Birds 2017 ( foreign trips)

 Roundabout this time of the year I like to do a bit of a review covering my wildlife observations and having already covered both dragonflies and butterflies I thought that I might now review my birding highlights. I thought that I would begin by dealing with those species seen on my four foreign jaunts.

Star of Riga, a Goshawk.

Only one of my trips was a dedicated wildlife watching excursion, the rest were relaxation breaks with my wife although I always managed to see something of interest wherever I ended up. Our first trip of the year was to Riga in January where we enjoyed a few cold but enjoyable days in the city. Undoubted birding star here was a Goshawk that showed very well in one of the city parks providing my best ever views of this magnificent species. Other highlights included nice views of both Long-tailed Duck and Goosander while another city park provided views of Crested Tits and northern Bullfinches.

Some Polish highlights....

The end of April saw me venturing to eastern Poland with Naturetrek on what is likely to be my only ever excursion with this company. It's no reflection on them, they organise a very good trip, it's just that I don't like the living in a bubble type experience that this kind of trip supplies. Birding on this excursion was excellent and I managed two (unphotographed ) lifers, Grey-headed Woodpecker (at last!) and Thrush Nightingale but there were many other highlights. Pick of the raptors were several Lesser Spotted Eagles and more Goshawks, always a treat. Two species of storks and Crane were also noted, several groups of the latter were moving through on migration. Smaller birds were represented by six species of woodpecker, Waxwings returning north, a Hoopoe, Hawfinches, Crested Tits, Savi's Warbler, Penduline Tit and some immaculate Collared Flycatchers. Straying away from the birds for a sec a Wolf, Pine Marten and of course Bison more than held up the mammals end.

...and a few more.

May saw us heading off for a few days to Fuengirola where I seized the opportunity to get out a couple of times. In the mountains above Benalmadena a pair of Black Wheatears were feeding young and I also saw Dartford Warbler and Thekla Lark. The Guadahorce reserve near Malaga did not disappoint and I once again caught up with White-headed Ducks as well as Red Crested Pochards.

Spring Spanish goodies.

In October we returned to this part of Spain and this time around I got a lifer albeit a bit of a plastic one in the shape of Common Waxbill. For some reason a large number had arrived in the area and I was treated to many good views, strange that it took nearly twenty years of regular visits before I caught up with them but better late than never eh? Lots of other good stuff included at least eleven Greater Flamingos at the reserve as well as more White-headed Ducks

Spain Autumnal Birds 

So 2017 turned out to be a decent year with three new species which was my best result abroad in any one year for ages. Next year has got a little to live up to but whatever happens I'm sure it will be pretty entertaining looking for more goodies, I can't wait!

Lifer! Common Waxbill.

Wet Wet Wet

One of my less interesting days out and it was a bit of a sweet little mystery why I stayed out as long as I did. Had it not been for a family meal at the Sondes Arms in Rockingham I would probably have pulled the plug on the whole business several hours before I eventually did.

I began by walking out through Willowbrook Industrial where a mist kept visibility to a minimum. A welcome party of Siskins was there to greet me into Brookfield Plantation but there was not a great deal of stuff on view. A startled Fallow Deer bolted off and away while a Sparrowhawk speeding low through the woods had a pair of Marsh Tits pitchooing loudly in alarm.

A few from the Jurassic Way near Gretton.

Trying to avoid the horrendous road between the plantation and Gretton I took a new route which supplied views of both Red Kite and Buzzard. A stubble field attracted a good number of Skylarks (CA 50) and a number of other passerines which included Yellowhammers and Chaffinches. On leaving the village via the Jurassic Way I found another flock of Skylarks of holding thirty or so birds and also a small flock of eleven Golden Plovers and twenty five Lapwings.

As I approached Harringworth Lodge Lake the rain began to fall, a light drizzle at first but soon becoming a steady and rather heavy fall. A further good sized flock of passerines was noted in the general area but did not  appear to have attracted anything that interesting. The lake itself had a couple of ice free patches, one had a little flock of twenty two Coots and a couple of Mallards while the other had a solitary female Pochard.

One of two Buzzards near to Harringworth Lodge Lake.

The subsequent walk along the Welland Valley did not provide much by way of interest although the sewage treatment works near Rockingham did have the usual Grey Wagtail and a couple of Pieds for company. Other birds did include a good number of Lapwings feeding in the fields between the road and the river and also large numbers of winter thrushes. Last bird of any interest was a Kestrel which looked as if it was trying to stay out of the rain, wish that I could have done the same!

A Wintery Wander at Wicksteed

X4 time again this morning when I took a relatively short hop on the bus over to Kettering where I had a pleasant walk around Wicksteed Park. Still plenty of snow on the ground but at least it had stopped falling which made some photography possible.

Canada Geese in distinctly Canadian feeling conditions.

On arrival at the park I made my way down to the lake noticing a single Yellowhammer on the way. The main lake was partially frozen which meant that most of the wildfowl were tightly grouped particularly around Mute Swans. These seem to fulfil an icebreaking function as well as stirring up food for other species. Plenty of gulls around too with a few Herrings joining the more usual Black-heads and Commons. Rather a lot of them were roosting out on the ice while others rested on the many poles that line the lake.

Winter wildfowl.

The fishing lake was mostly frozen although a few Coots and Mute Swans were present. A Chiffchaff was the most interesting bird here but there was quite a lot of other activity. Wrens and Robins were feeding among the rushes where the odd Moorhen also revealed itself. Both of the winter thrushes were seen and a large mixed flock of tits and crests moved through. A single Common Snipe was noted flying overhead,

Herring Gull and Black-headeds.

A walk around the arboretum produced several more mixed flocks which did not sound very happy at all when a Sparrowhawk made a flying visit. One Mistle Thrush was seen while a Red Kite called from nearby. Back at the lake a Little Egret flew past and both of the common woodpeckers were heard. Small parties of Siskin were seen in the alders along the River Ise and were joined by several Goldfinches.

Little and Large, icebreaking Mute Swans and Wren.

Once I'd completed my stroll I made my way to the Earl of Dalkeith where a large fried breakfast washed down with a pint was the order of the day.

A few more wintery scenes.

No Business Like Snow Business

Heavy snow fall meant that I did not venture far from the house restricting my travels to the old patch and West Glebe Park. Recent work means that most of my old patch is no longer accessible and any future visits are likely to be few and far between. Not a lot of bird life on view though both Bullfinches and Goldfinches looked very nice against a white background and a Redpoll provided the day's highlight. I liked crunching across the almost virgin snow, the tracks of rabbits were one of the few signs of life.

View from the patch.

A few early drivers made slow and very careful progress along uncleared roads as I left the patch. Given the conditions I thought that there might be a little more life around the village gardens where bird feeders might offer the chance of a meal for hungry birds and so headed off there.

In the Old Village and West Glebe the stream looked like a glistening black thread on a gleaming white blanket, I followed it as much as I could looking for anything of interest, Apart from a few Wrens I couldn't find much. During more protracted cold spells even urban streams can pull in birds such as Snipe, Jack Snipe and Water Rail but I think that there's still lots of open water at the moment so such species have not had to move on. West Glebe was busy with dog walkers, I had sympathy for a short legged terrier and hoped for the poor chap's sake that the snow didn't get much deeper. A few kids had by now begun to venture out into the snow and I finished my walk by wandering through the wood. Not much to look at with a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a few Robins and Blackbirds the only passerines seen.

West Glebe Park.

Back in the village I found Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests moving through the gardens, I hope that this cold spell doesn't hang around long enough to affect them too much. Due to the falling snow I couldn't take many pictures which was a shame because it really did look lovely.

They Do Exist!

With the temperature forecast to reach the heady heights of two degrees I left the house looking like a green Michelin man under my many layers of clothing. I had a day off because my work night out was yesterday and I had to cover all possibilities. Happily for my birding prospects moderation won out and so I was able to take a trip down to East Carlton Park.

Sunrise near Cottingham.

Walking through the town I noticed a lot of thrushes on the move while at a partially frozen boating lake a Cormorant was fishing. Many common birds were seen between the town and East Carlton and they included several parties of Bullfinches. A Kestrel greeted me on my arrival at the park and I headed off in the direction of the hall.

Oh yes, worth the wait.

There was a large flock of tits feeding in the trees as well as Redwings and Song Thrushes as I checked everything that moved. Having nearly completed a circuit of the building I reached the entrance where a loud tick alerted me to the presence of a Hawfinch. It and another were calling constantly and one at least provided some good views albeit not in the best of light. Another large billed finch has stolen the headlines over the last week or so but I was delighted to finally lose my membership of the HDS! In recent weeks when thinking about this species I had begun to use a different spelling of its name but am now more than happy to go back to H A and W. Having spent several minutes ripping buds off of a tree the bird and its companion flew off into cover.

Song Thrush and Redwings.

The park had a good selection of species but I couldn't find any Bramblings, even numbers of Chaffinches are low here at the moment. From here it was on to the Welland Valley which proved to be rather quiet in birding terms but noisy in other respects. Saturday is a shooting day and at least three shoots appeared to be going about their deadly business which may in part explain why birdlife seemed so scarce. At one point I waited for a while rather than have to exchange pleasantries with people whose pastime I find abhorrent.

Another finch well worth looking at.

Brookfield turned out to be interesting and I had a Raven almost as soon as I arrived. Small flocks of Siskins were moving around the alders though the highlight was a pair of Willow Tits calling as they fed in the same area. I had at least one here earlier in the the year so this sighting is encouraging. I always keep an eye out for Crossbills whenever I'm walking through the plantation but I was more rigorous in my search today though with the usual negative results. An appearance by a Sparrowhawk provoked a burst of various alarm calls which revealed that many more birds were in the wood than I'd realised. Several Fallow Deer were disturbed and were the only other wildlife of note seen today.

Willow Tit (heard) and Siskin.

I finished the day on a little high as I found a Peregrine while walking through the Willowbrook industrial estate, always a nice sight on a cold winter afternoon.

These cows may have the best view in Northants.

Misty Monday Morning

A walk along the Nene this morning between the north and south bridges at Oundle where a heavy frost had turned the world white. Lots of mist clinging to the river, in some stretches is was the thinnest of drifting veils while in others it billowed as thick as smoke. With the rising sun shining through it on to the calm surface it made the river look like molten gold and while interesting birds were in short supply the conditions were so beautiful it really didn't matter at all.

A couple of river views.

My birding began in Oundle churchyard where thrushes were feeding on the Yew berries and were joined by some finches - Green unfortunately! From here it was on to the river walk and a procession of Mallards, Moorhens and the occasional startled Heron. Canada Geese were the commonest birds while a territorial dispute between some Mute Swans provided something to watch.

Mute Swan.

Passerines seemed scarce with Wrens among the more noticeable while thrushes passed overhead, their calls are so evocative of winter days. Both Siskins and Redpolls were noted in small numbers with Goldfinches and Bullfinches appearing more frequently. A Sparrowhawk attracted the attentions of a Carrion Crow, it was one of few raptors seen today. The Princess fishing lake next to the marina and the marina itself were partially iced over and so were the lakes at Barnwell except for the largest.

Kingfisher.

A Kingfisher showed well near to Oundle Mill while the feeders at Lowlands Hide in the country park did not attract quite as many birds as usual though the Nuthatches were frequent visitors during my time there. An immature drake Goosander on the lake nearest to the town was a pleasant surprise and my first here but there were not many other birds here, a few gulls, a Tufted Duck and three Gadwalls making up the rest of the list.

Immature drake Goosander.

A Pleasant Little Sting in the Tail

Although it was my first day out since the official start of winter it was a surprisingly mild if grey day. While I had to endure the occasional shower of drizzle it was not too bad. A Grey Wagtail kicked things off, one flew over the garden before I'd left the house. Walking down past the steelworks added a Siskin to the list but there was really not much to report.

Finally, a bulldozer I like.

Weldon North Industrial Estate had plenty of winter thrushes but not a great deal else while Kirby Lane had plenty of bird life but nothing to raise the pulse. Deene farm ponds held a few Mallards and Moorhens while a Heron hunted amongst the sedges but not much else. Mistle Thrushes are a regular around the village and I saw several around, their ratchet calls are quite distinctive.

Jackdaw, a common sight around Deene.

The churchyard was once again rather lacking in Hawfinches although there were still thrushes feeding on the Yew Berries as well as  quite a few Goldcrests flitting among the trees. On the main lake the number of Pochards had increased slightly while the Shelduck was still there. A couple of Lapwings flying over were the only ones seen today while a Little Egret was my first here for some time.

If you like Canada Geese then Deene Lake may be the place for you.

The inflow was pretty quiet with just a single Snipe on the stump and little else while Deenethorpe airfield was also a little on the dull side with just a few aeroplanes to watch. The bridleway between the A427 and the woods had several groups of finches and buntings feeding on stubble but there was nothing of great interest amongst them..

The airfield was busy today.

Bears Lane had a flock of about ten Siskins near the wood and there was also a group of around fifty or so Herring Gulls near the airstrip. The large flock of Chaffinches and Yellowhammers that have frequented this area for a while had attracted a Reed Bunting but perhaps more importantly at least four Bramblings too. These were far and away the most interesting things seen today though I was also pleased to see that one of the piles of rubbish from last Monday had been removed.

Three of the four Bramblings at Bears Lane.