were treated to some first-class views of this rarity. It's just a shame that the photo I took through the scope was a crock... A flock of 9 Curlews flew over the car towards the north and as I watched them through my binoculars, I neglected to call Sandra to which I got a stern rebuke! Sorry Sandra!

A great day out and one of the most spectacular places that I've been too for watching birds. So I can count Northern Wheatear, Common Redstart and Lapland Bunting as new species for my Life-List. Another visit is definitely on the cards next Spring!

Above: The Kilnsea Sunset.

May 2010 - Kirkmoor Planation Wood & news from the Garden

May 2nd: Strolling around my local wood, I can see that the Summer migrants have now arrived. I saw 3 male Blackcaps singing in different territories though no females. So, do the males return before the females and stake-out territories before the females arrive later? Answers would be appreciated. Of course, the early arrivals, the Chiffchaffs have laid claim to territories as long ago as late March and are in full voice! Willow Warblers are also back and their familiar song can also be heard. At least two have taken-up residence in the wood. Another question that intrigues me: do these migrants such as Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers return to the same site after flying 3,500 miles from Africa year after year? Or is it just chance that brings them to this little wood on the outskirts of Doncaster?

Bluebells now carpet the wood and for two weeks or so will provide a vivid blue colour to the wood. The local residents such as Chaffinch, Wren, Robin, Blackbird and Wood Pigeon are as usual, fairly abundant. For such as small wood, it certainly contains a large variety of wildlife.

Meanwhile, in our garden, the birds are in full flow. The pair of Wood Pigeons that nested in the conifers, produced one fledgling. But after making its maiden appearance, was frightened by a local Squirrel and has not been seen since!

The Blackbirds - specifically the females - are constantly visiting the kitchen for mealworms, so much so that Melanie has now rationed them as we don't expect another delivery until Wednesday 5th! Once we open the back door then it becomes a constant procession of female Blackbirds (3 different individuals), 1 male Blackbird and a small group of House Sparrows!

Over this Bank Holiday weekend, Melanie could easily spend the entire day supervising the birds! She has to limit each bird to a reasonable number of mealworms as they tend to empty the bowl and leave none for the next visitor.

The female House Sparrows seem to be more forward than the males (who wait outside by the doorstep) and will fly in and hover waiting for the moment when they can seize the odd mealworm from under a Blackbirds beak! There has already been one Blackbird fledgling, that Mel photographed last Friday, but alas, this morning (Monday) she discovered its remains in the flower bed. Just the beak, a poo-pellet and some feathers are all that was one a Blackbird. It looks like the neighbourhood Sparrowhawk is back on the scene!