Thursday 25 November 2021

Black swan

Not a movie or a ballet but a bird from Australia which is classified as E on the BOU list i.e. escaped or released into the wild.  Said bird is swimming round Strangford Lough with 3 mute swans, is clearly wild and not ringed. As David said, "The joy of birding is that anything can turn up anywhere". Doubt if it made it from Australia, but absolutely no idea where it pitched up from. 





This started out as a rising tide at Montgomery hide and then an amble round Castle Espie once the tide was full. Highlights included grey plovers, kingfisher, little egrets and a hunting peregrine.


When we arrived

When we left

Grey plover

In between we had waders, geese and ducks pushing up towards us and flying north with the incoming tide. All in all a good day despite an absence of passerines, but then that's not what we went for. 

WOW has been quiet of late but on a good day with the feeders up you can hit 40 species between there and Kinnegar. I added carrion crow and fieldfare - the first time ever at WOW. I also saw a small twite flock on the beach at Donaghadee. Finish with a few from the hide, a couple from WOW and a nice rainbow at Kinnegar.

The Lough was heaving with shelduck

One of many

Lots of redshank

Even more shelduck

Teal from WOW

Shelduck from WOW

What's not to like?
2021:
154: Twite
155: Grey plover
156: Black swan

NDCP
69: Razorbill

WOW
86: Fieldfare
87: Carrion crow

Sunday 14 November 2021

Travel updates (and WOW)

 Just back from a jaunt round England starting in Bolton, and then visiting Northumberland and South Yorkshire. Before setting off we had a badger in the garden so here is a link to the trailcam footage.  If someone can tell me why I can't get the video showing on the page I would be grateful. I have tried uploading from computer and from YouTube, neither works.


Bolton added a great white egret at Elton Reservoir to the year list and a willow tit at the PenningtonFlash feeders. It managed not to add stock dove as well and I have no idea why!! A walk around Druridge Bay in Northumberland added a red-throated diver and a flock of 16 or so snow buntings, while Old Moor RSPB reserve in Yorkshire turned up a marsh harrier and a red-legged partridge as well as another great white egret. All in all a nice trip with a couple of days birding squeezed in despite wet weather and shortening days. 

Elton egret

Elton egret

Old Moor shovelers

Old Moor teal

Old Moor gadwall

Old Moor marsh harrier in the reeds!!

Old Moor egret

Old Moor red-legged partridge

I had a frustrating experience in Northumberland while visiting family in a little village called Matfen. It is a lovely little place with a village green which has a small stream flowing through it. There is also a pub, church and nice stone cottages. I checked the river out and lo and behold there is a dipper giving good views from the bridge. The gear was in the boot so I set up and then discovered the camera batteries were dead!!I tried phone scoping but as you can see it was not awfully successful - record shots!!



Phone shot of the dipper

Who would have expected a dipper on this river, I certainly didn't. 

I came back to a quiet WOW, but the grey wagtail posed nicely on the tern planks and the Kinnegar little gull was still around. I actually recorded 44 species but that included 19 at Kinnegar, so WOW only managed 25. The good news is that the feeders are up so tits and finches make the list.

Grey wagtail

Grey wagtail

Shelduck (+ teal)

Little gull

Little gull

The next task is to put up the garden feeders but it is still very mild and there are few birds about. The hedgehog has gone into hibernation as the food hasn't been touched for a couple of weeks. It must be the daylight which triggers this it is certainly not the temperature? I have not been back to thee coastal path since we got back, hopefully this week.

2021
146: Jack snipe
147: Great white egret
148: Red-throated diver
149: Snow bunting
150: Red-legged partridge
151: Marsh harrier
152: Willow tit
153: Little gull

NDCP
69: Razorbill

WOW
83: Grey wagtail
84: Song thrush
85: Little gull


Thursday 11 November 2021

Winter looms

 The year is moving on, summer visitors have mostly gone and winte



r visitors have started to arrive. The local patch is much the same as it has been for a few weeks and is still stuck on 69. WOW is at last pulling in some birds and this week provided raven and grey wagtail. We also had a colour ringed godwit, but our excitement was muted when we discovered it was ringed at WOW in June this year. 

The most exciting news was a non bird event in the garden when the trail cam picked up a badger. I went out to check the hedgehog feeder and discovered it had been turned upside down so I suspected a fox or a badger. Fortunately the camera picked it up. It has to come in from the garden behind, but no idea where it came from as I do not know of a sett in this area. It was around 5.25 in the morning so it was a bit late getting here. Some pictures of WOW. 

Lapwings

Shoveler

Godwit with bling


Snipe

Redshank


2021
146: Jack snipe

NDCP
69: Razorbill

WOW
79 Jack snipe
80: Little grebe
81: Peregrine
82: Raven
83: Grey wagtail