One thing that can be guaranteed when you leave the county is that a decent bird will turn up. Well it was no surprise then when at Horsey we heard of a Squacco Heron that had turned up just over the border in Notts. Being in Notts didn't really bother us, but, when we heard that it had albeit briefly entered Derbyshire air space we were to say the least a bit pissed off. This excerpt taken from the DOS site....
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Friday, 28 October 2011
Isabelline Shrike
Chris sent me a text the other day asking if I would be interested in going over to Norfolk for the Isabelline Shrike. In a word yes I was. The only day we could feasibly do it was today so I took it easy on the ale last night for an early start this morning. I still felt a bit ropey though but a McDonald's in Melton soon put me right. I'd forgotten how long a journey it was from Derbyshire to that part of Norfolk and despite leaving here at 06.45 we didn't get on site until around 11.30. We parked up and another birder who was just leaving told us it was showing remarkably well often down to around 10ft.
We walked along the track towards the sea wall where we saw a small group of birders congregated near a bramble patch. And there right on top of the brambles was a magnificent Isabelline Shrike. We couldn't believe how obliging it was and I wouldn't be surprised if at times it was less than 10ft away. It was feeding well in the early afternoon sun and was catching wasp after wasp, but no Wrens which it had apparently previously caught. We watched it on and off for about 2 hours and I couldn't believe it when I realised I had taken over 170 photographs. It's just taken me an age going through them all so I hope these are the best ones.
The last photo shows a small group watching the bird. You know the bloke who no matter where you are....maybe in the pub.....or on the bus....or just walking down the street or in this case on a twitch who turns up and talks out of his Harris. Well see the bloke with the bald head behind the bloke with the red jacket? Well that's him!
An hours seawatch produced at least 9 Red throated Divers, a single Gannet and 8 Teal. A few Dunlin flew North, a Ringed Plover on the beach and a Rock Pipit over. In a field just on the outskirts of Horsey there was c 2'000 Pink footed Geese.
An hours seawatch produced at least 9 Red throated Divers, a single Gannet and 8 Teal. A few Dunlin flew North, a Ringed Plover on the beach and a Rock Pipit over. In a field just on the outskirts of Horsey there was c 2'000 Pink footed Geese.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Local birding
Not really sure why the post title is local birding as I generally don't do anything other than local birding. But I couldn't think of anything else. Yesterday I had my usual Monday visit up to Carsington Water. To be honest there wasn't a lot to report for the majority of the day except for 10 Dunlin, Redshank, Ruff and a late.....ish Wheatear. It comes to something when the highlight of the day is going through the Gull roost but that was probably the highlight from yesterday....and even then it wasn't one of the best Gull roosts. I did manage to pick out a Yellow-legged Gull to go with the usual one. Also an adult Med Gull which I only saw just before dusk. Common and Herring Gulls are slowly building up with 47 and 5 respectively. I almost forgot, I saw a Bat in the car park as I was leaving. Haven't a clue what specie but a Bat it was.
Today I stayed very local and went down Wyver Lane. Chris was also coming down at some point as soon as he had sobered up. So after me being down there for about 4 hours, Chris turned up. Although I had counted everything on the main pool more than once Chris still had to do it for himself. Although he couldn't quite match my 115 Teal and 327 BH Gull.
We then decided to go up the Moors as one or two bits had been seen over recent days. The Moors tend to be more quality than quantity and today was no exception. A late Whinchat had been around the triangle for more than a week and was still there today. Not sure how many Whinchats are normally about in the last week of October but there can't be many. A couple of Stonechats were also a nearby bonus. A couple of Ravens were a distant find. Very few birds were flying around and all we had was 10 Lesser Redpoll, a few Siskins and Mipits and a female Reed Bunting.
A bit later on there was a flock of around 170 Fieldfare and a few Redwing. About 17.40 and as the light was fading a Short-eared Owl was hunting right in front of us. Hardly surprising there should a SEO about considering the amount that's come into the country over the past few weeks. All of a sudden the what we presume were the same Fieldfares and Redwings all spilled over the wall and right past us low to the vegetation in what seemed to be panic. The SEO at the time was nowhere near them so we never did find out what had caused it.
Not really interesting but last Thursday we had an Oystercatcher ar Carsington. Idid tell you it wasn't interesting, the interesting bit is that it's the first ever October record of Oystercatcher at Carsington.
I was trying to think of a song to put on tonight and came up with this. These were one of the first Oi Punk bands I got into. The Business singing Out in the Cold!
Today I stayed very local and went down Wyver Lane. Chris was also coming down at some point as soon as he had sobered up. So after me being down there for about 4 hours, Chris turned up. Although I had counted everything on the main pool more than once Chris still had to do it for himself. Although he couldn't quite match my 115 Teal and 327 BH Gull.
We then decided to go up the Moors as one or two bits had been seen over recent days. The Moors tend to be more quality than quantity and today was no exception. A late Whinchat had been around the triangle for more than a week and was still there today. Not sure how many Whinchats are normally about in the last week of October but there can't be many. A couple of Stonechats were also a nearby bonus. A couple of Ravens were a distant find. Very few birds were flying around and all we had was 10 Lesser Redpoll, a few Siskins and Mipits and a female Reed Bunting.
A bit later on there was a flock of around 170 Fieldfare and a few Redwing. About 17.40 and as the light was fading a Short-eared Owl was hunting right in front of us. Hardly surprising there should a SEO about considering the amount that's come into the country over the past few weeks. All of a sudden the what we presume were the same Fieldfares and Redwings all spilled over the wall and right past us low to the vegetation in what seemed to be panic. The SEO at the time was nowhere near them so we never did find out what had caused it.
Not really interesting but last Thursday we had an Oystercatcher ar Carsington. Idid tell you it wasn't interesting, the interesting bit is that it's the first ever October record of Oystercatcher at Carsington.
I was trying to think of a song to put on tonight and came up with this. These were one of the first Oi Punk bands I got into. The Business singing Out in the Cold!
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Gutted!
Before I go any further I must warn you that there might just be a few choice words within this post. So if words beginning with F offend you them piss off and join the Mary Whitehouse fan club. In fact, the day had started with a year tick. I walked the Dam Wall and yes you guessed it, it was bloody freezing. So I donned my wooly hat for the first time since last Winter and made my way along the Dam. There was a few Meadow Pipits but nothing like the numbers of a couple of weeks ago.I walked towards the Sailing Club where there was 10 Dunlin, a Ruff and a Ringed Plover. As I was scoping the Waders I heard the unmistakable call of Whooper Swans. I turned around to see 3 flying in low over the Dam and drop in front of the Sailing Club. I just about managed to get a few crap shots before they flew again.
Crap photo 1
Crap photo 2
Crap photo 3
I didn't really get a lot else from then on in apart from fucking freezing. I even went for a walk to warm me up and had to contend with knobs on bikes and knobs with dogs. The worst one was a knob on a bike with a dog. As the day progressed the Gulls slowly trickled in so I focused my attention on them. Loads of Gulls in tonight but only the usual Little Grebe killer Yellow legged Gull, a lot of Commons and a few Herrings. I was beginning to wind down for the day when the masses of Gulls I was scanning all went up. I knew straight away that there was a Skua about. Nothing else causes panic like that! I was talking....no shouting to myself 'there's a fuckin' Skua about, where the fuck is it?' To make matters worse my phone went and it was Mark who was in a hide further down the res. Mark knowing I was in Sheepwash informed me that an Arctic Skua had flown past him in Lane End hide! A few more fucking hell's, fucking shit and bollocks was let out when I realised I'd missed it. Mark had watched it chasing a couple of BH Gulls before it disappeared and wasn't seen again. The Arctic Skua a few weeks ago that Clive managed to see didn't bother me as much because I was at home and there wasn't a lot I could do....but this one and the fact I was on site has really pissed me off.
Just to end this on a little high I had my latest ever Hobby and Swallow (2) yesterday at Wyver Lane. A shit day down there otherwise. Well done to my lad for officially becoming a cub tonight. If his mom learns how to sew then he might get his badges put on his jumper.
I didn't really get a lot else from then on in apart from fucking freezing. I even went for a walk to warm me up and had to contend with knobs on bikes and knobs with dogs. The worst one was a knob on a bike with a dog. As the day progressed the Gulls slowly trickled in so I focused my attention on them. Loads of Gulls in tonight but only the usual Little Grebe killer Yellow legged Gull, a lot of Commons and a few Herrings. I was beginning to wind down for the day when the masses of Gulls I was scanning all went up. I knew straight away that there was a Skua about. Nothing else causes panic like that! I was talking....no shouting to myself 'there's a fuckin' Skua about, where the fuck is it?' To make matters worse my phone went and it was Mark who was in a hide further down the res. Mark knowing I was in Sheepwash informed me that an Arctic Skua had flown past him in Lane End hide! A few more fucking hell's, fucking shit and bollocks was let out when I realised I'd missed it. Mark had watched it chasing a couple of BH Gulls before it disappeared and wasn't seen again. The Arctic Skua a few weeks ago that Clive managed to see didn't bother me as much because I was at home and there wasn't a lot I could do....but this one and the fact I was on site has really pissed me off.
Just to end this on a little high I had my latest ever Hobby and Swallow (2) yesterday at Wyver Lane. A shit day down there otherwise. Well done to my lad for officially becoming a cub tonight. If his mom learns how to sew then he might get his badges put on his jumper.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Winter bites
Jesus Christ was it cold today! I walked the Dam at Carsington first thing and met up with Clive and another birder. I'm very rarely switched on at that time of day and this was proven when I somehow missed a Rock Pipit that flew past me calling. Not the best of starts. The Sailing Club which has arguably been the best spot for Waders this Autumn held 10 Dunlin and a late Ruff.
Mark (the other birder) left us and said he would head to Sheepwash Hide. We had a walk around Stones Island which was fairly uneventful. We then headed to Sheepwash Hide ourselves. Mark was nowhere to be seen and we then realised that he hadn't bothered going in, something he regretted. We'd sat there for around 10 minutes when I spotted a distant Diver sp. With its size and obvious collar it didn't take long to deduce that it was an adult Great Northern Diver. We put the news out but as there wasn't much else doing we pissed off up the moors.
It doesn't matter how cold it is you can guarantee that the moors will be several degrees lower than anywhere else.....and today was no different. There was little in the way of birdlife up there, just a couple of Yellowhammers, Crossbill and a late Whinchat. We then made our way back to Sheepwash where despite our best efforts there was no sign of the morning's GN Diver. Most years GN Divers don't start turning up well into November, although more often than not 1 will turn up in October but only stay for a day.
Nothing else of note was seen for the remainder of the day apart from 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Raven.
Winter Winds by Mumford and Sons
Mark (the other birder) left us and said he would head to Sheepwash Hide. We had a walk around Stones Island which was fairly uneventful. We then headed to Sheepwash Hide ourselves. Mark was nowhere to be seen and we then realised that he hadn't bothered going in, something he regretted. We'd sat there for around 10 minutes when I spotted a distant Diver sp. With its size and obvious collar it didn't take long to deduce that it was an adult Great Northern Diver. We put the news out but as there wasn't much else doing we pissed off up the moors.
It doesn't matter how cold it is you can guarantee that the moors will be several degrees lower than anywhere else.....and today was no different. There was little in the way of birdlife up there, just a couple of Yellowhammers, Crossbill and a late Whinchat. We then made our way back to Sheepwash where despite our best efforts there was no sign of the morning's GN Diver. Most years GN Divers don't start turning up well into November, although more often than not 1 will turn up in October but only stay for a day.
Nothing else of note was seen for the remainder of the day apart from 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and a Raven.
Winter Winds by Mumford and Sons
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Local patching (not) at its best
A few hours down Wyver was on the cards again today so Karen dropped me off at around 08.30. In the back of my mind I was thinking about the Rufous tailed Robin that turned up in Norfolk yesterday and how much I'd like to see it. Then I thought about the 100's maybe 1000's of birders that would be descending on East Hills and realised that I'd much prefer the tranquility of Wyver. In theory it sounded good, but in reality I bet East Hills didn't have the sound of guns blasting out. Nor I bet did they have what seemed like dozens of families with pushchairs and screaming sprogs, and dogs which wouldn't leave me alone.The next dog that bangs into my scope will either feel a size 9 boot or a tripod up the arse.
Because of the guns the pools were unsurprisingly quiet although 18 Wigeon was double the amount I had 2 days ago. As the guns continued the Wigeon and almost everything else buggered off never to be seen again. With that I headed off to the mound to see if anything was moving. Pure blue skies meant conditions for vis migging weren't as good as Thursday and in roughly the same time I only had 26 Skylark compared to 101 the other day. Just a couple of Meadow Pipits and a few each of Linnet, Greenfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin and Pied Wag were the only other things moving through. A Kingfisher was the only other real bright spot in what was quite a disappointing day.
I know Morrissey or The Smiths isn't everybody's cup of Darjeeling but this in my eyes is a classic.
Because of the guns the pools were unsurprisingly quiet although 18 Wigeon was double the amount I had 2 days ago. As the guns continued the Wigeon and almost everything else buggered off never to be seen again. With that I headed off to the mound to see if anything was moving. Pure blue skies meant conditions for vis migging weren't as good as Thursday and in roughly the same time I only had 26 Skylark compared to 101 the other day. Just a couple of Meadow Pipits and a few each of Linnet, Greenfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin and Pied Wag were the only other things moving through. A Kingfisher was the only other real bright spot in what was quite a disappointing day.
I know Morrissey or The Smiths isn't everybody's cup of Darjeeling but this in my eyes is a classic.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Local patching at its best
It was noticeable down Wyver Lane today that 1. There was a good bit of movement of birds, and 2. The air was considerably fresher without Chris for company. Talking of Chris, I wouldn't liked to have been Mrs Brown when he dropped that lot the following day. In fact I don't think Mrs Brown has been seen for a couple of days so can anybody help?
Hue and Cry singing Looking for Linda.
I got down Wyver Lane this morning and thought to myself that conditions looked quite good for a bit of migration. So I quickly totalled up what was on the main pool and headed off to the viewing mound. Within minutes I had 3 Skylark heading West. Over the next few hours I was treated to an almost constant stream of Skylarks which I'm guessing are birds from Eastern Europe. I had 101 in total which is probably the most I have ever seen....certainly on migration anyway. A lot were in 1's and 2's but there were bigger flocks of 17 and 37.
No photo of a Skylark but this is where they was.
To celebrate the number 101, here's Depeche Mode singing Everything Counts from their live album 101!
Other stuff of note moving today was some Winter Thrushes. Firstly I had 2 Fieldfare, then a flock of 40, then 19 Redwing and then a mixed flock of around 300 of them both.
I feel a gallon of this stuff coming on!
Hue and Cry singing Looking for Linda.
I got down Wyver Lane this morning and thought to myself that conditions looked quite good for a bit of migration. So I quickly totalled up what was on the main pool and headed off to the viewing mound. Within minutes I had 3 Skylark heading West. Over the next few hours I was treated to an almost constant stream of Skylarks which I'm guessing are birds from Eastern Europe. I had 101 in total which is probably the most I have ever seen....certainly on migration anyway. A lot were in 1's and 2's but there were bigger flocks of 17 and 37.
To celebrate the number 101, here's Depeche Mode singing Everything Counts from their live album 101!
Other stuff of note moving today was some Winter Thrushes. Firstly I had 2 Fieldfare, then a flock of 40, then 19 Redwing and then a mixed flock of around 300 of them both.
I feel a gallon of this stuff coming on!
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
King Prawn
I always knew that Clive had some very odd tastes in music, well most things really. But tonight he's bombarding me with emails with links to a band called King Prawn. Never heard of 'em before which is probably because they are shit. Judge for yourself, but I'm not reponsible for you wasting 3 minutes of your life.
Coincidentally I had a King Prawn Balti for me tea.
Coincidentally I had a King Prawn Balti for me tea.
Rothiemurchus makes it back
The satellite tagged Osprey Rothiemurchus that I saw at Carsington on September 7th has finally made it to its wintering grounds in Senegal. He arrived on the morning of October 9th, a total of 32 flying days and nights from the East Midlands all the way to Africa.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Nature in the raw!
Over the past couple of days I have both witnessed and been on the receiving end of nature in its rawest forms. Yesterday I paid Carsington Water a visit for the first time in a fortnight. The water had dropped considerably since my last visit and despite Autumn migration being all but over the extensive muddy areas are still pulling in the Waders. I was keen to catch up with a Grey Plover that had been hanging around since the previous day as Grey Plovers are notoriously hard to pin down in Derbyshire. Sure enough I hadn't bee sitting in the hide long when it appeared. Dunlin numbers have been slowly increasing and healthy count of 34 were spread around the reservoir. A single Curlew Sandpiper had also been hanging around for a few days and I caught up with that with the majority of the Dunlin.
Nature in the raw, part 1. I was sitting in the hide late afternoon minding my own when most of Teal that were feeding in some small pools in front of the hide flew up and on to the main body of water. The few that stayed suddenly went up when a female Peregrine shot in from the left. Just like slow motion the Peregrine slammed into a Teal just above the ground. The Teal didn't stand a chance against the sheer power and after what seemed only a few seconds the Teal was decapitated and then devoured. I watched the Peregrine feed for around 30 minutes as it ripped the Teal apart bit by bit. Although slightly gory I have to say that I really enjoyed watching nature in the raw like that.
No doubt that if some of these pathetic groups like Save our Songbirds or whatever they are had witnessed it they would be up in arms and banging out more crap about how cruel it is and Raptors should be culled. Well get a fucking life, it's nature and it's been nature well before you started spouting all your crap. Anyway, just for you here are some shite photos. Oh, and if you look carefully in some of these photos you can just see the Teal's head but not where it should be....nice eh?
Nature in the raw, part 2. Chris picked me up this morning and Wyver Lane was our first stop. It was only just getting light when we arrived so everything was still roosting on the main pool enabling us to get some decent counts done. I wont bore you with them but they were quite good. After about an hour it was apparent that all was not well with Chris. We had both been drinking the night before, not in the same boozer I hasten to add so I haven't a clue what he was drinking but it had clearly not agreed with him, and certainly wasn't agreeing with me. All but one of the windows were open in the hide but that wasn't nearly enough so I buggered off in the pouring rain to the viewing mound to get some air. A move vindicated when from the mound I had a single Swallow. I could barely see the hide through the mist and rain but with Chris still sending out smoke signals I soon found it. We had a few more Swallows and some Housemartins before we left for The Gourmet Wagon.
Wyver Lane after we left
A quick bacon, sausage and egg cob and we set off for Carsington. Unfortunately for me, last nights beer was still having an effect on Chris and in the enclosed space of the car the aforementioned bacon, sausage and egg cob almost landed in my lap. I just about managed to retain my stomach's contents as we reached Carsington. No repeat of the previous days Peregrine versus Teal and in fact we didn't see a single Raptor. Not surprising really considering it pissed it down all day. We did manage 31 Dunlin, a Ringed Plover, 5 Shoveler, a Pintail, 2 Red crested Pochards and loads of Meadow Pipits. We spent the last hour or so around Stones Island and the Dam Wall and after that with it getting dark and our optics and ourselves getting wet through we decided to call it a day.
Must remember to pack one of these next time I'm out with Chris.
A very apt song, The Macc Lads singing Dan's underpants.
If easily offended do not click on the above song. In fact, if you're easily offended then you had better not read the above post either.
Nature in the raw, part 1. I was sitting in the hide late afternoon minding my own when most of Teal that were feeding in some small pools in front of the hide flew up and on to the main body of water. The few that stayed suddenly went up when a female Peregrine shot in from the left. Just like slow motion the Peregrine slammed into a Teal just above the ground. The Teal didn't stand a chance against the sheer power and after what seemed only a few seconds the Teal was decapitated and then devoured. I watched the Peregrine feed for around 30 minutes as it ripped the Teal apart bit by bit. Although slightly gory I have to say that I really enjoyed watching nature in the raw like that.
No doubt that if some of these pathetic groups like Save our Songbirds or whatever they are had witnessed it they would be up in arms and banging out more crap about how cruel it is and Raptors should be culled. Well get a fucking life, it's nature and it's been nature well before you started spouting all your crap. Anyway, just for you here are some shite photos. Oh, and if you look carefully in some of these photos you can just see the Teal's head but not where it should be....nice eh?
Nature in the raw, part 2. Chris picked me up this morning and Wyver Lane was our first stop. It was only just getting light when we arrived so everything was still roosting on the main pool enabling us to get some decent counts done. I wont bore you with them but they were quite good. After about an hour it was apparent that all was not well with Chris. We had both been drinking the night before, not in the same boozer I hasten to add so I haven't a clue what he was drinking but it had clearly not agreed with him, and certainly wasn't agreeing with me. All but one of the windows were open in the hide but that wasn't nearly enough so I buggered off in the pouring rain to the viewing mound to get some air. A move vindicated when from the mound I had a single Swallow. I could barely see the hide through the mist and rain but with Chris still sending out smoke signals I soon found it. We had a few more Swallows and some Housemartins before we left for The Gourmet Wagon.
A quick bacon, sausage and egg cob and we set off for Carsington. Unfortunately for me, last nights beer was still having an effect on Chris and in the enclosed space of the car the aforementioned bacon, sausage and egg cob almost landed in my lap. I just about managed to retain my stomach's contents as we reached Carsington. No repeat of the previous days Peregrine versus Teal and in fact we didn't see a single Raptor. Not surprising really considering it pissed it down all day. We did manage 31 Dunlin, a Ringed Plover, 5 Shoveler, a Pintail, 2 Red crested Pochards and loads of Meadow Pipits. We spent the last hour or so around Stones Island and the Dam Wall and after that with it getting dark and our optics and ourselves getting wet through we decided to call it a day.
A very apt song, The Macc Lads singing Dan's underpants.
If easily offended do not click on the above song. In fact, if you're easily offended then you had better not read the above post either.
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Good news for Little Terns and Cirl Buntings
So often these days do you read about the doom and gloom of many of our birds. So how refreshing it is to read about a a colony of Little Terns in the North East who had a disastrous year in 2010.
The colony, at Crimdon Denemouth near Peterlee, has in recent years been one of the most productive in England. But last year's colony was decimated when kestrels took almost every chick.
However, conservation experts said the last harsh winter and a new protective fence had helped the birds produce a record 147 young this year.
Voluntary warden Trevor Stephenson said: "I was not really looking forward to the 2011 nesting season after last year's disastrous results.
"Last year, we saw a record number nest on their traditional site at Crimdon Denemouth, only to have nearly all their chicks taken and eaten by kestrels.
"It was enough to make a man weep to see these little birds, having flown all the way from Africa, only to have all their chicks predated.
"This year's success was down in part to the impact of winter, which saw rocks and debris deposited on the beach, providing places in which the birds could hide their chicks.
"Then volunteers erected a fence on the beach to further protect the terns.
"We waited with trepidation, but it has turned out to be a record year with 84 birds raising 147 young."
In 2009 birds at the site produced 118 young.
The Cirl Bunting....a bird I'm yet to see is doing equally as well.
This summer has seen a dramatic increase in the Cornish Cirl Bunting population, with record numbers of chicks being born in the county. This enigmatic farmland bird used to range across Cornwall but disappeared in the early 1990s. Now, thanks to an ambitious reintroduction project, it has been returned to one of its past haunts and the population is growing. The project draws on expertise from the RSPB, the National Trust, Paignton Zoo, Natural England and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and has been running since 2006. Chicks are moved under licence from healthy Cirl Bunting populations in Devon and reared and released in south Cornwall.
After breeding was first recorded in 2007, the population has been slowly increasing, but this summer has seen a big increase in the number of pairs breeding, and the number of young leaving nests is the highest ever for the project. Not only that, but the birds are expanding their range.
The RSPB's Project Officer, Nick Tomalin, thinks that this is down to the availability of suitable habitat: "We always knew that the local habitat was good, but the farming community has been very supportive of the project, and many farmers have managed parts of their land to benefit Cirl Buntings and other farmland birds. In many cases, Cirl Buntings have moved into areas where this work has occurred, and it's great to see these farmers rewarded for all their efforts."
Ian Carter, Natural England's ornithologist, added: "Reintroducing a small bird like the Cirl Bunting is a huge and complex task involving supportive landowners, experts who have hand-reared the birds and scientists who monitor their progress. We're encouraged that the birds we've released have reared significant numbers of young, many of which we hope will reach adulthood and then go on to breed. The future of this rare songster looks brighter than it has for many years."
Natural England and the RSPB have worked closely with landowners in the release area to set up Higher Level Stewardship agreements which have been invaluable in helping to ensure that released Cirl Buntings can find sufficient food and breeding sites in the wild. This scheme, funded by Defra and the European Union, pays farmers to manage their land in an environmentally friendly way, tailored to the needs of local wildlife.
Janet Lister, National Trust Nature Conservation Advisor, said: "It's great to see numbers of the Cirl Buntings growing in south Cornwall. The National Trust is pleased to have been able to support this project both at the donor end in South Devon and where the new population has been established in Cornwall. We are really grateful for the help our tenant farmers have provided."
Paignton Zoo Curator of Birds, Jo Gregson, said: "Paignton Zoo is keen to support conservation projects all over the world but working with British birds is always very special for us."
The Cirl Buntings have also been living up to their old name, the 'Village Bunting', by nesting in suburban gardens and feeding around the village edges. Many of the local residents have been delighted to find such a rare species making visits to their gardens and food supplies.
The burgeoning population will continue to be monitored throughout the winter, and with such strong support from the local community, both landowners and residents, conservationists believe these birds have a bright future ahead.
The colony, at Crimdon Denemouth near Peterlee, has in recent years been one of the most productive in England. But last year's colony was decimated when kestrels took almost every chick.
However, conservation experts said the last harsh winter and a new protective fence had helped the birds produce a record 147 young this year.
Voluntary warden Trevor Stephenson said: "I was not really looking forward to the 2011 nesting season after last year's disastrous results.
"Last year, we saw a record number nest on their traditional site at Crimdon Denemouth, only to have nearly all their chicks taken and eaten by kestrels.
"It was enough to make a man weep to see these little birds, having flown all the way from Africa, only to have all their chicks predated.
"This year's success was down in part to the impact of winter, which saw rocks and debris deposited on the beach, providing places in which the birds could hide their chicks.
"Then volunteers erected a fence on the beach to further protect the terns.
"We waited with trepidation, but it has turned out to be a record year with 84 birds raising 147 young."
In 2009 birds at the site produced 118 young.
The Cirl Bunting....a bird I'm yet to see is doing equally as well.
This summer has seen a dramatic increase in the Cornish Cirl Bunting population, with record numbers of chicks being born in the county. This enigmatic farmland bird used to range across Cornwall but disappeared in the early 1990s. Now, thanks to an ambitious reintroduction project, it has been returned to one of its past haunts and the population is growing. The project draws on expertise from the RSPB, the National Trust, Paignton Zoo, Natural England and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and has been running since 2006. Chicks are moved under licence from healthy Cirl Bunting populations in Devon and reared and released in south Cornwall.
After breeding was first recorded in 2007, the population has been slowly increasing, but this summer has seen a big increase in the number of pairs breeding, and the number of young leaving nests is the highest ever for the project. Not only that, but the birds are expanding their range.
The RSPB's Project Officer, Nick Tomalin, thinks that this is down to the availability of suitable habitat: "We always knew that the local habitat was good, but the farming community has been very supportive of the project, and many farmers have managed parts of their land to benefit Cirl Buntings and other farmland birds. In many cases, Cirl Buntings have moved into areas where this work has occurred, and it's great to see these farmers rewarded for all their efforts."
Ian Carter, Natural England's ornithologist, added: "Reintroducing a small bird like the Cirl Bunting is a huge and complex task involving supportive landowners, experts who have hand-reared the birds and scientists who monitor their progress. We're encouraged that the birds we've released have reared significant numbers of young, many of which we hope will reach adulthood and then go on to breed. The future of this rare songster looks brighter than it has for many years."
Natural England and the RSPB have worked closely with landowners in the release area to set up Higher Level Stewardship agreements which have been invaluable in helping to ensure that released Cirl Buntings can find sufficient food and breeding sites in the wild. This scheme, funded by Defra and the European Union, pays farmers to manage their land in an environmentally friendly way, tailored to the needs of local wildlife.
Janet Lister, National Trust Nature Conservation Advisor, said: "It's great to see numbers of the Cirl Buntings growing in south Cornwall. The National Trust is pleased to have been able to support this project both at the donor end in South Devon and where the new population has been established in Cornwall. We are really grateful for the help our tenant farmers have provided."
Paignton Zoo Curator of Birds, Jo Gregson, said: "Paignton Zoo is keen to support conservation projects all over the world but working with British birds is always very special for us."
The Cirl Buntings have also been living up to their old name, the 'Village Bunting', by nesting in suburban gardens and feeding around the village edges. Many of the local residents have been delighted to find such a rare species making visits to their gardens and food supplies.
The burgeoning population will continue to be monitored throughout the winter, and with such strong support from the local community, both landowners and residents, conservationists believe these birds have a bright future ahead.
A week in Norfolk
As Clive and I set off on our annual pilgrimage to North Norfolk we knew that weather conditions weren't to be in our favour, but, with a pre-booked trip there wasn't a lot we could do. Staying in Hunstanton we were right next to Tesco's so supplies wasn't a problem. Although I did check first that there was an ample supply of wine for Clive, and crisps, coke, chocolate for me and anything else I could think of to keep me going. Although the Chicken and Mushroom slices 2 pack at 44% GDA of fat per slice leave a lot to be desired. But with our reluctance to pay any fees anywhere it meant more walking than usual so any excess fats were soon burnt off.
Day 1: We stopped off at the aforementioned Tesco's to stock up for the day on our way through to Titchwell. The reserve itself held the usual in the way of Waders...Avocet (only 1 though), Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Bar and Black Wit, Curlews, Snipe, Dunlin, Greenshank, Ringed Plover and Ruff. Plenty of 'Gypo' Geese around with Brents slowly trickling back. A fairly short seawatch produced 6+ Red throated Divers, loads of Gannets, Red necked Grebe, Manx Shearwater and 2 Arctic Skuas. 6 Wheatear also flew in off the sea, also 4 other passerines which were probably Skylarks. Waders on the beach include Sanderlings, Turnstones, Knot and Oystercatchers. A Peregrine was sat on the beach towards Thornham and 4+ Marsh Harriers were over the reserve. I must be the last person on the planet to have purchased a Smart Phone and with my new acquisition I'm able to check on the latest bird news. Something that benefited us when the Barred Warbler that was reported at Holme over the weekend was again reported in the car park. So we promptly left Titchwell and made our way to Holme.
We parked near the toliet block to avoid paying and started the long arduous walk towards the Firs. The walk was quiet and only a Wheatear and Stonechat of note was seen. We walked towards the car park to find around a dozen birders firmly fixated on some small bushes. After about 30 minutes we only had very brief views but eventually as we were contemplating leaving it came out and showed very well. A lifer for us both. A flying visit to Choseley produced c15 Red legged Partridge and c15 Grey Partridge.
Day 2: Our second day started off with a trip to Snettisham. The first bird of note was a flyover Rock Pipit as we trundled our way along. We met another birder who informed us that there was a high tide at just after 11.00. This was backed up when several small groups of birders also turned up. Unfortunately hide tide came and went in less than spectacular fashion. Apart from some very distant Wader flocks it was quite poor. There was still 1000's of Waders though, mainly Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers, Knot, Curlews, Redshanks, Dunlin, c20 Spot Reds and a few Greenshank. On the pits were an adult and 2nd winter Med Gull and a couple of Barnacle Geese. On our way back as we approached the chalets we had a good count of 18 Curlew Sandpipers close in. Titchwell was more of the same plus c100 Golden Plover, 3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 to 3 Cetti's Warblers and several Marsh Harriers including a green wing tagged bird. A seawatch until dusk produced 2 R T Divers, 6 Bonxies, Guillemot, Red necked Grebe, 10 Sandwich Terns and 12 Common Scoter.
Day 3: Our third day was an earlier start as we drove down to Cley. The reserve was quite disappointing so we drove down to Salthouse and walked all the way up to Cley coastguards, a gruelling 2 mile walk on shingle. We had hoped for some Lapland Buntings or maybe a Snow Bunting or even a Richard's Pipit but all eluded us. For most of the walk we only had lots of Linnets, Goldfinches, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Pied Wags. Waders noted on the pools were Redshanks, Blackwits, Dunlin and a few Ruff. Between the Swarovski hide and the Coastguards we had a Rock Pipit and a Yellow Wagtail. The odd look over the shingle bank at the sea only produced 2 Arctic Skuas and a few Gannets.
Whilst we were standing near the shelter at Cley we noticed a chap who had pulled in to the car park in a van with quite a hefty looking boat on top with plenty of gear. Bit by bit he transferred it all towards the shoreline and placed most of his gear in the boat. After a while I noticed the boat (minus crew member) drifting out to sea with most of his gear inside. Clive said 'hmm I don't think that's supposed to happen' and another chap said 'oh dear'. Oh dear indeed as the budding Christopher Columbus threw down his last couple of bags and legged it down to the shoreline to try and capture his disappearing boat. His attempts were in vain so he scrambled back to shore as his boat became smaller and smaller and drifted towards The Netherlands. He trundled back to his van looking more dejected than the Linnet we saw in the clutches of a male Sparrowhawk at Titchwell. He took out his mobile phone and rang I presume The Samaritans. Poor bugger!
We walked back towards the car with still nothing of note. I checked my phone and saw that a Jack Snipe had been seen at nearby Kelling water meadows so it was there we headed for next. Our first time at this location and we were pleasantly surprised. We probably had the Jack Snipe but we couldn't be 100%. We saw a Snipe sp briefly in flight which looked short billed enough but we couldn't quite nail it. We did get our first Little Stint of the week though feeding with 31 Dunlin, a Ringed Plover and 2 Barwits, also a cracking male Yellow Wag. The day finished off with a seawatch at Titchwell. The wind had got up considerably and was blowing sand in our faces and over our optics. This was pissing Clive off more than me so he retreated back to the contraption that is the new Parrinder Hide whilst I stuck it out on the beach. There wasn't much on the sea to be honest....just a Red necked Grebe and a few Gannets and a heard but not seen Rock Pipit. I then received a text from Clive that a male Hen Harrier was flying over the reserve. I got myself to a loftier position to look across the reserve but I was too late. I then joined Clive in the hide for a look at the Gull roost and we had a Yellow legged Gull and a Med Gull. 7 Marsh Harriers were also up.
Day 4: After we stocked up on our supplies for the day we had a quick look below Hunstanton Cliffs where there was decent numbers of Oystercatchers, Turnstones, Redshanks and Barwits. Titchwell was as you were apart from another Rock Pipit. I checked my phone to see that a Yellow-browed Warbler had again been reported at The Dell in Wells Woods. As Titchwell was fairly quiet we decided to give it a go. Unfortunately as we are not that familiar where The Dell actually is we were wandering around without much purpose or direction in the faint hope that we might hear it call. Well we didn't hear it call and the few birders we saw hadn't heard it either, nor did they know exactly where The Dell was. Eventually we bumped into a local who showed us exactly where The Dell was but despite having a look around we saw nothing. We did catch up with a Tit flock but with no hint of a YBW we gave up. The only thing we did have of note was some Crossbills flying over. The local we spoke to had had 4 juvenile Spoonbills at Burnham Norton and a quick look there revealed no Spoonbills but quite a few Little Egrets. Seawatching at Titchwell was only notable for quite a few skeins of Pink Feet coming in off the sea.
Day 5: With overnight North Westerlies we thought another seawatch could be quite productive so it was off to Titchwell again.. And yes it was quite good.....10+ Bonxies, 5 Arctics, an almost certain Pom Skua, 5 Common Scoter, an Eider (our one and only of the week), 3 Manx Shearwaters and loads of Gannets. Whilst sitting on the bench we also had 3 small passerines fly West which were more than likely Lapland Buntings.
The drive home took a little longer than expected due to a fatal smash than snarled up Newark. The journey should take no more than 3 hours but took us 5. I was carrying my bags towards the house when I heard a load of Corvids getting agitated. I looked up to see an Harris Hawk being mobbed, yes obviously somebody's pet but still a nice end to the week.
Don't take many pictures because I generally can't be arsed, but, I did take a few of this very obliging BH Gull, a few from the furthest hide at Snettisham and the one of a sign that sorts of defeats the object.
Day 1: We stopped off at the aforementioned Tesco's to stock up for the day on our way through to Titchwell. The reserve itself held the usual in the way of Waders...Avocet (only 1 though), Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Bar and Black Wit, Curlews, Snipe, Dunlin, Greenshank, Ringed Plover and Ruff. Plenty of 'Gypo' Geese around with Brents slowly trickling back. A fairly short seawatch produced 6+ Red throated Divers, loads of Gannets, Red necked Grebe, Manx Shearwater and 2 Arctic Skuas. 6 Wheatear also flew in off the sea, also 4 other passerines which were probably Skylarks. Waders on the beach include Sanderlings, Turnstones, Knot and Oystercatchers. A Peregrine was sat on the beach towards Thornham and 4+ Marsh Harriers were over the reserve. I must be the last person on the planet to have purchased a Smart Phone and with my new acquisition I'm able to check on the latest bird news. Something that benefited us when the Barred Warbler that was reported at Holme over the weekend was again reported in the car park. So we promptly left Titchwell and made our way to Holme.
We parked near the toliet block to avoid paying and started the long arduous walk towards the Firs. The walk was quiet and only a Wheatear and Stonechat of note was seen. We walked towards the car park to find around a dozen birders firmly fixated on some small bushes. After about 30 minutes we only had very brief views but eventually as we were contemplating leaving it came out and showed very well. A lifer for us both. A flying visit to Choseley produced c15 Red legged Partridge and c15 Grey Partridge.
Day 2: Our second day started off with a trip to Snettisham. The first bird of note was a flyover Rock Pipit as we trundled our way along. We met another birder who informed us that there was a high tide at just after 11.00. This was backed up when several small groups of birders also turned up. Unfortunately hide tide came and went in less than spectacular fashion. Apart from some very distant Wader flocks it was quite poor. There was still 1000's of Waders though, mainly Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers, Knot, Curlews, Redshanks, Dunlin, c20 Spot Reds and a few Greenshank. On the pits were an adult and 2nd winter Med Gull and a couple of Barnacle Geese. On our way back as we approached the chalets we had a good count of 18 Curlew Sandpipers close in. Titchwell was more of the same plus c100 Golden Plover, 3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 to 3 Cetti's Warblers and several Marsh Harriers including a green wing tagged bird. A seawatch until dusk produced 2 R T Divers, 6 Bonxies, Guillemot, Red necked Grebe, 10 Sandwich Terns and 12 Common Scoter.
Day 3: Our third day was an earlier start as we drove down to Cley. The reserve was quite disappointing so we drove down to Salthouse and walked all the way up to Cley coastguards, a gruelling 2 mile walk on shingle. We had hoped for some Lapland Buntings or maybe a Snow Bunting or even a Richard's Pipit but all eluded us. For most of the walk we only had lots of Linnets, Goldfinches, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Pied Wags. Waders noted on the pools were Redshanks, Blackwits, Dunlin and a few Ruff. Between the Swarovski hide and the Coastguards we had a Rock Pipit and a Yellow Wagtail. The odd look over the shingle bank at the sea only produced 2 Arctic Skuas and a few Gannets.
Whilst we were standing near the shelter at Cley we noticed a chap who had pulled in to the car park in a van with quite a hefty looking boat on top with plenty of gear. Bit by bit he transferred it all towards the shoreline and placed most of his gear in the boat. After a while I noticed the boat (minus crew member) drifting out to sea with most of his gear inside. Clive said 'hmm I don't think that's supposed to happen' and another chap said 'oh dear'. Oh dear indeed as the budding Christopher Columbus threw down his last couple of bags and legged it down to the shoreline to try and capture his disappearing boat. His attempts were in vain so he scrambled back to shore as his boat became smaller and smaller and drifted towards The Netherlands. He trundled back to his van looking more dejected than the Linnet we saw in the clutches of a male Sparrowhawk at Titchwell. He took out his mobile phone and rang I presume The Samaritans. Poor bugger!
We walked back towards the car with still nothing of note. I checked my phone and saw that a Jack Snipe had been seen at nearby Kelling water meadows so it was there we headed for next. Our first time at this location and we were pleasantly surprised. We probably had the Jack Snipe but we couldn't be 100%. We saw a Snipe sp briefly in flight which looked short billed enough but we couldn't quite nail it. We did get our first Little Stint of the week though feeding with 31 Dunlin, a Ringed Plover and 2 Barwits, also a cracking male Yellow Wag. The day finished off with a seawatch at Titchwell. The wind had got up considerably and was blowing sand in our faces and over our optics. This was pissing Clive off more than me so he retreated back to the contraption that is the new Parrinder Hide whilst I stuck it out on the beach. There wasn't much on the sea to be honest....just a Red necked Grebe and a few Gannets and a heard but not seen Rock Pipit. I then received a text from Clive that a male Hen Harrier was flying over the reserve. I got myself to a loftier position to look across the reserve but I was too late. I then joined Clive in the hide for a look at the Gull roost and we had a Yellow legged Gull and a Med Gull. 7 Marsh Harriers were also up.
Day 4: After we stocked up on our supplies for the day we had a quick look below Hunstanton Cliffs where there was decent numbers of Oystercatchers, Turnstones, Redshanks and Barwits. Titchwell was as you were apart from another Rock Pipit. I checked my phone to see that a Yellow-browed Warbler had again been reported at The Dell in Wells Woods. As Titchwell was fairly quiet we decided to give it a go. Unfortunately as we are not that familiar where The Dell actually is we were wandering around without much purpose or direction in the faint hope that we might hear it call. Well we didn't hear it call and the few birders we saw hadn't heard it either, nor did they know exactly where The Dell was. Eventually we bumped into a local who showed us exactly where The Dell was but despite having a look around we saw nothing. We did catch up with a Tit flock but with no hint of a YBW we gave up. The only thing we did have of note was some Crossbills flying over. The local we spoke to had had 4 juvenile Spoonbills at Burnham Norton and a quick look there revealed no Spoonbills but quite a few Little Egrets. Seawatching at Titchwell was only notable for quite a few skeins of Pink Feet coming in off the sea.
Day 5: With overnight North Westerlies we thought another seawatch could be quite productive so it was off to Titchwell again.. And yes it was quite good.....10+ Bonxies, 5 Arctics, an almost certain Pom Skua, 5 Common Scoter, an Eider (our one and only of the week), 3 Manx Shearwaters and loads of Gannets. Whilst sitting on the bench we also had 3 small passerines fly West which were more than likely Lapland Buntings.
The drive home took a little longer than expected due to a fatal smash than snarled up Newark. The journey should take no more than 3 hours but took us 5. I was carrying my bags towards the house when I heard a load of Corvids getting agitated. I looked up to see an Harris Hawk being mobbed, yes obviously somebody's pet but still a nice end to the week.
Don't take many pictures because I generally can't be arsed, but, I did take a few of this very obliging BH Gull, a few from the furthest hide at Snettisham and the one of a sign that sorts of defeats the object.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Will I be missed?
Probably not, but I'm afraid you will have to tear yourself away from this gripping blog until at least Friday as I will be in Norfolk until then!
Saturday, 1 October 2011
A nice story.....for a change.
So often you hear tales of birders not behaving themselves on a twitch. Well this wasn't quite a twitch I suppose but the Nightjar that turned up in a back garden in suburban Derby did attract a few birders. I went and had a look on Tuesday afternoon and the few that were there behaved impeccably. One well known photographer Mr Sellors even presented the houseowners with a superb photo of the bird he had taken earlier in the week.
The couple John and Betty Burton would like to say: ''Thank you to all visitors who donated to our collection for the RSPB which amounted to £107, for the chance to view the Nightjar which stayed in our garden for a week but has now gone. We were pleased with their politeness and knowledge and gained some new friends.
So all in all a happy story and in the end birders and non birders are happy. Let's hope the RSPB put the money towards rebuilding that hide at Titchwell. Actually I'm yet to see the hide in the flesh but I will next week and I'll make my own mind up, although I've not heard a single good thing said about it yet.
The couple John and Betty Burton would like to say: ''Thank you to all visitors who donated to our collection for the RSPB which amounted to £107, for the chance to view the Nightjar which stayed in our garden for a week but has now gone. We were pleased with their politeness and knowledge and gained some new friends.
So all in all a happy story and in the end birders and non birders are happy. Let's hope the RSPB put the money towards rebuilding that hide at Titchwell. Actually I'm yet to see the hide in the flesh but I will next week and I'll make my own mind up, although I've not heard a single good thing said about it yet.
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