1-2 Yellow Wagtail
3 Avocet
4 Whinchat
5 female House Sparrow
6 male House Sparrow
7 Mediterranean Gull
8 Hobby
9 Whimbrel
10 male Marsh Harrier
Saturday, 12 December 2009
photos from back in May
Very, very delayed. I only just was reminded about these and thought I'd sort them out and put them up here. From Elmley Marshes RSPB on the 9th May 2009.
1-2 Yellow Wagtail
3 Avocet
4 Whinchat
5 female House Sparrow
6 male House Sparrow
7 Mediterranean Gull
8 Hobby
9 Whimbrel
10 male Marsh Harrier
1-2 Yellow Wagtail
3 Avocet
4 Whinchat
5 female House Sparrow
6 male House Sparrow
7 Mediterranean Gull
8 Hobby
9 Whimbrel
10 male Marsh Harrier
Canon's Farm
Got the metro with Kevin down the my new patch again today & enjoyed some productive winter birding.
Roughly 450 Chaffinches were around (difficult to count, mixed with other finches). c.200 of which were in one of the larger fields to the east, near Banstead Wood. Also with them were c.100 Linnet and a handful of Greenfinches. It was wonderful to spot a pair of Bramblings amongst them and this made our day.
Other than the Bramblings, 36 Yellowhammers, of which many showed well, was a highlight as was a Common Buzzard feeding on earthworms in the main 'Big Field', which was a bit of a surprise!
Also in the field with the Common Buzzard were 158 Fieldfares and 50 or so Redwings along with some Starlings and Chaffinches etc.
The field that the Yellowhammers and a flock of Linnets were in last time has now grown too much and was empty. Over the field next door, 15 Skylarks were flying around. This added to the other 10 we saw makes a count of 25.
A Lesser Redpoll flew over and in the wooded areas 3+ Goldcrests, c.5 Nuthatches, 1 Treecreeper, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 2 Coal Tits were logged. c.10 House Sparrows were knocking around.
A good day with plenty to see.
Roughly 450 Chaffinches were around (difficult to count, mixed with other finches). c.200 of which were in one of the larger fields to the east, near Banstead Wood. Also with them were c.100 Linnet and a handful of Greenfinches. It was wonderful to spot a pair of Bramblings amongst them and this made our day.
Other than the Bramblings, 36 Yellowhammers, of which many showed well, was a highlight as was a Common Buzzard feeding on earthworms in the main 'Big Field', which was a bit of a surprise!
Also in the field with the Common Buzzard were 158 Fieldfares and 50 or so Redwings along with some Starlings and Chaffinches etc.
The field that the Yellowhammers and a flock of Linnets were in last time has now grown too much and was empty. Over the field next door, 15 Skylarks were flying around. This added to the other 10 we saw makes a count of 25.
A Lesser Redpoll flew over and in the wooded areas 3+ Goldcrests, c.5 Nuthatches, 1 Treecreeper, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 2 Coal Tits were logged. c.10 House Sparrows were knocking around.
A good day with plenty to see.
Monday, 7 December 2009
Epsom Common
I had a surprisingly dull day at the normally interesting Epsom Common, with pretty much nothing of note at all (best was 2 Redpolls, presumably Lesser). It was a nice day weather-wise though which is a bit of a treat in the recent times here in Britain.
It was so dead that I ended up spending a lot of time with Phil, photographing this Cormorant which posed beautifully.
The first image is with the Nokia N95 handheld to the scope and the others are Nikon D50 +sigma 50-500mm lens.
It was so dead that I ended up spending a lot of time with Phil, photographing this Cormorant which posed beautifully.
The first image is with the Nokia N95 handheld to the scope and the others are Nikon D50 +sigma 50-500mm lens.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
local winter birding
I did some (fairly) local birding with Phil Wallace today. Positive news on the pager of the Papercourt Black-throated Diver's continued presence coming up to 08:15 was encouraging and I was getting pretty excited about this showy Surrey mega.
We arrived at Papercourt GP's, a pleasant site, at about 09:40 after leaving at about 09:10. Teaming up with another birder, we walked the whole of the sailing pit where a handful of other birders that we bumped into it were having as little luck as we were. Failing on seeing the Diver, which was a huge disappointment, the only birds of any note were singles of Kingfisher, Egyptian Goose and Lesser Redpoll as well as large numbers of Great Crested Grebes and the odd Little Grebe here and there. An immature Cormorant flew over. We checked the small lake just south of the sailing pit but there was nothing other than Tufted Ducks, Shoveler, Pochard, Little Grebe and Mallard.
We chatted to some birders before we got into the car and headed over to Staines to have another look at the Shrike.
The path was an awful lot muddier than it was when I first went, probably due to being trampled by the boots of thousands of birders in the last two or so months! I now understand why Londonbirders keeps saying 'Wellies essential' in bold!
Just short of ten birders were present (with about ten encountered walking back on our way up) and we were soon on the BROWN SHRIKE. After a few minutes the bird showed really very well as it came to some of the closer bushes. Then, remarkably, it was feeding in the the reedmace on the river and perching atop stems, almost Penduline style! We also saw it feeding and hopping around on the ground! It then flew across the river and showed well in the bushes here. A birder walked past there and it didn't budge! The five of us left decided to give it a go to try and get closer views. I got within 30 or 40 metres and Phil walked up until he was about 20 metres away . . . then he took one step too far and it again fed in the reedmace patch before a noisy motorbiker roared straight past it, flushing it back over the river. We enjoyed views of it and pointed it out to a couple of newcomers for another half hour before heading back to the car and home. Also noted at Staines Moor: Water Pipit (heard), Cetti's Warbler (heard), 2 Little Egrets and 3 Egyptian Geese (a Cormorant flew over and a Rose-ringed Parakeet or two were at Hithermoor Road). Also large numbers of Fieldfares, Redwings, Linnets, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Chaffinches were present as was a single Kestrel.
We arrived at Papercourt GP's, a pleasant site, at about 09:40 after leaving at about 09:10. Teaming up with another birder, we walked the whole of the sailing pit where a handful of other birders that we bumped into it were having as little luck as we were. Failing on seeing the Diver, which was a huge disappointment, the only birds of any note were singles of Kingfisher, Egyptian Goose and Lesser Redpoll as well as large numbers of Great Crested Grebes and the odd Little Grebe here and there. An immature Cormorant flew over. We checked the small lake just south of the sailing pit but there was nothing other than Tufted Ducks, Shoveler, Pochard, Little Grebe and Mallard.
We chatted to some birders before we got into the car and headed over to Staines to have another look at the Shrike.
The path was an awful lot muddier than it was when I first went, probably due to being trampled by the boots of thousands of birders in the last two or so months! I now understand why Londonbirders keeps saying 'Wellies essential' in bold!
Just short of ten birders were present (with about ten encountered walking back on our way up) and we were soon on the BROWN SHRIKE. After a few minutes the bird showed really very well as it came to some of the closer bushes. Then, remarkably, it was feeding in the the reedmace on the river and perching atop stems, almost Penduline style! We also saw it feeding and hopping around on the ground! It then flew across the river and showed well in the bushes here. A birder walked past there and it didn't budge! The five of us left decided to give it a go to try and get closer views. I got within 30 or 40 metres and Phil walked up until he was about 20 metres away . . . then he took one step too far and it again fed in the reedmace patch before a noisy motorbiker roared straight past it, flushing it back over the river. We enjoyed views of it and pointed it out to a couple of newcomers for another half hour before heading back to the car and home. Also noted at Staines Moor: Water Pipit (heard), Cetti's Warbler (heard), 2 Little Egrets and 3 Egyptian Geese (a Cormorant flew over and a Rose-ringed Parakeet or two were at Hithermoor Road). Also large numbers of Fieldfares, Redwings, Linnets, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Chaffinches were present as was a single Kestrel.
Friday, 4 December 2009
Thursday, 3 December 2009
photos from the last year- continued
17mar09+1.jpg)
1 Black Tern
2-6 Firecrest
7-8 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
9 Mistle Thrush
10 Common Redstart
11 Wood Warbler
12 Arctic Tern
13 Caspian Tern
14 Stone-curlew
15 Great Grey Shrike
16 Purple Sandpiper
17 Common Sandpiper
18 Green Sandpiper
19 Tawny Owl
20 Long-eared Owl
21 Hobby
22 Purple Heron
23 Ring-necked Duck
24-27 Mediterranean Gull
28 Iceland Gull
29 Red-breasted Goose
30-31 Glaucous Gull (with dead Red-breasted Merganser)
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