Catch up and gold finches

22 September 2012

This morning post included our copy of Bird Watching.  Normally everything stop when the arrives.  The column from the BTO is about wigeon, and very interesting it is too.  It seems that the number of wigeons wintering here in the UK has fallen from the normal 400,000.  The reason is that due to climate change the birds are settling more in areas well away for the UK instead of continuing to here.  I don't know anything about that but it's something to think about.

Something else I have been thinking of is the general fall in bird numbers.  I'm no scientist so please be patient with me while I struggle on here.  I've read or heard that raptors lay less or more eggs dependant on the amount of food available.  Could that also be a reason why the other species numbers have dropped also?  The other question I wondered about is perhaps more complicated; "do birds have in-built sense that tells them that their species numbers are too high and some of the fall in bird numbers is due to this?"  Yes, 

I know that farm bird number have dropped because of the intensive use of inspect sprays, but what about other species.  My mind is muddled here and I can see the wood for the trees really.

Early this month I posted a photo of a sparrow hawk out the back of the flats where we live.  As I said before we have always fed the local birds.  However, we've never had a lot of gold finches visit our feeders, even when our back garden was alongside a wood.  So imagine our pleasure at seeing one gold finch on our feeders tucking into the sunflower hearts.  It's got better now though!  On Thursday Jan counted 13 gold finches on the feeders and the table with an unknown number in the trees as well.  Blue and great tits have been fairly scarce around here too, so we were pleased to see both on our feeders for the first time this morning.

The weather forecast for tomorrow in the south is pretty dire.  I was hoping for a run down to London and perhaps going to have a look at TUB's Scrubs patch.  Now I suppose I shall have to go north instead.  I have a fancy for Marsh Side at Southport and then maybe Martin Mere Wetland Trust.  We'll see.  Hopefully I will have something to report tomorrow or Monday.   

Porkers and bird visitors

6 September 2012

It's been ages yet again since I posted in here.  The simple reason for it is that we haven't been out birding.  Jan had was in hospital for an operation and just after that we moved home.  Now we are in a ground floor flat and felling very happy about it.  We're hoping that now we are properly settled in we can get out and do some real birding. 

On Sunday we had a day out to London Zoo and then into town to have a look at the South Bank.  Bird-wise it was a so-so trip.  We had around 10 birds on the drive down but none on the drive back seeing as it was fully dark as we came back we didn't see anything at all.  We were rather pleased though to see a small flock of ring neck parakeets flying around the zoo grounds.  There was also a fair number of grey herons on the zoo grounds too.

Back here in Dorktown now then ... for many years we have fed the local birds.  That hasn't changed since we moved here.  At the rear of the block is a self contained little community of mainly disabled or elderly residents.  It's a very friendly little area indeed and one we are really happy to be part of and accepted by.  Bird wise it's not quite so good however. 

Right from the first day Jan has been feeding the birds.  Mainly we just get collared doves, wood pigeons, magpies, dunnocks, blackbirds and house sparrows.  But one day last week was a very good day.  Look what Jan snapped ... 

a sparrow hawk!  She did a lot better than I did.  I kept shaking as I tried.  It was sitting about 20 feet away from our back door and stayed there while Jan was shooting for about 10 minutes.  What a treat that was!  On Monday I looked out of the kitchen window and saw two goldfinch on the feeder.  Jan saw them again yesterday.  OK, not a spectacular sighting but a first for us here in our new home.  What we haven't seen though are any of the tit species.  I know they've had a rough breeding year this year but I would have expected to see a few of them, at least great and blue tits.

Oh would you look at that!!!  I've been telling porkies - oh horror.  We did get out one day last month.  We went to Newport Wetlands; not that it was a particularly bird filled day mind.   pleasant day out though, which is always a good thing in itself.  The main problem at the site was that the tide was well out while we were there and we couldn't really hang about waiting for it to come back in.  Next time I will check the tide times before we set out - which reminds me ... I must check them for our next planned trip to - well, I was going to say the RSPB site not far from Southend-on-Sea.  But looking at the RSPB website it's not there now.  It's not even listed in Where to Watch Birds in Britain, strange that.  I remember going there one time some time ago.  Now we will have to look for somewhere else.  Good job I checked!

Quiet day all around

18 May 2012

Jan and I went off to Leighton Moss on Wednesday and got back home feeling a bit mixed in as far as the day went.  Bird-wise we got 42 species and only tree for the year list.  If it hadn’t been for the black headed gulls Leighton Moss would have been just about empty.  By the time we got round to Bolton-Le-Sands the tide was well out and there was only dunnock and tree sparrows to be seen.  From there were headed off again and we called into Blackpool for a couple of hours. 

Our list for the day then reads thus …

To Leighton Moss

Wood pigeon, buzzard, jackdaw, magpie, lapwing, crow, black headed gull, rook, greater black backed gull, oystercatcher,.

Leighton Moss           

House sparrow, greylag geese, mallard, bullfinch, chaffinch, coal tit, great tit, nuthatch, black headed gull, tufted duck, hen harrier, coot, Canada geese, lapwing, shell duck, black tailed  godwits, shovelor, swift, swallow, grey heron, gadwall, mute swan, pheasant, blackbird, blackbird, starling, magpie, lesser black backed gull, goldfinch, stock dove, herring gull, dunnock, tree sparrow.

You will notice that I list hen harrier; I do that because when we saw it weren’t sure to start with and Jan claimed it as such.  None of the others in the hide said differently and I saw one man nodding his head. Yesterday I got an email from someone who posts daily lists for East Anglia and even North Norfolk was very quiet too.  Looks like it was just one of those birding days that we all get every so often.

Not a total considering ...

13 May 2012

At long last we managed to get out birding again - it was 1 March we last went.  I can't believe it has been so long.  It's no wonder our list doesn't grow all that much.  Anyway, on Friday evening when we saw the weather forecast for yesterday we decided we would go. 

#We were up early and on the road for 7.15am heading along the A47 towards Cley again.  It   was a good run too with no hold for a change.  The weather was nice and dry and sunny all day.  We finally arrived there at around 1030 ready for the off.  On the way with me driving we got collared dove, blackbird, magpie, starling, woodpigeon, pheasant, jackdaw, buzzard, crow, green woodpecker, rook, red kite, sparrow hawk, peregrine, mallard, sky lark, swallow, lapwing, shellduck, greylag.  That red kite seems to be becoming a regular along there near Peterborough.  It's good to see them spreading too.

By the time we got to Cley I was busting for a wee so I headed off and left Jan to lock the car.  We decided that coffee was due before we headed off round the site and while we sat drinking it we could see that the reserve didn't look all that busy with birds.  There were a lot of birders about though with groups all standing around together in various places looking at something of value.  Most of these groups were up on the beach path or on the path along the eastern side of the reserve, both of which are out of bounds for us on our scooters. 

We soon joined in as best we could by heading off the three hides that stand together.  Another birder put us on to the Temminck's and Little Stints as well as a Dunlin before he left.  Jan had to go off back to the car for something she had forgotten so I sat in the middle of the three hides waiting for her to come back.  While I sat there a family came in; son, baby, mum and dad.  The boy was about 5 or 6 I think.  he was looking out the birds but didn't know what he was looking at.  I gave him a run down what birds were there and then had a brain wave.  Jan had bought two new field guys for us and as I had my old one with me too, I gave the book to his mum and said the lad could have it.  He was very pleased and kept saying 'thank you'.  Thing is, if giving the lad that book it encourages him to keep on with birding, then it's not wasted is it?

Our list at Cley then was ... mute swan, marsh harrier, black headed gull, sedge warbler, siskin, cetti warbler, avocet, knot, coot, pied wagtail, shell duck, common tern, temminck's stint, little stint, little ringed plover, dunlin, tufted duck, goldfinch, red shank, pochard, shoveller, turnstone, oystercatcher, swifts, little egret. 

After that we headed for Titchwell again with no worries about having to rush because of the light fading early.  On the way we called in at Wells.  No new birds there and to be honest, at £4.50 a day to park we won't be stopping there again.  As it was found a free disabled driver's space and got in there.  I don't think we will be stopping there again!  After a so-so pint of real ale we headed off to Titchwell.

There was so many birds there that our poor ID skills really did lets us down badly.  LBJ's were dashing all around us far too fast for us to get a good look at before they were off again.  How many we missed out on because of it we don't know.  We did however manage to get some good sightings, at least for us that is - but again it was with help.  A whimbrel was pointed out as well as a female red crested pochard and one we saw but couldn't ID was      declared to be a meadow pipit.  Our full Titchwell list then was ... robin, moorhen, whitethroat, greylag, coot, pochard, wood pigeon, white fronted geese, marsh harrier, mallard, shoveller, tufted duck, shellduck, pochard, little stint, black headed gull, herring gull, oystercatcher, white wagtail, reed bunting, common gull, brent geese, turnstone, sanderling, ring plover, sedge warbler, meadow pipit, whimbrel, red crested pochard, great tit, bearded tit, lesser red shank, grasshopper warbler, black cap, willow warbler, grey heron. 

By the time we got back to the car we were happily tired but cold.  Setting off we headed for Hunstanton where we went to the Marine Bar for a drink and I had pish, fhips 'n pushy meas ... very nice too.  We finally got home at around 10pm and were pleasantly surprised to be able to get our car parked just across the road, and half up the street.  

 
Top and bottom of it?  A pretty good day with 66 species seen - our biggest daily total with around 26 for the yer list and a couple of lifers too.  We were very happy with it anyway.