Wheatears and Weasles

Today with the weather so good I just wanted to be outside for as long as I could. I headed to Macclesfield again for a look at the Crossbills, but found myself spending more time watching a couple of different pairs of Dippers along the river Dane. Dippers always entertain me, and when I get the chance to watch them at close quarters it's even better.
Highlight of the day though was a single Swallow flying low across the slopes of the moors at Danebower. A nice sight to see to remind us that Summer is coming. Again, as at the weekend there were plenty of Wheatears and Meadow Pipits around. A couple of Red Grouse blew there cover and there were 3 Stonechat knocking around as well. A stoat freaked me out a little as it appeared from nowhere just a few feet away, to stare at me for what seemed like an age, while I froze. Would have been a great photo, but I couldn't get to it without spoiling my own view of it.

Northern Wheatear

 Meadow Pipit

Macclesfield Forest

By 6.30am on Saturday I was up at Standing Stone car park in Macclesfield Forest. I was on the hunt for Crossbills. A bird that I have tried and failed to track down on too many occasions. Today though, in bright Spring sunshine, my luck was in. Within minutes of arriving 3 flew to a tree in front of me, two males and a female. Others kept coming and going, but I managed to get a few half decent pics. They aren't great, but they are proof that I finally saw them.

I really have no idea how they pick anything up with a bill like that.

Little Owl

A couple of months ago I saw a Little Owl on my patch in Woodford. Not unusually, it saw me and flew off across the field to the other side. My viewing consisted of watching it in flight and getting smaller into the distance. What it did do though, was to alert me to the fact that they were in the area and I have been searching them out ever since. I had heard from several different people that they were certainly in the area that I was looking. Then just recently one was being viewed on an almost daily basis. I kept looking and got another flight sighting at dusk time. Certainly no good for a decent shot with the camera. Today, after another tip off, I got to find it in good sunshine, and this one was in a much more obliging mood.

Thought I'd play around with some black and white. Here, I've just left the face in colour. Same shot is in colour on the right.



Woodford (Back on the Patch)

I've been spending a fair bit of time recently back on my patch in Woodford. Along Church Lane each winter, a very large puddle, or flood (for want of a better word) occurs. This year has seen a very good array of wildfowl and waders. I finally got to catch up with a Redshank today that had been putting in morning appearances on and off over the last 2 weeks. It was soon joined by a Dunlin, but that didn't stay long at all. Others seen on my journey around Old Hall farm included Skylarks, Oystercatchers, Curlew, Kestrel, Linnets, Lapwings, Reed Buntings, Bullfinches plus plenty of Fieldfare. It should only be a week or two now until the Sand Martins return and the Northern Wheatears stop over for a few days. Roll on Spring, it's my favourite birding season.

A Lesser black-backed gull drops in at Church Lane.

One of the Oystercatchers.

A Reed Bunting hiding on top of a hedge on Old Hall Farm.(but I can see you..)

A mixed flock of Starlings, Fielfares and Redwings on a brighter evening this week.

The sun looked really large on the 14th. Here it is from Church Lane

Pennington Flash

A windy drizzly start to the morning, but it quickly turned out be quite decent. Starting at Horrocks hide there were an incredible 24 Snipe at the very end of the scrape. These were joined by 12 Oystercatchers and 2 Redshank. Goldeneye were still around and some very handsome looking Great Crested Grebes.
At the Teal Hide was a Green Sandpiper (my first of the year) 6 Shovelers and 3 Goosander.
The usual suspects were to be found at the Bunting Hide. These being Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Reed Buntings and a lone Pheasant. A good mornings birding, but just needed a little more time to get around more of the site.

Goosander (female)

Another Bullfinch, but I find it hard to ignore them.

Chaffinch

Reed Bunting (female)



Another Robin, but this picture shows that Spring is on the way with buds bursting on this tree.

Sparrowhawks

Last weekend at Fishers Green in the Lea Valley, a Sparrowhawk silently glided past my Dad and I. No sooner had I picked up what it was that was going past me that it was gone and out of sight. Unfortunately, most of my Sparrowhawk sightings follow this same trend of spotting them and then they're gone. Just after Christmas though, I was lucky enough to get up close and personal with one, from a hide owned by Charlie Owen. It gave me the best views I've had of a Sparrowhawk and some good shots too. Here are a few of them.

 There's something very encapsulating about those piercing yellow eyes. Scary.

Roding Valley Meadows

A weekend at my parents in Essex always gives me the opportunity to visit one of my favourite places and somewhere that I spent a lot of time when growing up. Roding Valley Meadows in Loughton is a 160 acre nature reserve that follows the river Roding for a mile and a half from Debden to Buckhurst Hill. There's always lots to see. This weekend I managed a Little Egret, Ring-necked Parakeets, Green Woodpeckers, Common Gulls, Fieldfares, Redwings and lots of the usual stuff. Kingfishers are pretty regular along with Herons and plenty of raptors. Always a joy to have a wander round.

Little Egret on the river Roding

Common Gulls

Common Gull in flight

Ring-necked Parakeet, that seem to be spreading. You usually hear them before you see them.

Now, I am no fan of squirrels, but this one looked quite cute with the sun on it's back. 

Etherow Park

A nice couple of hours spent at Etherow Park in Stockport this morning. Cold, crisp and sunny. Perfect conditions. A great site, if a little too busy later in the day, hence me getting there at first light. I managed to see a few Dippers on the river Goyt and a good twenty plus Mandarin ducks. I made my way to the hide and was soon joined by a very friendly Robin that was intent on joining me in the hide. So I took advantage and took some really nice shots. A Kingfisher went past me on four occasions, but never stopped close enough for a good shot. Lots of Nuthatch around and a flock of Siskins. Teal, Tufted Ducks, Cormorants and even more Mandarins. Lots of drumming from the Woodpeckers and then one put in an appearance next to the hide. A good mornings birding.

Blue Tit

Nuthatch

Mandarin Duck

This cheeky little Robin came and joined me in the hide with a look that said, "What are you doing here?"

Tatton Mere

I'd heard of several Redhead Smew in the vacinity last weekend, and then I heard that one had found it's way to Tatton Mere in the grounds of Tatton Park. I made my way over in the afternoon and with the help of two birders located it at the morth end of the mere. It was very flighty but kept drifting back to the same area so it was just a case of waiting. I did wait and wait, but it was just getting darker and it just would not come near enough. A dog jumped in and made it fly a long way from me and I called it a day. Here is my best shot, followed by one taken of a captive Smew at Martin Mere last year.

Smew in flight (after harassment from a dog)

Smew  

 Very dodgy light, too far away and too shaky, but there it is.

Smew (captive) taken at Martin Mere

Pochard at Tatton Mere

Grey Plover

A trip to Elton Reservoir on Saturday for a Grey Plover proved very successful. Not a common species in the North West it is usually confined to the coast whilst wintering in this country. I found the bird working it's way along the shoreline looking for food. It would also regularly make it's way onto the grassy verges in it's search. Accompanying the Grey Plover were two Dunlin, which in comparison are a very small wader and also usually found on the coast. A good mornings birding for two lovely birds.

Grey Plover in winter plumage

Snow still on the ground. Roll on Spring.

The Dunlin. 

This shot shows the difference in size between the two. Dunlin being quite a lot smaller.

The Robin

As winter seems to have well and truly arrived now, I thought I would take the opportunity to showcase the Robin.

Quite often seen as the classic Christmas card bird, but seen in most gardens all year round. There is something very appealing about seeing a Robin on a cold sunny day, or even better, in the snow. I took these shots on a very sunny, cold and frosty morning, which seemed to enhance the orange breast feathers. They are quite territorial and seem to spend a lot time and energy seeing off other birds from their patch, but probably most people’s favourite (or at least most recognisable) garden bird.