RSPB Frampton Marsh pt1

Last Friday saw me head down to my parents for the weekend. Along the way I planned to stop off at a few places to try and pick up some new birds for the year. Waders were what I was really after. My favourite birds, and it is just getting to that time when they are heading back after breeding. 

A nice early arrival and I could see many birds on the water just from the car park. I followed the path and made frequent stops to look over the reeds. I could see lots of Black-tailed Godwits, Spoonbills, and 100+ Little Egrets. The most I'd seen ever of this species in one place.

Only one hide was open, with all windows and doors open and hand sanitiser which was good to see. Only me in there though for half an hour and lots of birds to look at. A few Common Terns were fishing close in with Dunlins, Ruff and a few Spotted Redshank and Little Stint for company. Greenshanks, Green and Common Sandpipers helped to swell the wader numbers.

Black-tailed Godwit

A Godwit here still in most of it's breeding plumage with an Avocet in the background.

Dunlin

Common Tern

Peak District Moors

Up on the moors you can still hear the evocative call of the Curlew at the moment. It can sound a bit haunting at times, but it's a great bird to hear. Sadly it is in decline, as it's habitat is eroded by concrete jungles and changes in agriculture. Thankfully there are still quite a few in  an area close to me. A couple of weeks ago I was greeted by a pair that flew towards and over me as I got out of my car. I posed no threat, but they weren't to know that. I carried on my walk along the road only for them to come round again for a second pass. I got the camera up this time, and the light was perfect.

Yes, that is what you think it is just below the bird.

A Reed Bunting was not what I expected to see up on the moors.

Juvenile Wheatear were good to see, with a few around, and still being tended to by the parent.

Whinchat

I don't see many of these birds, and probably only one or two annually. So I was pleased to hear that there were a pair fairly local to me. This particular bird was busying itself among the heather and bracken, but like the similar Stonechat, it does like to perch at the top of a bush to have a good nosey around. It also helps me to pick it out and focus on it.

Lovely little birds and always a pleasure to see.

Not to be confused with the Whinchat is the Stonechat. A Male here.

Barn Owl

The joy of going out early at this time of year is that you may just get lucky and see a Barn Owl. I'd normally be happy to see one from the car in the distance or maybe along the verge, but when in Norfolk I got more than I bargained for a couple of times. I was minding my own business on my walk, when I turned the corner to seen an owl quartering a field . I watched it for a short while before it started coming towards me. I managed to get some shots of it before it moved out of view. Some of my best views.

As normality resumed and my heart rate returned to a more acceptable level I paid more attention to the other birds around me, like this lovely Sedge Warbler.

Lockdown easing.

Thanks to a change in government guidelines, I was able to travel to my parents last week and stay overnight. It was so good to see them again after 3 long months.

I did my birding nice and early in the morning so as to avoid others, and headed to places I knew would be very quiet at 5am in the morning (yes, most places are, but I wasn't taking any risks).

I headed to Salthouse, a beach I know that is very quiet, unless you are a bird. I enjoyed watching the Sandwich Terns tracking the shoreline up and down while squawking as they did. 

The weather was good, with warm sunshine from very early. Always a help when stood still for some time and the light helps the pictures.

One of the many Sandwich Terns seen over the week.

With a what looks like a sand eel.

There were only a few Common Tern around.

There were very good numbers of Mediterranean Gulls along the coast. 

Similar in size to a Black-headed Gull, but with a distinctive black hood and orangey bill and legs.

Padley Gorge Wood Warbler

I visited an brilliant place in the Peak District recently, called Padley Gorge. I parked at the bottom and made way up the gorge. A brilliant woodland and fast running water through it's rocky centre. 

Birds were singing everywhere. There were a pair of Dippers to start me off, and I lost count of how many Pied Flycatchers I saw and heard. It was one of the best places I had visited for these. Common Redstarts were competing with them, plus the numerous Wrens, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. At the top, I found a couple of pairs of Spotted Flycatchers zipping around the tree canopy.

What I had really come for was the Wood Warbler. A bird I have only seen a few times, its one I'd not seen for a good number of years now. It was worth the 5am start and I even found two singing males. 

A cracking male Wood Warbler

Male Pied Flycatcher. They were so busy collecting food for their young, they would drop down in front of you like a Robin and then fly back to their branch,

The female Pied Flycathcer

One of the many Common Redstarts

Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve

A super early alarm set for last weekend, had me out in the car by 5am. In these times of social distancing it makes good sense to beat the dog walkers, joggers, and generally others. Not that this has ever been a problem for me in the past, as I always like to go out early when the Spring and Summer is here. I've been social distancing for many years now😄

It's a great reserve with a good mix of wetland habitat, reedbeds, scrapes and grassland. Next to the reserve there is a lot of farmland, so it attracts many different species. Plenty of waders in the form of Black-tailed Godwit, Little Ringed Plover and Ringed Plover.

There was a Corn Bunting singing from the power lines as I got out of the car. Not a bird I see very often, so this was a good start.

Corn Bunting

There were a few pairs of Avocet on the scrapes, with a couple of freshly hatched chicks being closely monitored.

Avocet

Probably one of the most numerous birds around the reserve was the Sedge Warbler. I had not seen one so far this year, so it was good to get it ticked and great to hear them singing again. Things I usually take for granted as the summer roles on, it was nice to just stand and watch these birds going for it full throttle.

Sedge Warbler

Lapwing

Little Egret

Shelduck

Shoveler