Back In Black

A gorgeous morning on Fenn’s and Whixall Mosses failed to produce either the Great Grey Shrike of Hen Harrier reported yesterday, but the Halloween sunshine did bring out a few dragonflies including a spooky Black Darter.

Birding can be hard going here and today was no exception - the best I had turned up after the first hour was a Green Woodpecker flying at a fair distance and a handful of Stonechats.

Infact, there were probably more birders than birds today, including one lucky punter who said he had seen the butcher bird perched on the weather station a little earlier. Perhaps this species has a curious fetish for wind meters and rain gauges as the birds that over winter at Cloclaenog similarly haunt the weather station atop of Bron Banog.

The Phylloscopus warbler identification challenge has entered a new stage with the discovery of a Green/Greenish Warbler at Cornwall today, following on from the Eastern Crowned Warbler in South Shields.

I must confess that during my many hours birding in India, I have tended not to concentrate too hard on phylloscopus warblers due to the huge problems in identifying these birds given that there are so many similar species. Credit to the birders then, who not only managed to find theses birds but correctly identified them too.

Still, I am yet to be convinced on the wisdom of diving hundreds if miles just to catch a glimpse of what in the general scheme of things are, let’s face it, fairly bland and unremarkable birds: life is just too short Mr Tickell, Mr Brooks and Mr Tytler.

Until later.

Decca Records

Three Green Sandpipers on Decca Pools this evening; I would probably have missed them had they not been calling – but when do they never call?!

I also had distant views of a ringtail Hen Harrier, plus one, possibly two Short-eared Owls getting grief off some corvids. The shorties have yet to appear in any great numbers this year down towards the Burton end of the marsh, although I have had up to five at Parkgate.

Talking of Parkgate, the Hen Harrier roost seems to be up to three birds now: two adult females and what looks like a juvenile male - an adult Marsh Harrier also seems to be hanging around too. In short, get your backsides down there!

Three wildfowlers were on the marsh late in the afternoon too. Nothing unusual in that really, except that they were walking across RSPB owned land with their springer spaniel tearing around the sheep.

Now, as I understand there is a RSPB sign explicitly saying that people are meant to keep dogs on a lead around farm animals; indeed some have had a rollicking from the farmer for failing to control their hounds.

The sharp among you will have noticed a little hypocrisy in this (don’t worry if you didn’t, I’m not that sharp and would not have noticed it too) as I have never seen either of the farmers challenge people who shoot, just members of the public. They wouldn’t be picking on easy targets would they?

Anyway, enough editorialising I thought I may have seen a distant Black Kite from Connah’s Quay on Sunday morning and apparently Bardsey observatory bagged one on the following day. Probably nothing in it, but I will never know…

Until later.

Indian Summer

A great walk around Newborough today with a whole host of wildlife enjoying a lovely warm October’s day.

A prowling fox was my first encounter, although on seeing me it soon fled to the sanctuary of the dunes. A cracking pair of Chough greeted my arrival at Abermenai and on the strait a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers showed very well preening close in to the shore.

The shingle bank encircling the point looked prime habitat for an over-wintering Snow Bunting, but an extensive search of the area only revealed an astonishing amount of litter including a huge pile of bin bags. Given that the nearest road is about three miles away this garbage must have been dumped from a boat.

The long walk to the promontory of Ynys Llandywn produced plenty of Oystercatchers and Cormorants roosting along the tide line and several of Ravens were patrolling the skies.

When I reached the island, the sea had calmed revealing large numbers of Great Crested Grebes, Shags and smaller numbers of Guillemots and Red-breasted Mergansers prospecting in the bay.

On the rocks, a small flock of Turnstones fed actively around a trio of Grey Seals enjoying a lunchtime siesta. Above them, a line of Cormorants were drying their wings in the breeze readying themselves for another fishing expedition.

The final part of my walk took me through the soon to be felled section of the forest. It was superb for insects: I counted eleven Red Admirals and five Common Darters, but the star of the day was a cracking Small Copper – only the second one I have seen – bathing in the sunshine.

A host of notices seem have to been put up since my last visit detailing local resistance to the proposed felling of forty percent of the forest. The natives seem a little restless at the prospect of the Countryside Council for Wales’ plan to return the wood to its original dune habitat.

In broad conservation terms the decision seems eminently sensible given that dune systems are more threatened and therefore more important than a plantation of non-native conifers. However, about three Red Squirrels and the fact that Demi Moore once filmed here seems to have blinded the locals to this somewhat.

Until later.

Octoberfest

Another day, another first at Connah’s Quay: an adult female Marsh Harrier picked-up hunting behind the Dee embankment. It took a few minutes to nail the identity of the bird as it appeared to be using the riverbank as a buffer against the strong south-westerly wind and seldom showed.

Not stupid then these birds; I distinctly remember enjoying a very close encounter with a Hen Harrier at this area of the marsh during similarly high winds.

Eventually the raptor let the wind lift it upwards taking it into the realm of a handful of large gulls that largely ignored their stately intruder. The harrier then decided it was time to disturb a flock of roosting Black-tailed Godwits on the opposite side of the river channel, but before it reached the waders it stooped down to the water’s edge and plucked a dead fish from the side of the river.

Before you could say Circus Aeruginosous, the lady had taken its meal back to the marsh on the opposite side of the bank and out of view.

Hoping to get a closer look, I moved down to the hide near the field centre. No harrier alas, but more close views of a Long-billed Dowitcher drilling in the mud for food whilst a couple of hundred Redshank dozed contentedly in the unnervingly warm autumnal sunshine.

Until later.

Geese. Thousands of them.

With the twitching high priesthood descending for a conclave around a bush at South Shields, I decided to mooch over to Martin Mere for a gander at the geese.

Probably our greatest wildlife spectacle, the sight of thousands of geese descending from a crisp autumnal sky is enough to rouse even the most jaded wildlife watcher.

With relatively small numbers of wildfowl present and only a modest number of Whooper Swans back, the Pinks are bossing the mosses at the moment with numerous yapping skeins commuting to and fro across East Lancs.

Apparently a pair of Tundra Bean Goose has been accompanying the Pinks this year, but you would need the zen like concentration of a gull-watcher to pick ‘em out.

After dragging myself away, the day was finished off at Marshside. The field in front of Nel’s hide is still yet to flood properly, but it still managed to hold the largest numbers of Wigeon I have seen this autumn. This duck seems to have not arrived in any significant numbers yet, especially in comparison to Teal and the masses of Pintail that are building up on the Dee.

A stroll up the road to view the marsh near the Sandgrounder’s Hide produced cracking views of a female Merlin using its tightrope walker-like powers to perch precariously on an electric fence wire.

Also seven – possibly wild – Barnacle Geese were spotted tagging on to a flock of Pinkies flying out into the Ribble in search of some tasty grazing.

Until later.

Splitters

Katona’s Gull (Larus Atomicus Kittenoides)

Previously a race of Iceland Gull, Katona’s Gull is best identified by its slightly larger size and prodigious breeding rate. It is also in possession of a much darker mantle than Iceland Gull having been continually exposed to regular sun showers that are common to its locality. The bill is also heavier than the Iceland Gull allowing the bird to tackle the remains of large discarded cheap supermarket food items that are its staple diet (unlike Caspain Gull that feeds exclusively on the remains of Donar Kebabs). There is one record annually, usually around the Merseyside area.

The paragraph above is clearly drivel, yet having read news of the Azorean Yellow-Legged Gull at Didcot, the boundaries between science and parody are becoming increasingly blurred. Forgive my ignorance, but this hitherto unknown species/race of Gull has failed to register on my radar. Now, I like a Glacous Gull or an Iceland Gull as much as the next person, but is it just me or is this relentless and obsessive categorisation of Laridae going too far?

Then there is also the predilection some birders have for the mind-numbing activity of spending hours searching through thousands of gulls – often near rubbish dumps - for that something a little different. No little skill is involved in this, but with the rich variety of bird life available I simply cannot be bothered – especially when it involves a long drive with no guarantee that the bird will be present. Surely it would be easier going to the Azores?

Until later.

Bonanza

Another stunning day at Connah’s Quay, with approximately 10,000 waders roosting on Oakenholt Marsh plus a pair of touring North American waders thrown in for good measure.

The omens were good on arrival as a huge flock of Black-tailed Godwits could be seen milling in front of Flint castle soon to be joined by hundreds of Oystercatchers, Knot, Dunlin and Redshank piling in from various points of the estuary.

The gathering was at its most spectacular when a scouting male Peregrine flushed the birds into the air causing them to twist and pulsate in a manner more resembling a school of panicked sardines than a flock of waders.

A pair of sharp eyes in the form of Geoff Robinson then picked-out the bright white breasts of eleven Spotted Redshanks gleaming in the morning sunshine in a channel towards Flint. Largely absent from in front of the West Hide this autumn it was good to see that the Spot Reds are have returned again this winter albeit to another area of the marsh.

Plenty of wildfowl around too, with a flotilla of circa eight hundred Pintails on the edge of Gayton Sands and closer to home a respectable group of six hundred Teal were dabbling at the end of the stream outflow including one extremely rusty-coloured female.

When the tide finally consumed the lion’s share of the marsh I upped sticks and headed to Inner Marsh only to receive a text from Stan Skelton informing me that two Long-billed Dowitchers were on the bunded pools back at Connah’s Quay.

Cursing my laziness for not checking the pools in the first place I headed back to Flintshire to find them feeding away contentedly in the company of some Redshank, four dozing Greenshank and yet two more Spot Reds taking the tally to an ‘unlucky’ thirteen.

I am always curious – as I’m sure many of my fellow birders are – as to whether I would find these birds if I had had no prior knowledge of their presence. I’d like to think so in my more vain moments, but given the rarest bird I have ever found in a Spoonbill (hardly inconspicuous), I’m not so sure!

Adios y buenes noches.

Oui, J'taime

Good visible migration ‘early doors’ at Point of Ayr today with well over 500 finches flying over. They were mostly Chaffinches with the rest of the movers made up from Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Greenfinch and Bullfinch. I swore I heard a Crossbill too, but to use another Ron Atkinsonism, you’d need to be a member of the ‘wide awake club’ to be sure.

Other migrants included a handful of Stock Doves, a Sparrowhawk and heading up the rear around fifty Skylarks. The bushes were also full of Blackbirds, Robins and unusually high numbers of Dunnock – probably all coming to a garden near you!

Despite a good thorough search I could not find anything out of the ordinary. It has been a good few years since my last decent rarity here – a Golden Oriole near the old hide. Never mind, the search will continue.

On the way home I popped into Inner Marsh Farm. Due to the returning Dowitchers the hide was again full of dow-twitchers making for a rather unpleasant squeeze.

But, despite a Curlew Sandpiper and a lovely flock of Golden Plover, it was hard not to notice a young couple who had walked on to the edge of the reserve from Puddington and flushed all the birds from number one pool. Rather embarrassingly telescopes had to be averted when they started to smooch, blissfully unaware of the fact that twenty people with high powered optical equipment were sat no more than two hundred yards away!

Until later.

Under Siege

Having neglected Parkgate for long enough this autumn, it was time to head down for an evening watching the vole patrol.

You have got to feel sorry for the little super furry animals. If they are not being raided above from the legions of Kestrels, they are being pounced on by owls and harriers. Still, given the large number of raptors eeking out an existence on the marsh, they must be breeding like Catholics.

Short-eared Owls were the stars of the show with three hunting a stones throw from the old baths car park, soon joined by an insouciant Barn Owl flying so close I could have reached out and nearly touched it.

A scan across the farther reaches of the marsh revealed a perched Peregrine and a Merlin dashing after a small passerine. Out towards Neston two more SE Owls quartered near the reed bed taking the total up to five; it will be interesting to see how many are present this winter after last year’s insanely high numbers.

As the light began to fail the first Hen Harrier of the night put in an appearance, although like a naughty child sent straight to bed it sped into the roost and quickly dropped from view – apt behaviour considering it looked like a juvenile male!

Two hysterical Greenshanks completed the nights viewing, although they were no more than silhouettes in the encroaching darkness.

Until later.

What did the Gujaratis ever do for us?

I'm taking a break at the moment, so I shall not be posting for another couple of weeks.

I am also in the process of writing a guide to birding in Chester and the surrounding area. I am familiar with a few sites, but I would appreciate any information on hidden gems that I may have overlooked – you cannot get everywhere!

It would be particularly useful to garner some hints and tips as to reliable sites for less common birds such as Green Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, any of the commoner Owl species, or perhaps something a little more unusual.

Comments on the content of the blog would also be gratefully received: don’t be shy! For instance, did you, Keith Duchess finally manage to find the blog?! Somebody out there is reading it, as I managed 1,000 hits last month - a number that almost makes it worthwhile!

In the meantime, I shall leave you with a quote from the half-naked fakir himself: “Nature can satisfy all of our needs but none of our greeds”.

Until later, well two weeks anyway.