Bullfinch

I had the joy of watching some Bullfinch recently in  Norfolk. With such striking colours on the male you'd think they'd be quite easy to see, but unfortunately they are quite a shy bird and so don't make it particularly easy to spot them. Anyhow, I did see them and managed to get some nice images of them.
There is someone I know who is particularly fond of this bird, and I am sure before long you will catch up with them. So in the meantime, Avril, these are for you.

The female. Although duller in appearance to the male still a stunning bird.

And the unmistakable male.

Wheatear at Cley Beach

I did manage to find some Wheatear when I was in Norfolk. It took a couple of visits down to Cley beach to spot them though. I ventured out nice and early to try and beat the dog walkers and to get some time to myself. The first day I only managed one female, but the next visit yielded two males and two females, plus I had great sunlight. Here are just a few for you.

A familiar pose atop a fence post.

Snipe - Titchwell

I love to see the Snipe, and was treated to a ridiculously close encounter from one of the hides at Titchwell last week. Almost oblivious to my presence but only 10 feet away and eventually down to 6 feet at most. It put on a lovely display for me, preening, cleaning and skulking in the stubby reed bed. I could have stayed all day watching but apparently there are other birds to see at Titchwell too.

Just got a little itch here.

Nesting time at Titchwell

A lovely sign of Spring the other day. A pair of Long-tailed Tits working as a team to renovate a nest site in preparation for it to be used as a family home. Wedged between the fork of a tree, you can see one of them just peeping out. I think this is the female waiting for her husband (who's late) to hurry up with that nesting material.

And here he is now with some feathers to line the nest.

Passing them to the wife now, who'll no doubt do a better job than him of making it look nice.

A lovely pose for the camera, but off you go before you get shouted at.

Titchwell

A visit to Titchwell is always highly anticipated when I go to Norfolk. This visit just as good as any other. A pair of Red-crested Pochards were a first for me (well, real live wild ones anyway). I'll add some pics of those at a later date.
I was really taken by the breeding plumage Black-tailed Godwits. Really stunning to see the vibrant colours as opposed the plainer winter plumage.

A less vibrant looking individual.

Lynford Arboretum

An early start saw me at Lynford Arboretum by 8.30 on Saturday morning, in search of Two-barred Crossbill and Hawfinch. There were lots of Common Crossbill in many flocks. Only problem I had was to crane my neck up a good 50 feet to the trees they were in to try and spot the Two-barred variety. Made more difficult with so many flighty birds. But luck was on my side as I spotted this female (below). The defining distinction is the two white stripes across the wings.
I did briefly see a Hawfinch on the ground in its usual area but was only there long enough for me to see through the binoculars. Still two lifers in a day is not a bad return for a 3am start and 270 miles.

 

Norfolk I am coming

I'm heading off to Norfolk on Saturday for a few days Birding and relaxation with my parents. I'm hoping to catch up with some of Wheatear, which have been coming into the country recently. I'm hoping to see a lot more than that to be honest, but these would be good for starters.

Goosander

A nice stroll around Hollingworth Lake, Rochdale, last Sunday saw the sun come out for a nice change. There was plenty of activity and song in the trees and bushes and some nice birds on the lake itself. When I got in the hide I was fortunate to be met by a few Goosander. In the past, these birds have proved difficult to capture on camera and are usually too far away to get any decent shots, but my luck was in today.

Here is the cracking male. 

And here is the equally impressive female.

Local Patch Watching

I've been out recently, looking for signs of spring on my local patch. It's a little slow at the moment, but things are starting to pick up. Just this evening I came across a pair of Oystercatcher for the second time in just a couple of weeks. I hope they nest and raise some young as previous pairs have done in the last few years.

Nuthatch

I had a rare day off work that also entailed some time to myself. So I took the opportunity to take the binoculars and the camera to my local patch. Not much was around so I ventured a few miles down the road to Bramhall, The woods were alive with the sound of birds marking territory and suddenly Spring is upon us.
This Nuthatch was very vocal. Either it wasn't keen on me being there or there was another bird in the vicinity. Either way he put on a good show. Unfortunately it was a little dark due to the cloud cover, so some of the shots are a little grainy and I forgot my monopod, so these are handheld.

There were plenty of squirrels scurrying around. This little guy was having a light snack.

Iceland Gull at Elton Reservoir

The weekend saw me out and about in search of a reported Iceland Gull. I had seen one a couple of years ago at Sandbach, but to be honest it was a little too far away for me to really appreciate, even through the binoculars. So I headed to Elton Reservoir in Bury wondering what I'd find. This time I made sure I did my homework and knew exactly what I was looking for. It was cold and windy as I scanned the water, but it was not long at all before I picked out the very pale feathered Iceland Gull in amongst a whole host of other gulls. It was quite some distance out in to the reservoir, so these shots are not particularly great but more of a good record in Manchester.

The pale bird just left of centre is your Iceland Gull





Here out in front

In flight at the back behind a Black-headed Gull

1st winter Common Gull in flight.

It won't be long now.

We're rapidly heading towards my favourite time of the year. Spring brings so much joy to me in terms of the birds that will soon be turning up just a few miles from home. Together with the British species that will be setting up territories and nest sites, many will be coming in from other countries to holiday and rear young here. There will be warblers, Cuckoos, Swallows and Swifts to name but a few. My favourite visitor though is the Redstart, and to help increase my excitement level I thought I'd share a few pictures I took a couple of years ago in the Goyt Valley. Such a remarkable bird.

Here is the male in all his glory.

And the female's pretty hot too.

There's the red orange tail that quivers quite regularly.