Monthly Archives: January 2008

Birding In The Mist

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I had high hopes for my birding on Monday. I planned to visit Shenstone, Norchard, Grimley and maybe take in the Lickey Hills too. I thought if I had an excellent day and a bit of good luck I could bag ten year ticks and maybe a lifer or two. Alas, it was not to be.

I arrived in Shenstone to find that the county of Worcestershire was shrouded in a thick curtain of mist. It was going to be hard enough to see my hand in front of my face, let alone spot a Woodlark, one of my main targets, from distance.

Never to be discouraged, I took a deep breath and immersed myself in the gloom. I thought I had a good chance of seeing Corn Bunting, Red-Legged Partridge and Grey Partridge here, but I failed to locate any of them. There were several hundred Fieldfare in the field adjacent to the public footpath, a small flock of Siskins further down, and I managed to locate a pair of Reed Buntings as I made my way back to the car, but that was about it.

A stroll up Heath Lane revealed a couple of Song Thrush and a Wren, but nothing out of the ordinary. Finally, a hunt for the recently reported Brambling half a mile down the road in Summerfield was unsuccessful. As I consoled myself with a chicken sandwich and a swig of hot tea, I had some consolation in the form of a Greenfinch [year tick 75!] in a nearby tree.

Next I headed off to Norchard. Woodlarks have been seen here consistently for a couple of weeks. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I was quite prepared to invest an hour or more here. Woodlarks would not be lifers for me, but as I have only ever had a fleeting view of one as it flew away from me I was obviously keen to get a proper look.

I found the place with relative ease and knew I was in the right field when I spied a couple of fellow birders with scopes ahead of me. Although I’m not shy of putting in a bit of hard graft to find a bird, I was hopeful that these two chaps had already had a positive sighting, not least because the mist had come down again and it was not possible to see across to the other side of the field. Armed with only my binoculars, it was also difficult to comfortably scan much more than half of the field.

Sadly, the two chaps had not seen anything and within fifteen minutes they headed off. I persevered and became more optimistic when the mist cleared a little, but despite seeing a few small birds at distance, there was no way I could be certain that they were the Woodlarks. I tried my luck further down the lane, my heart skipping a beat as a Meadow Pipit [year tick 76!] appeared in front of me, but there was no access to the other side of the field. I gave it another five or ten minutes back in my original position, but eventually had to concede defeat and headed for Grimley.

A Meadow Pipit - definitely NOT a Woodlark!

I had a thirty minute walk around Grimley. There were some nice species here including Snipe, of which I saw three flying, Pochard, Teal, Goldeneye in reasonable numbers, Shoveler and Gadwall. I think some Wigeon flew over, but ducks in flight are not one of my strong points so I couldn’t be certain. There was no sign of the Water Pipit, but I didn’t really expect to see that if I was being honest.

As I was without Brambling, I decided to stop off at the top of the Lickey Hills on the way back. I walked through the area near the church and Twatling Road for about ten minutes or so and I can honestly say I did not see one bird!

Well, if the birds won't show ...

I headed home a bit dejected. I always enjoy my birding, whatever the result, but having invested a good five hours in the field I was a bit disappointed to get just two year ticks, especially as they were birds that I am bound to see in good numbers over the course of the year.

Let’s hope the next outing is a liitle better. Until then, happy birding!

I Suppose The Exercise Did Me Good!

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This Sunday I headed off to Draycote Water. There’s one thing you need to know about this place – it’s vast. I have the utmost respect for those people who treat this as their local patch as I don’t think I could it. It does, however, attract some very special species and occasionally I can’t resist the temptation to make the not inconsiderable journey in order to see some nice birds. I always come away feeling that I have been on a ticking exercise, rather than a true birding experience though. I’m sorry if that upsets anyone, but it’s just how I feel.

I also came away this week with a pulled thigh muscle and sore shins for my troubles. Now, I accept that I’ve not been shy of the Quality Streets and the Terry’s chocolate orange this Christmas, but I’m not that unfit. Therefore, if you’re planning a trip around this huge expanse of water, just beware of what’s in store!

Anyway, enough about my physical insufficiencies, let’s talk birds.

There were three main targets in mind, those being the Lesser Scaup, Great Northern Diver and the Smew. I recall a visit in February last year for these latter two, which although successful, was damned hard work. As I cast my mind back I also remember bumping into Max and Kay that day. They were much easier to spot, though I don’t think I have ticked them at any other birding haunts since. Hope to see you again soon, guys!

We decided to head off to Toft Bay and picked up a few year ticks on the way, namely Goosander and Goldeneye. My dad also picked up his first Rook of the year. Then we got to the bit where the Lesser Scaup tends to frequent. There were a large number of Tufted Ducks and we guessed that the vagrant duck might be among them, but they were quite distant and we thought we might be able to get the scope on them further round the path. This didn’t prove to be true, so we carried on to the valve tower, year-ticking Wigeon and Gadwall on the way.

Cormorants hanging out in Toft Bay

Once at the valve tower [after a two mile walk by my reckoning!] we began our search for the Smew and Great Northern Diver. No immediate joy, until I realised that the Smew was right under our noses. I captured a couple of quick record shots and my Dad scuttled off to do the same, but the Smew immediately took off and disappeared towards Rainbow Corner.

Smew, Smew, Barney McGrew ..

The search for the Great Northern Diver continued for a few minutes. We were having no joy, however, so we continued walking towards Rainbow Corner, carefully checking out every Cormorant along the way. All of a sudden I spotted something unusual and got the binnies up to confirm that it was the Great Northern Diver. We had pretty good views as the sailing fraternity caused the bird to head nearer the shore. Within minutes, though, it had quickly made its way out of range, but again I had managed a couple of reasonable snaps.

Great!

With time running out we hotfooted it back to Toft Bay to see if we could unearth the Lesser Scaup. As we neared the area we spotted a few birders. More eyes equals more chance of success, but most of the people we spoke to said they had not seen it. With literally seconds left, a chap to my right suddenly announced he had it. I too had spotted a likely suspect and as it happened we were looking in the same area. We took our time and made certain that we were on the right bird before agreeing that it was another tick before heading back to the car.

A successful trip, albeit a tiring one. Despite my failing health, I couldn’t resist popping down to Marsh Lane once we were back in Solihull. My Dad couldn’t make it, so I headed off on my own. I don’t have a permit for the reserve so I contented myself with a short walk down the public footpath running adjacent to it. I thought I might stand an outside chance of picking up a Lesser Redpoll or maybe the Common Redpoll that has been here for a few weeks, plus the possibility of a Brambling or Yellowhammer. As it happened, I did pick up a few Yellowhammers and some Greylag Geese, but after half an hour my various aches and pains were making the whole experience a little less pleasurable so I got back in the car and made my way home.

Other sightings of note this week were a lone male Siskin in the garden on Saturday, followed by a small flock a few gardens down later on. This week also saw the first Bullfinch of the year in the garden and I got a further year tick in Solihull today when a pair of House Sparrows settled in a tree outside Starbucks in Solihull. After Sunday’s exertions, it was a nice contrast to get a tick whilst sat down with a hot latte and a cinnamon swirl!

Until next time, happy birding!

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Upton Warren

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Saturday 5 January 2008

Finally shaken off a particularly nasty cold, picked up over the festive period. Heading to Upton Warren with my Dad. Main goal – locate the Bittern, which my Dad still needs for his life list.

It is to be a full day – we arrive before 9:00am and intend to depart after dusk.

Having ticked Kestrel on the M42 on the way down we’re in the car park. As soon as we get out we can hear Curlews calling. Within a few minutes a small group pass overhead.

We head to the West hide. The plan is to have a search for the Bittern first. Whilst doing so we tick the more common species in front of us. Bullfinch on the feeders, a drake Pintail on the water and Shelduck, Lapwing, Shoveler, Pochard, Canada Goose, Reed Bunting and Teal. We give up on the Bittern and decide to have a go for Water Rail instead.

As we enter the concrete hide, my thoughts turn to the enormous spider that resides here. My spider radar leads me to look upwards, revealing the outsized critter sitting in its web on the corrugated iron roof. At least, I hope this is the correct arachnid – if there’s a bigger one then I don’t want to see it!

On a brighter note, as soon as I peer out of the window, a Water Rail dashes across the water in front of me. My Dad doesn’t see it, however, so we invest a further 10 minutes and are rewarded with a couple more sightings before we head off.

Dad’s keen to look for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the area behind the West hide. We head off and quickly spot a Kingfisher zipping along the brook. Then I spot a raptor overhead. I think it’s a Sparrowhawk, but I’m not confident. Just then, Arthur Jacobs and another chap appear and confirm my suspicions. They also confirm that Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have been seen and heard in this area, but we fail to latch onto any.

On a walk through the woods, however, we tick Pheasant, Green Woodpecker and Long-Tailed Tit, before picking up some Siskins on the return leg. No Lesser Redpolls amongst them unfortunately, but a couple of chaps back at the car park say that Lesser Redpolls have been seen on the path leading to the East hide. Great, that’s where we’re off to next to get Snipe. Sure enough, with a bit of patience, we manage to see a few Lesser Redpolls on the way.

Once in the East hide we pick up Snipe very easily – there must be 30 of them in front of us! Whilst eating our lunch we also get the first Little Grebe of the year, plus another sighting of Sparrowhawk high over the water.

Off to the Flashes next. On the way down we get excited when we think we have spotted a Peregrine, but it turns out to be a Kestrel instead. Once in the hide we tick Buzzard and Stock Dove, which I pick out with the binnies from some distance, before confirming with the scope – must be getting better at this birding lark!

We decide to stick it out here for a bit to see if the Barn Owl shows. It doesn’t, but somebody spots a suspected Jack Snipe out on the edge of the reeds. There’s an anxious few minutes as we struggle to confirm its identity, but in the end it shows brilliantly and the distinct markings, shorter bill and amusing bobbing action result in the best tick of the day so far.

It’s getting late now. Back off to the Moors Pool to try once more for that elusive Bittern. Whilst waiting for it to show itself, I manage to get a few reasonable pictures of another Water Rail from the West hide.

An unusually obliging Water Rail

The Little Egret is also present and soon enough somebody spots the Bittern out on the edge of the pool. We get good views for 15 minutes or more, then it flies across the water and disappears. Magical!

Little Egret on the Moors Pool

Another excellent day and the year list now sits at 60 birds.

Ruddy Mandarin Ducks!

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This year I am doing my birding armed with a pen and notebook, in which I jot down my thoughts at the time. By coincidence, I’ve found this gives any summary something of a real-time feel, hopefully making you feel more like you are there as you read it. Anyway, I’ll try it for a bit and see what happens.

1 January 2008

A Mandarin turned up at Earlswood Lakes yesterday. Potential first lifer of 2008!

7:41am

Despite feeling as rough as a badger’s bum I’m up and dressed. Just filled new flask with tea. Waiting 10 minutes to allow it to reach drinking temperature. Still yet to tick first bird of the year, but it’s still dark. I’ll turn the light off and watch the sun come up.

7:43am

I can hear a Robin!

7:50am

Gotcha! There he is on the damson tree. Number one bird of 2008! Only fair really – heard the blighter since I got up. I can allow myself a glance into the alder now for an expected Woodpigeon or Jackdaw [didn't want them to be my first tick!]. Oh – nothing!

Have to say, that Robin wasn’t showing particularly well. Still, no mistaking its identity.

7:57am

Right! I can’t wait any longer. Let’s get off to Earlswood Lakes.

8:08am

Well, I’m here. Great! We’re fogbound. That could make things tricky. Still, I’m up for the challenge. Ticked a Carrion Crow on the way and now I’m officially up and running.

Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot. That’s ticks 3, 4, 5 and 6.

A Grey Heron in the gloom

What’s that? A juvenile gull. Oh dear! Probably a Herring Gull, but I’m not sure, so no tick.

Black-Headed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Herring Gull [an adult this time - nice and easy!], Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Song Thrush [nice to see one so early], Fieldfare [not showing well, but no mistaking that chuckle!], Jackdaw. Up to 16 now.

The fieldcraft has gone out of the window as I lollop through the mudbath formally known as Earlswood Lakes! At last, I round the corner at the end of the Windmill Pool.

Great Crested Grebe and Tufted Duck make it 18.

Let’s have a sit down and drink some tea. Maybe tie my shoelaces [don't ask!].

Goldfinch [overhead, unmistakeable chattering]. 19 up.

Nice cup of tea. That 10 minutes waiting time was just an experiment, but it seems that the beverage is at optimum drinking temperature. I love it when a plan comes together. A Wren is singing. Almost certain I saw one a few minutes ago, but decided to wait until one presented itself properly before ticking it. Just dropped my notebook in the mud!

Woodpigeon [at last!]. That’s 20.

On the move again now.

Goldcrest [little beauty], Cormorant, Wren [first proper view, glad I waited!]. Okay. Up to 23 now.

A Blue Tit poses obligingly.

A Blue Tit strikes a pose

Okay. Back in the car now. No Mandarin. Can’t say I’m surprised.

Magpie [overhead on Gorsey Lane] brings the total so far to 24.

The remainder of the day’s birding is to be conducted from the house.

Collared Dove, Moorhen [in field opposite house near small pond], Lesser Black-Backed Gull and Jay [with an acorn in its beak] take the total to 28.

10:04am

5 Chaffinches in the garden. Nice.

Coal Tit, Nuthatch and Mistle Thrush bring the final tally to 31.

First day’s birding of 2008 complete. May there be many more!