Spring Come Early? (Probably not) - Chiffchaff

Whilst returning from the walk along Holkham Beach I caught a bird fly past me and it looked greenish in colour. It definitely wasn't a Greenfinch and for a few minutes I really couldn't place what it might have been. It was quite flighty and landed among some long duney grass. Best thing for it was to wait a while and try and get a second glimpse of it. It did eventually reappear and rather obligingly, it popped up onto a fence post so I could see it in all it's splendour. Through the binoculars I now re-evaluated this to be Chiffchaff. It did make me scratch my head though. This was very early February, not late March or April.

There it was though, sat in the sunshine quite happy doing it's thing. As the winters are becoming warmer, more and more birds are staying over winter. I guess there is plenty of food around for them otherwise they would head off again. So this may become more of the norm, just as Blackcaps are staying longer these days, or even the whole year. One way or another it added another year tick a month or so early.

Long-billed Dowitcher - Cley

There had been a Long-billed Dowitcher reported around the Cley area of Norfolk for some weeks, but it sounded like it was difficult to pin down at times and was on the move regularly, or was at some distance. With the marshes being so vast I didn't even have the bird on my mind when I visited a couple of weeks ago. I thought the chances of me connecting with it would be slim, so went on a nice family walk enjoying all the other birds on offer.

On a ridge ahead of us were a large gaggle of birders with their scopes pointing all in the same direction. We didn't rush as we enjoyed the great and very noisy spectacle of thousands of Pink-footed Geese flying overhead. Eventually we moved up to the group, and saw the Long-billed Dowitcher just a matter of metres in front of us. I was expecting it to be hundreds of metres away, but it was only about 20 metres away. It was skulking around the grassy areas and mingling with some Teal and a Ruff. Only my second ever sighting of one, so I was chuffed to bits.

Long-billed Dowitcher in between two Teal for a good size comparison.

Looking rather like a large Snipe

Holkham Gap Shorelark

A winter trip to my parents in Norfolk will at some point involve a long trudge across Holkham beach to look for Shorelark. This year it was an early morning visit. The sun was just coming up and a cold wind was blowing across a quite unforgiving landscape. It was a biting cold and meant hat, gloves, snood and extra layers were essential. Walking into the wind on the mile or so walk through Holkham gap had me asking the question, what if they're not there? Thankfully we were rewarded, eventually. We had walked past their usual area and so decided to take a look at the sea, where we spotted a few Sanderling running alone the tide line before being chased off by a marauding dog. Grrrrrr!!

Back to the search, and just as the sun lit the sand dunes behind us I saw movement on the ground in front. I think there were about a dozen or so Shorelark heading towards us. So we stopped where we were and set up the scope to watch them go about their business. Fantastic little birds, just so difficult to spot, but spot them we did and it was mission accomplished. I'll make the same trip I've made many times next year, when hopefully I will catch up with them once again. 

The walk back, which seemed much shorter, had us watching Brent Geese, Redshank and a couple of Egyptian Geese for good measure.

Water Rail - Elton Reservoir

One of my hardest to find birds each year is the Water Rail. The winter months are the best time to spot them, as the cold weather draws them out from their secretive reed bed homes, but they certainly don't make it easy for you, or give you a free ride. Sometimes you'll hear their squeal like calls, but never set eyes on them, and on other occasions you'll get the briefest of flights from one bed to another. Every now and again though they stay out in the open a little longer to give a good view. Make the most of it, as you don't know when you might get as good a view.

This one was seen at Elton Reservoir along the canal. Unfortunately the sun was in the wrong position, but beggars can't be choosers. A cracking bird to watch.

Perfectly camouflaged against the reeds .

The Wirral

A day trip to the Wirral is always a good day out and more often than not packed full of birds. The Dee Estuary is one of the most important sites in the UK for wetland and shorebirds. Large swathes of marsh and wetland attracts many different species and lots in good numbers. From Pink Footed Geese to raptors and waders. There's plenty to see, and even more so on a sunny day. I took a day off work last week to coincide with some good weather and I made the most of it, visiting many familiar spots along the Wirral coast.

One favourite to see in the winter time is the Hen Harrier. The viewpoint of the marsh gives many miles to see from left to right and out in front. There could be many birds out there undetected while you scan the whole length. So picking out this ring-tailed Hen Harrier was a real treat. It was quite distant but a real joy to watch through the scope. These are no more than record shots, but a nice reminder of the day.

Hen Harrier

Another bird that appears annually on this part of the coast is the Snow Bunting. This one has been plying its trade in the sand dunes. A great little bird to see.

Snow Bunting

 

Snow Days

This week the clouds decided to drop snow rather than rain. The clouds are still here, but at least the snow gives back a little more light than the roads and pavement. It also meant that the birds were very active in my garden due to the cold weather. I had to top up the feeders as they were munching their way through loads. I decided to see if I could take some pictures of them from the lounge window. As I've not been out with the camera a lot recently due to the dull grey skies, it gave some light relief.

To top it off I had a Goldcrest that stayed around quite a while for me.

Female Blackbird does not look best pleased with the snow.

This Coal Tit looked blended in well.

Europe's smallest bird, the Goldcrest. So small and so fast. It never stays still.

Hard to beat a Robin in the snow.

Drake Smew at Lapwing Lane

At a site I visit frequently in Chelford, there is a female Smew that overwinters, and has done for the last few years now. Not a common bird here, so it's nice to be able to see it fairly regularly. I don't see it on every visit as it is quite a large body of water and there are many places it likes to visit where it can be hidden from view. Excitement grew just after the new year, when a male and another female both turned up. I have never seen the male in a wild setting, only at the Wildfowl and Wetland sites where they are captively bred. So to see a male just 20 minutes down the road was a big thing. 

It's such a smart looking bird and such a contrast to the female. The male is mostly white with a black mask around the eyes, while the female is pretty grey looking with a red head. I think it is my favourite duck, along with the Pintail, so to be able to see one was pretty exciting. Can you tell how excited I was?😄 The only downside was that the light was once again poor and grey, with the threat of rain, so I didn't manage anything other than record shots that are pretty grainy, but still a great record of my first male Smew all the same. Being able to watch through the scope was more than good enough for me.

Drake Smew

Drake and female together (in poor light)

The female a little more in the open

Final image of the male when it emerged from the undergrowth

Winter Thrushes

During the recent spell of wet weather, the fields local to me have become pretty waterlogged. Moorhens have started to venture off their ponds and are wandering around these fields in search of food, as are the Grey Herons. At the weekend it was the turn of our winter thrushes to have a look and see what the wet ground had to offer, There muse have been rich pickings because there were hundreds of Redwings and a very good number of Fieldfares too. Add to that our local and migrant Blackbirds and Song Thrushes, it was quite a sight.

Clearly they have now finished off the crop of berries that they had been feasting on in recent weeks, and been forced to the ground. There must have been something good there as they were there all day, bar the odd flushing from trespassing dog walkers.

Redwing

More distant and nervous Fieldfares.

Icy Cold

A pre-Christmas weekend break in Norfolk turned out to be a very cold one. Freezing conditions the week before and also a sprinkling of snow made the journey a little more hazardous than normal, but to be expected at this time of year. The ground was frozen solid, as were many of the water sources on the marshes. One bonus, was that the previously muddy areas were now not so muddy and passable without the need for wellies.

With so much water frozen a lot of the birds were forced to congregate together on smaller open patches. There was still plenty to see, with a good selection of waders and wildfowl on offer. It was just so bitterly cold that I couldn't stay out as long as I wanted to. The wind on the coast was really biting, and especially at my fingertips.

Dunlin

Dunlin flying over the ice. Not something I'm used to seeing.

Curlew

Curlew and Little Egret

Little Egret and Black-tailed Godwit

Little Egret

Down by the Beach

A cold morning at the beach in Norfolk during the winter months always throws up some good birds. These were taken at the start of this year, when it was cold, but not as cold as it is here right now. 

There were some Pintail on a pool at Cley, and on the sea were several Red-breasted Mergansers. The beach held all sorts of waders, with Oystercatchers, Dunlin, Sanderling, Plovers and Curlew. Geese were flying overhead making lots of noise, just in case I hadn't noticed the vast numbers with my own eyes. The sun had not been long in the sky, so it made for some very nice light.

Pintail

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Redshank

Oystercatcher

Sanderling

Sanderling and Oystercatcher