Escargot al Fresco

It was a little parky, but the Afon Clwyd at Rhyl was a picture this morning, beautifully framed by the Clywdians to the east and the Carnedds to the west.

The river looked as if was on the point of freezing-up with hundreds of small sheets of ice floating down river from further upstream.

Close to the mouth of the Gele, a large flock of four hundred Lapwing cowered in the marsh making any attempt to locate a Golden Plover I could hear calling nye on impossible. A few Little Grebes fished at the mouth of the river, but there was no sign of the Slavonian Grebe reported from this location over the last couple of days.

Skylark, Meadow Pipit and particularly Song Thrush were very evident this morning, with the majority of the thrushes feeding on snails – these birds must be utilising every second of daylight at the moment in the pursuit of life sustaining calories.

After crossing Rhuddlan bridge, I headed back down the east bank on the river passing the now resident Bar-headed Goose munching away with a group of Canadas.

Closer to the railway bridge good numbers of Goldeneye were in the channel along with five RB Mergansers and a few more Dabchicks, but, again, no sign of the Slavonian Grebe – this species in intent on giving me the run-around this year!

Fifty yards short of my car – parked near the building merchants near the road bridge – I thought my birding was over for the day until a Water Rail decided to pop out from a hedge and perform quite a convincing Roadrunner impersonation as it sprinted across the tarmac and into cover on the opposite side of the road!

In completely unrelated news, fact is indeed stranger than fiction. Have you noticed that the wife of the Northern Island First Minister who had an affair with a nineteen-year-old is called Mrs Robinson?

Afon Clwyd 08.01.10

7 Goldeneye
5 Red-breasted Merganser
5 Dabchick
1 Water Rail
1 Bar-headed Goose
75+ Wigeon
1 Raven
1 Little Egret

Until later.

Snow Patrol

After an early wrap at Arrowe Park this afternoon, I decided a trip to Parkgate was in order. I thought I had left it a little late, but the clear sky and light reflecting from the snow covered marsh meant visibility was excellent well past sunset.

Short-eared Owls were the first to put in an appearance – up to seven possibly. It looks like the recent cold weather may have prompted a mini influx of Shorties with a whisper of a good count of birds further down the marsh.

A Barn Owl was next to show, possibly revelling in the fact that for once it was perfectly camouflaged during daylight hours as oppose to sticking out like a sore thumb. It didn’t take too long to locate food either – after a mere two minutes it was freighting a vole over the trees and into the paddocks.

On the outer marsh a couple of Ravens feasted on a carcass in front of a backdrop of a large flock of flighty Pinkies, whilst closer in a Merlin whizzed past in pursuit of a small passerine.

As it began to get really dark good numbers of Fieldfare started to fly-in from the marsh and just before the light went completely, a ringtail Hen Harrier slunk into the roost.

As I was about to leave, I overheard a couple of teenagers chatting whilst walking a dog.

“That’s Wales over there, innit?
‘Fink-so.’

Who said standards are declining.

Parkgate 07.01.10

6/7 Short-eared Owls
1 Barn Owl
1 Hen Harrier (ringtail)
1 Merlin
3+ Kestrel
300+ Pink-footed Geese
2 Raven
2 Little Egret

Until later.

Coed y Garth

With the aim of kick-starting my assault on Flintshire this year, I headed over to Coed y Garth late this morning to see if I could tickle-out some woodland species.

I am very fond of birding in woods as it requires a little more skill by my reckoning; rather than just relying on sight, aural skills come in to play as do two things I am not over blessed with – patience and a sharp eye (I’m as colour blind as they come!).

The modest snowfall yesterday made the woodland picture perfect inside creating a magical atmosphere. I was not the first to leave tracks in the snow though – a fox had been on the prowl during the night leaving its telltale footprints in the freshly powdered footpath.

Five minutes into my walk I was on to a decent sized mixed flock that despite being dominated by the commoner tit species contained two Treecreepers and a brace of hyperactive Goldcrest.

A little further up the trail I added Nuthatch and another Treecreeper to the list and then encountered a large flock of Long-tailed Tits. This species of passerine seems to be particularly unsociable, appearing to prefer the company of its own and not generally joining mixed flocks.

It was interesting to note today how many birds had little grubs in their bills. I would have thought any tasty morsel excavated from beneath the bark would be eaten instantly, but a Nuthatch, a Goldcrest and two Blue Tits all seemed to be carrying food today?

Just as I was about to leave the wood I picked-up the ‘pitchouing’ call of a Marsh Tit, but despite looking for a good ten minutes – and it not really moving – the pesky little tyke would not show itself…probably my rubbish fieldcraft again…

Until later.

Polling Day

After receiving a wire from Duckers News International concerning the reappearance of the Slavonian Grebes at Flint on Sunday evening, I nipped down to the point for a quick look over lunch.

Conditions were a touch on the inclement side to say to least, but the emergence of the Wirral shore through the murk and sleety/snowy/rainy stuff (where’s an Eskimo with one of those twenty words for different types of snow when you need one) provided encouragement of improved conditions to come.

After getting intimate with a silver birch, I began to scan the incoming tide which produced a good count of one hundred and fifty Teal, four Little Grebes, one Great Crested Grebe, a survey vessel, but no Slavs.

Some loud chu-chu-chuing then alerted me to a passing rabble of circa twenty Lesser Redpoll moving through the treetops, tailed loosely by a small number of Chaffinch.

Unfortunately the weather that had earlier promised to perk up suddenly worsened and the previously visible Thurstaston cliffs vanished behind a wall of snowfall powered by a strengthening north-easterly. One final cursory scan across the channel again failed to produce the goods, so I admitted defeat and returned to the motor.

It looks like the ‘widespread frost’ that developed into a ‘cold snap’ before morphing into a ‘big freeze’ is now being referred to as the ‘deep freeze’. I wonder what the next phrase in the cold weather escalation scale is – any ideas? Answers on a postcard…

Until later.

We Are Family

There was the potential of a superb high tide watch at Connah’s Quay this morning with thousands of waterfowl – including a family party of Whooper Swans – on the Dee channel, no doubt forced to congregate on water’s edge by the frozen marsh.

Until, that is, two wildfowlers appeared from the White Sands area and proceeded to walk along the tide line and take pot shots at the assembled birds. Given the freezing temperatures, their lack of willingness to take cover and the fact that they had no dogs made the whole episode somewhat crass and distinctly unsporting. It reminded me of the rather deranged Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List, whom delighted in taking random shots at the concentration camp prisoners.

Not wanting to witness anymore of this rather unsavoury spectacle I decided to move to Inner Marsh Farm for the afternoon. The pools were of course completely frozen and for the first thirty minutes I was restricted to watching a couple of hale looking foxes prowling around the margins.

Then, a cracking adult female Hen Harrier cruised over the back of number one pool flushing up a number of Snipe – including one possible Jack Snipe. It remained for ten minutes or so when it was joined by a juvenile Spoonbill that flew in from over the wood and circled over the pools as if looking for a spot of water to land on, before eventually settling for the causeway.

A few other bits and bobs included a Stonechat and a handful of Pinkies with a brace of Whooper Swans behind the border pool. The ‘big freeze’ or ‘winter’ as I seem to remember it being called is certainly engendering big movements of birds currently – surely something really exciting is just around the corner…

Connah’s Quay NR 04.01.10

Whooper Swan 7
Wigeon c3,000
Teal c2,500
Raven 2
Kingfisher 1

Inner Marsh Fram 04.01.10

Spoonbill 1 (Juv)
Pink-footed Goose 7
Whooper Swan 2
Hen Harrier 1 (Adult female)
Stonechat 1
Snipe 15+
Linnet c50
Siskin 1

Until later.

Brunch in Flint

No, not my can, I got the picture off the internet – honest. More of a Tennant’s man myself.

Not been out much over the last two days apart from a couple of hours on Saturday looking for the Slavonian Grebes found by Ash Cohen at Flint on Friday that frustratingly refused to show – unlike Ash!

Very little else on the waterfront, although I did stumble across seven or eight Twite feeding on the north flank of the castle a couple of hours before high tide.

It was bloody cold too and a couple of middle-aged locals had decided to fortify themselves on their early morning dog walk with a four-pack of special brew that they swiftly guzzled down before launching the empty cans into the river.

Good numbers of swans on White Sands though; I could see approximately thirty in the distance from the castle and there was another thirty too at the base of the marsh near the bridge viewed from my motor through a heavy shower.

An hour this evening at Caldy Valley Park was also pretty quiet, although the radical conservation work being carried-out continues apace. I hope they know what they are doing as at least an acre of phragmites has been uprooted in the construction of a new scrape – any Reed Warblers returning in May may be in for a shock; fancy flying all the way from sub-Saharan Africa to find that your home in now a climbing frame.

Still, if it remains a little too bare they could always try replanting the score or so of Christmas trees unceremoniously dumped next to the car park.

Until later.

Common Sense

After shivering under my duvet for a good half an hour, I finally managed to summon the mental strength to get up, dressed and make it down to Moore NR for nine thirty.

I began my 2010 year list assault at Upper Moss Side and quickly got into my stride bagging Tree Sparrow and surprisingly Willow Tit - alongside some of the commoner species - before setting up camp at Norton Marsh. No sign of any Yellowhammers this morning though – there were fifteen plus over-wintering here last year.

On the Mersey there was very little apart from legions of gulls roosting on the sandbank, but I did manage to add Kestrel, Buzzard, Shelduck, Redshank, and a small herd of flyover Curlew to the list as the tide came up the river.

Apart from a pair of Reed Buntings, there was very little evidence of any passerines feeding on the marsh. No Stonechat, Linnet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit or even any Starling – I assume the hard frost has forced most ground feeders closer to the milder coastal areas.

After thirty bone-chilling minutes I decided to head over to Birchwood Pool cutting through the woods, where I intercepted a small flock of Lesser Redpoll and Siskin on the alders near the feeders.

The Tawny Owl was next on the hit list, but I was left staring at a blank space – I guess since they are meant to be so wise it had decided to mover to warmer climes! Nevertheless, Nuthatch and Coal Tit were ticked as I searched to see if the owl had moved to a nearby tree.

Birchwood Pool was nearly completely frozen over when I arrived – not encouraging news for my list that was already showing some glaring omissions. A female Pochard and a Grey Wagtail was the best I could manage, until one last scan of the water’s edge revealed a Common Sandpiper feeding on the water’s edge?

Surely some mistake I thought – must be a Green, so I cleaned my lens and shouted back a couple of chaps who had just left the hide. After the two blokes and I had fruitlessly trying to relocate it for ten minutes, I eventually found it feeding in a corner and in a few ticks it flew onto the small island giving cracking views.

Quite an odd record for Moore I would have thought – especially at this time of the year when any wintering Common Sandpipers would surely favour unfrozen rivers?

With the sun sinking down there was just time to visit the Bittern Enclosure - a dangerous task it was too with the metalled track resembling the cresta run! It was worth the trip though, with superb views of one of THREE Bitterns seen during the day.

And it didn’t stop there with cracking views of a hunting Barn Owl, plus a flyover Peregrine making it just about worth leaving the warm confines of my comfortable bed this morning!

Moore NR/Upper Moss Side 01.01.10

Bittern 1
Pochard 1
Shoveler 20+
Peregrine 1
Barn Owl 1
Common Sandpiper 1
Grey Wagtail 2
Willow Tit 1
Tree Sparrow 10+
Redwing 40+
Lesser Redpoll/Siskin flock 30+
Bullfinch c10

Total Species: 64