March 25, 2005
24th March - My work
today I was running extremely late and was very late for my lunchbreak.
I normally have my lunch around 12.30 but today it was 13.20 as I got out of the door. As I got to the bottom of the outside stairs and walked towards my car I could hear alot of commotion from some Herring Gulls.
I looked around and spotted about 10 of them quite high up. They seemed to be mobbing another bird. I strained my eyes and could make out this other bird was much much bigger than the Herring Gulls.
Thoughts went rushing through my head of what it could be so I sprinted (linford christie speeds!) back up the stairs and back into my office where I keep a rubbish pair of bins. I refound the gulls and swung the bins onto the bigger bird. I could not believe my eyes when I realised I was looking at an Osprey! Luckily noone else was in the office as expletives filled the air.
I have never seen an Osprey before so was in complete shock.
As it slowly flew SE towards Derbyhaven I grabbed my mobile and rang a birding mate. He usually spends his lunchtime birding at Derbyhaven with his lunch at 12-1 but I thought I would inform him anyway.
When he told me he was at Derbyhaven that second I quickly told him to get to the flying club as quick as he could as there was an Osprey heading that way.
A few minutes later he rang back to say he could see it and it had turned and was flying N up the coast. I managed to just about pick it out until it flew N out of sight.
Absolutely brilliant. One of the best moments I've had watching birds.
It also made me think how spooky it was that if I wasnt late for lunch
I would have missed the bird and how if Chris also wasnt late on his lunch he would have also missed it.
I hope I have more good luck like that in future though! :)
20 March - Maughold
To cut a very long story short :
I was called early on sunday morning to be told there was an Iceland Gull at Maughold. I quickly got up there as I havent seen one in a few years.
When I got there I thought it looked more like a Glaucous Gull but I hadnt seen one of them for about 10 years so was a bit rusty :). After a few people had viewed it I was overuled and it was put down as an Iceland Gull. Mainly due to the long primary projection it had.
After viewing my photos at home I again wondered about it being a Glaucous Gull so emailed the finder. After 2days of too ing and froeing and some discussion on Birdforum.net everyone eventually agreed it was a 1st winter Glaucous Gull.
I managed to get some not bad flight shots of it when it was coming to investigate the finders sandwiches we threw into a field :)
click for a larger version
It was still there upto the 23rd when a visiting photographer also saw it.
Pete
http://www.manxbirdphotography.co.uk
March 18, 2005
18th March 2005
Ive been going down to my local patch every lunchtime this week
in the hope of finding some migrants coming in.
The best I came up with during the week were
the Brent Geese flock had now increased to 22.
I found a Bar tailed Godwit at Derbyhaven on the 16th and best of all
today (18th) I was scanning through several Rock pipits at the Flying club,
at least 8 of the birds were Scandinavian Rock Pipits and there were also a couple of Meadow Pipits here, when I came across another Brown pipit
but it was a touch duller. The double white wingbar stood out, as did its white super. Underneath it was very clean and whitish. With hardly any streaks on the flanks. The chest was streaked. I stayed on this bird trying to get the clincher and luckily for me at one point it preened and fanned its tail.
A white outer and a white tip to the next tail feather in ment I was looking at a non breeding plumage Water pipit!!
Ive spent all winter going through Pipits at various locations hoping for a Water Pipit and I finally found one. Well chuffed.