Lunchtime sightings

After picking my bike up from being serviced at lunch time, I decided that another stroll down by the river was needed.

I was immediately rewarded before I even reached tree cover by an extremely loud Nuthatch singing away in a tree not that far from the main road, but could not see it for fear of being knocked over. As I entered the welcome shade of the blossom and emerging leaves, I caught a flash of red and caught site of a gorgeous Bullfinch as it flew away from me. In the branches above were two Long Tailed Tits and I was accompanied down the path by a Robin. The area was full of bird song, many Wrens and Blackbirds staking out their territories.

On my way back to the office, I heard two Chiff Chaff and two Blackcaps, the yaffle of a Green Woodpecker and saw a fleeting glimpse of a Jay. Just in that 5 minute stroll, I clocked up a healthy 20 + species heard or seen - not bad at all.

Another lunchtime stroll

Took another lunchtime stroll today along the River Leam.  My Chiff Chaff that I possibly heard last week was not around but I did manage to catch up with 3 singing Blackcaps instead.  It really appears that this fine weather has brought spring migrants onto our shores the last few days.

Chuffed at Chiff Chaffs

Took another late afternoon stroll at Brandon Marsh this evening with my birder's wife, the Capt and Mike-PCC.  After a few minutes of strolling the long route round the reserve towards the main big hide, we came across our first Chiff Chaff of the year, a delightful little individual singing his heart out while darting from branch to branch nabbing insects.  As we strolled towards "New Hare Covert", we counted another 7 singing Chiff Chaffs and as we entered the wood, encountered a very vocal Goldcrest also singing his heart out.  The view from hides was also rewarding with our first Little Ringed Plover for the year, Redshanks, Lapwings, Snipe, Kingfisher, Wigeon, 2 pristine Lesser Blacked Gulls, 7 Sand Martins and a single Swallow.  As time marched on , we had to rush home for dinner but Mike-PCC stayed on to try and see the Barn Owl.  Unfortunately he missed it again but was rewarded instead with a possible sighting of an Otter instead.

Mothering Sunday Birding

After surviving Mothering Sunday,  I decided to reward myself with a quick trip (of what was left of daylight hours) to Brandon Marsh.  I left my birder’s wife curled up on the sofa with the Sunday papers and accompanied the Capt, who was clearly traumatised with the Sunday lunch she had been to, where she had not only been forced to act out the “happy families” facade but even worse, inadvertently ate some mashed swede.

As we arrived at the visitors centre, the sky darkened to the same colour as our moods and the heavens opened, but not before we managed to seek refuge in East Marsh Hide.  It was so dark that I could hardly see the main island , let alone the Snipe and Lapwing on it.  Through the gloom we could just about make out the male and female Goldeneye along with the usual ducks.  Between showers, we dashed to Carlton Hide and as the weather improved were rewarded with great views of the Barn Owl hunting over the Newlands reed bed.  As we left, with the temperature plummeting, some Fieldfare zoomed by on their way to roost somewhere.  So, winter is clinging on at Brandon, although signs of spring are in the air with the first reports of Chiff Chaffs.

Today, despite quite a heavy frost, the day turned out quite warm and I decided during my lunch break to take a stroll along the River Leam, not far from where I work.  The area with full of birdsong and calls and I was rewarded with the sight of 2 Treecreepers, 2 Goldcrests, a Long Tailed Tit and 3 buzzards enjoying the thermals above the town.  I even thought I heard a Chiff Chaff in the distance.

Good ole Brandon

For a satisfactory afternoon's birding, I usually find that Brandon Marsh delivers the goods, whether it is just the usual ducks or drop-in waders or gulls.  So, on Sunday afternoon, I decided to pay a visit and went along with Capt Blackeye with the intention of meeting up with a new birding pal of mine, Mike-PCC in East Marsh hide.  Things were relatively quiet with the usual gulls drinking and bathing prior to making the final leg of their journey to Draycote Water to roost.  The main majority were Blackheaded Gulls of varying ages, closely followed by Common Gulls and 2 or 3 Lesser Blackbacked Gulls and a couple of Herring Gulls.  The main island had two Dunlin, 37 Snipe and a few Lapwing, while the water held the usual ducks including Goldeneye and Pintail.  After being settled in East Marsh Hide for about an hour, Mike-PCC finally arrived (it turned out that he had been in a different hide for a while) and we pointed out to him the birds we had clocked up already, including a Ringed Plover that we had been directed to by a friendly regular Brandon birder.  As dusk started to descend a Little Egret flew in to the pool and then straight out again, we had two Kingfisher flypasts and a Water Rail wading in the water in front of the hide.  We then got a flash of brown floating above the Newlands reed bed which quickly disappeared from view (just too quick to identify).  Later discussion with those that had been in Carlton Hide confirmed it to be a Bittern.  Although I did not see anything new for this year, a pleasant afternoon was had with good birds and good company.  Bring on the spring migrants in the next couple of weeks (I hear that Sand Martins have been seen already on the east coast).