Garden birds and WOW

Not a lot going on at the minute so I tried to spend some time in the garden seeing what was about in the colder weather. I really haven't done this much this winter and this is the first time this year I have set up the digiscope and waited. I failed to get a shot of the local house sparrows but here is a selection of garden visitors. There are as many as eight blackbirds at one time and 5/6 chaffinches. At one stage I had 20 starlings squabbling round the suet feeder which is emptied daily - and refills are not cheap! I have seen two male blackcaps and one female so am unsure how many I actually have. The rook is an occasional visitor if there is no movement around the window, one false move and he is off. The magpies are the same while the wood pigeons and the squirrel are more difficult to shift.

Male starling?

Male blackcap

On a different fat feeder

Long-tailed tits

Female chaffinch

Mrs blackbird

Mr blackbird

Rook waiting for a go at the fat feeder

Nothing terribly exciting at WOW but a female scaup was spotted briefly and we had good views of displaying shelduck, there seemed to be nine males chasing one female. The gulls were displaying and investigating the nesting island for the first time this year. The wigeon had all but disappeared but despite a quiet morning I still managed 43 species between WOW and Kinnegar.

Resting teal

Displaying shelduck

One of 30+ on the reserve

one of 70+ on the reserve

I also managed to see four whooper swans at Islandhill and dippers at Mossley Mill plus a wren along the coastal path, so totals are inching upwards as we wait for the migrants to appear. Presumably the cold snap will set everything back a week or two although sandwich terns and lesser black backs are about. Roll on March!!

2018

108: Whooper swan
109: Scaup
110: Dipper
     
Bangor West
49: Wren

Belfast WOW
62: Reed bunting
63: Bullfinch
64: Scaup

Birding on the mainland

Back in the province with the 2018 list nicely boosted with birds I can’t get here or hard to get birds which I tripped over in England. Elton Reservoir in Bury produced 24 species in and around the feeders and lake including two GSW one of which was drumming, as well as kestrel and treecreeper. Unfortunately I only had an hour there in the late afternoon. 

Woodpeckers in the woods behind the yacht club and below the dam

Next stop was Old Moor RSPB reserve in the Dearne Valley in Yorkshire. This gave us 50 species and I added pochard, goosander, green sandpiper, lesser black-backed gull, stock dove, and reed bunting to the 2018 list. We also had a covey of grey partridge fly across the road in front of the car en route to the reserve – nice bonus. 

Erithacus rubecula

Chilling on the spit

Green sandpiper

Potteric Carr near Doncaster the following day produced willow tit as one of 36 species which unfortunately did not include bittern which are seen there regularly. As you can see from the vast acres of reed beds you have to be very lucky! However we did pick up a red kite en route north along the A1 (M), another little bonus. 

Spot the bittern - we didn't

Finally to the main event, and our annual dawn to dusk birdathon around Druridge Bay in Northumberland. We started off in heavy rain and overcast grey conditions but as the day wore on the weather improved and we finished off in clear blue skies. 73 species were seen from 7.30 to 5.30 and the 2018 list jumped up quite a bit – red-throated diver, great northern diver, fulmar for the third year running, barnacle goose, common scoter, grey plover, sanderling, snipe and little owl for the first time ever. If we were to hit all the birds we should get, we could break 80, but there is always one or two we miss out on – this year it was yellowhammer, twite and greenfinch. We also missed the whooper swans which are becoming harder to get and we missed great crested grebe as well. But let’s dwell on the positives of a great and glorious day – cracking views of purple sandpipers on the beach at Hauxley along with a stunning grey plover and clockwork sanderling. Then the  GND at Widdrington Lake, barnacle goose at QE2, early buzzard at Linton Lane, flocks of pinkies, 10 snipe at Druridge Pools, 20 – 30 stock doves near Widdrington village and all capped off with a late little owl in fading light. We were blessed to be there and to have the health and strength to enjoy the day. 

Druridge Pools as the sun broke through

Purple sandpiper

Sanderling

Little owl

 On the way across for the boat at Cairnryan we finally got to visit the kite feeding station at Bellymack Farm near Castle Douglas. £5 well spent! We got excited at seeing one or two kites on the way up to the farm, then five, then seven. About 1.45 I counted 20+ but when the feeding started at 2.00 there were between 70 and 80 red  kites in the air and I again was regretting not having a better camera.  You just really don’t know where to look and point the camera as they are all round you soaring and then zooming down to lift meat. We also saw one buzzard and heard ravens -  apparently they come in later after the main event. My videos were not good but if you Google kite feeding and Bellymack farm you will get a flavour of what goes on. Feeding is from October to March every day at 2.00. I would love to be there in early April to see the assembled kites realise there is no grub!!

Red kite

Feeding frenzy

All I could get in to one shot!!

Replete

Every bird in the tree is a red kite

 Back home and WOW added lesser black back to the list although poor weather means I have not been able to walk the coastal path yet, perhaps next week! Unfortunately on good days gardening has to take precedence so as I can finish the raised beds, top and prune the birch and lug bags of manure about. Who said retirement was easy? I am busier than ever!! 

Redshank

I.D. quiz, 4 species

2018

87: Kestrel
88: Great spotted woodpecker
89: Treecreeper
90: Pochard
91: Goosander
92: Green sandpiper
93: Lesser black-backed gull
94: Stock dove
95: Reed bunting
96: Grey partridge
97: Willow tit
98: Red lite
99: Red-throated diver
100: Great northern diver
101: Fulmar
102: Barnacle goose
103: Common scoter
104: Sanderling
105: Grey plover
106: Snipe
107: Little owl
 
   
Bangor West
48: Redwing

Belfast WOW
61: Lesser black-backed gull

The days start to stretch...........

First a few belated pictures from Round the Lough taken by my pal David. As you know he is a better photographer than I am and has a better camera, enjoy!!

Pied wagtail, stonechat & meadow pipit feeding on seaweed thrown up onto the road

Redshank and 3 greenshanks feeding in a field at high tide!!

Linnets in stubble (if you can see them)

Knot over the lough

Knot banked over

Late roosting egret at Castle Espie

Anyway on we go to last week and it is still light by 5.00 and the RSPB garden birdwatch is kicking in. I help round the local schools with the Big Schools Birdwatch and was at Bangor Central this year. No glaucous gull this year (http://bangorwestndcp.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/ )  but lots of crows and gulls coming to fat balls and bread. At one stage we had black-headed gull, herring gull, wood pigeon, magpie, hooded crow, carrion crow, rook and jackdaw down at the same time. A good opportunity to educate the children about black birds as opposed to blackbirds, which can be confusing to Primary 3. Also confusing is the black-headed gull which doesn't have a black head - why not is the question? I refused to go down the line of enquiry that the head isn't actually black in summer but chocolate brown, we keep that for summer visits to WOW. The highlights were a goldcrest which gave amazing views to one P4 class as it acrobatically worked its way round an alder tree in the eco garden no more than 6 feet above their heads, and 4 long-tailed tits which entertained a P 6 class as they moved through a line of bushes. The attached photos show the odd bird and no pupils - not allowed!!

Compare black-headed gull.......

..... with herring gull

Note ice cream cone bill on rook

Attract grey squirrel with bird seed!!

WOW on Thursday of this week delivered 46 species and seven more for the patch  - knot, great black-backed gull, greenfinch, linnet, wren, goldcrest and siskin. The latter two were 2018 ticks and the goldcrest was a first for the site in around 20 years of visiting!! We had a one legged godwit amongst the millet eaters and good closeups of quite a few birds.

Jake the godwit

Mallard

Dozy wigeon

Moorhen

Can you spot 5 species here?

 Anyway off on my travels again to Bolton, South Yorkshire and Northumberland where we hope to do a dawn to dusk round the Cresswell/Chevington/Hauxley area as per last year. Next post God willing will be mid February when it will almost be spring.

2018

85: Goldcrest
86: Siskin: 
   
Bangor West
48: Redwing

Belfast WOW
54: Knot
55: Great black-backed gull

56: Greenfinch

57: Linnet

58: Goldcrest

59: Wren

60: Siskin

Round the Lough

Wednesday 17th was the big day and it dawned cold and icy BUT ....dry! We were intending to do the north end of Strangford as the roads were iffy after overnight snow but the main roads were clear and the side roads cleared quickly as temperatures rose. Unfortunately we were an hour late starting so we started at the Flood Gates and headed South. I was shooting in colour, not black and white but it does not look like it.

Flood Gates on a rising tide

We kicked off with lapwing, shelduck and an assortment of waders and quickly racked up numbers and species as we drove south.

Scrabo from the Maltings

Probably best to concentrate on what we did get and not on what we missed (goldfinch!!). Kircubbin gave pipits and Bishop's Mill added bullfinch. The ferry crossing was exposed and windy with few birds to see so we drove on to the Quoile Pondage which like previous years held small numbers of duck and with high water levels few waders. The key to Castle Island hide is on my car keys, unfortunately we were in David's car, so we did not delay and simply headed North to Castle Espie with 59 species recorded. Number 60 was stunning, probably the closest I have ever been to a perched kingfisher as we coasted down the lane to the pond and there it was on a branch in the stream below us. So close I nearly missed it but David put me onto it and it was no more than six feet away. It was so close I thought about a photo from the car but of course it moved!! The "hide" added another four species and we finished off with 64 for the day. Ten of these went on the 2018 list. We normally aim for a rising tide but had to make do with low tide, but the views were as good.

4.00 pm and still monochrome

The next day saw a morning at WOW and the chance to try the new camera. The old Samsung is past its best so I got an identical camera on E-Bay as it fits the adaptor on the scope. No stunning birds, just the usual 30+ species but I managed a few shots with the new set-up and was pleased with the results and the lack of fiddling about which the old camera needed.they are brighter and there is less vignetting than there was last week. Song thrush was the only new bird on the WOW patch and I also added this to the Bangor West patch along with redwing - 8 perched in a tree behind the garden!!

Green plover

Shelduck

Redshank

Mute swan

Buzzard

2018

73:Canada goose
74: Pintail
75: Pheasant
76: Knot
77: Greenshank
78: Kingfisher
79: Rock pipit
80: Fieldfare
81: Redwing
82: Raven
83: Tree sparrow
84: Golden plover 

Bangor West 
47 Song thrush

48: Redwing

Belfast WOW 
53: Song thrush