Sunday 29 July 2012
Upton Warren
After scoring 2 lifers yesterday, the Capt was hungry for further year list additions today and we therefore made a quick visit to Upton Warren where she managed to add Avocet but dipped on the Little Owl which has been seen there regularly.
Slimbridge and Coombe Hill Meadows
After seeing that Slimbridge had a moulting Long Billed Dowticher and Curlew Sandpiper, myself and my Birders Wife decided to make use of our membership to the Wildfowl Trust and make a visit to the reserve to boost my year list. A quick phone call to the Capt secured her for the day out as well. After checking out the bird news for the day, we discovered that a juvenile Purple Heron was showing at Coombe Hill Meadows, which was a short detour on the way down to Slimbridge.
After the nightmare of finding a spot to park in the small car park at Coombe Hill Meadows, we made our way towards Grunden Hide and then decided not to negotiate the pathway to the hide itself due to the stinky water involved.
After many false alarms of Grey Herons and about a 30 minute wait we finally caught a glimpse of the Purple Heron as it flew briefly, showing off its orangey/purple plumage to us. A twitch it may have been but at last one of my unseen bogey birds finally now seen and lifers for all three of us - Hurrah!
The final leg of the journey down to Slimbridge took an unbelievable two hours due to an overturned lorry. When we finally arrived, I rushed over to the Tack Piece to nab myself a Green Sandpiper (one species that has continued to elude me this year) and after some searching I finally managed to find one. I then met up with my Birders Wife and the Capt in the South Lake Hide and after a lot of searching I found the Long Billed Dowitcher in amongst the Black Tailed Godwits and Ruff. A really beautiful little bird and the first I have ever seen in summer plumage (another lifer for the Capt who was being just greedy). As time was marching on, we marched our way to the Zeiss Hide and after a few minutes were put onto the Curlew Sandpiper by a friendly birder.
The drive back home was no better than the journey down, as we had to make a detour off the A46 just outside Stratford Upon Avon due to what looked like a very nasty accident.
Myself and my Birders Wife had tickets for the Warwick Folk Festival and were keen to see Eddie Reader but after finding out that she was not due on stage till 10:30pm decided to go home and chill out in front of the TV instead.
After the nightmare of finding a spot to park in the small car park at Coombe Hill Meadows, we made our way towards Grunden Hide and then decided not to negotiate the pathway to the hide itself due to the stinky water involved.
After many false alarms of Grey Herons and about a 30 minute wait we finally caught a glimpse of the Purple Heron as it flew briefly, showing off its orangey/purple plumage to us. A twitch it may have been but at last one of my unseen bogey birds finally now seen and lifers for all three of us - Hurrah!
The final leg of the journey down to Slimbridge took an unbelievable two hours due to an overturned lorry. When we finally arrived, I rushed over to the Tack Piece to nab myself a Green Sandpiper (one species that has continued to elude me this year) and after some searching I finally managed to find one. I then met up with my Birders Wife and the Capt in the South Lake Hide and after a lot of searching I found the Long Billed Dowitcher in amongst the Black Tailed Godwits and Ruff. A really beautiful little bird and the first I have ever seen in summer plumage (another lifer for the Capt who was being just greedy). As time was marching on, we marched our way to the Zeiss Hide and after a few minutes were put onto the Curlew Sandpiper by a friendly birder.
The drive back home was no better than the journey down, as we had to make a detour off the A46 just outside Stratford Upon Avon due to what looked like a very nasty accident.
Myself and my Birders Wife had tickets for the Warwick Folk Festival and were keen to see Eddie Reader but after finding out that she was not due on stage till 10:30pm decided to go home and chill out in front of the TV instead.
Thursday 26 July 2012
Tour De France
Being that it is that time of year again, when Birding ceases and I have not quite got into Mothing yet, another passion ignites itself for the first three weeks of July and that is the Le Tour de France. This year of course was more special than usual with Bradley Wiggins in the yellow jersey and winning the overall title.
Anyway, myself and my Birders Wife in March time decided to take the plunge and ignore the expense and book ourselves onto the Eurostar to be in Paris for the final weekend of the Tour (little did we know at that time how big the Tour would be this year for the Brits).
So, we made our way down to London mid morning last Saturday, taking in the scenery along the Chiltern Line while clocking Buzzards, Kestrels and Red Kites along the way. We had a mishap on the journey down as my Birders Wife left her coat on the station and this ate into valuable time the other end in the search for a replacement. However, we safely managed to negotiate our way through check-in and passport control and soon found ourselves in cattle class with a troupe of French brats (I mean children). Fortunately, they kept us amused with their antics for some of the journey and it was not long before we pulled into the graffiti laden outskirts of Paris (and I thought London was bad!!). Our hotel was not that far away and after a pleasant dinner, we had a stroll in Monceau Parc where I managed to find Raven, Carrion Crows, two Grey Herons, House Sparrows, Starlings, Blackbird and a Wren, the air above screamed with the sound of Swifts.
After a fitful nights sleep, being in a strange bed in a strange city, we were up and about early the following day and soon found ourselves on the Champs Elysees where scaffolding etc was being erected ready for the days racing. Every other passerby seemed to be British with some wearing false sideburns in honour of Bradley. As we had hours to wait for the race, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower and mingled with the crowds looking upwards at the biggest meccano set in the world. A pleasant snack lunch set us back over 10 euros and it was not long before we were viewing the Tour advertising caravan moving along the banks of the Seine. We then found ourselves a shaded spot and waited a further 90 minutes for the Peloton to arrive and then zip past at an unhealthy rate of knots.
Although we knew that the Champs Elysees would be absolutely crammed packed with people, we then made our way over there and grabbed a spot about 30 people back from the front and watched the race on the large TV screens provided. It was nail biting stuff but amazing to see Bradley win the Tour and Mark Cavendish take his fourth consecutive win of the final stage. Although we had not been able to see the race that well, as a bonus we then found that the spot we had chosen was an ideal position to view the awards ceremony and we cheered along with the other thousands of Brits as Mark Cavendish and then Bradley Wiggins took to the podium to be awarded their trophies. A great day for british cycling and hopefully we will have a repeat performance next year but that time for Froome who worked so hard for Bradley on this tour.
Anyway, myself and my Birders Wife in March time decided to take the plunge and ignore the expense and book ourselves onto the Eurostar to be in Paris for the final weekend of the Tour (little did we know at that time how big the Tour would be this year for the Brits).
So, we made our way down to London mid morning last Saturday, taking in the scenery along the Chiltern Line while clocking Buzzards, Kestrels and Red Kites along the way. We had a mishap on the journey down as my Birders Wife left her coat on the station and this ate into valuable time the other end in the search for a replacement. However, we safely managed to negotiate our way through check-in and passport control and soon found ourselves in cattle class with a troupe of French brats (I mean children). Fortunately, they kept us amused with their antics for some of the journey and it was not long before we pulled into the graffiti laden outskirts of Paris (and I thought London was bad!!). Our hotel was not that far away and after a pleasant dinner, we had a stroll in Monceau Parc where I managed to find Raven, Carrion Crows, two Grey Herons, House Sparrows, Starlings, Blackbird and a Wren, the air above screamed with the sound of Swifts.
After a fitful nights sleep, being in a strange bed in a strange city, we were up and about early the following day and soon found ourselves on the Champs Elysees where scaffolding etc was being erected ready for the days racing. Every other passerby seemed to be British with some wearing false sideburns in honour of Bradley. As we had hours to wait for the race, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower and mingled with the crowds looking upwards at the biggest meccano set in the world. A pleasant snack lunch set us back over 10 euros and it was not long before we were viewing the Tour advertising caravan moving along the banks of the Seine. We then found ourselves a shaded spot and waited a further 90 minutes for the Peloton to arrive and then zip past at an unhealthy rate of knots.
Although we knew that the Champs Elysees would be absolutely crammed packed with people, we then made our way over there and grabbed a spot about 30 people back from the front and watched the race on the large TV screens provided. It was nail biting stuff but amazing to see Bradley win the Tour and Mark Cavendish take his fourth consecutive win of the final stage. Although we had not been able to see the race that well, as a bonus we then found that the spot we had chosen was an ideal position to view the awards ceremony and we cheered along with the other thousands of Brits as Mark Cavendish and then Bradley Wiggins took to the podium to be awarded their trophies. A great day for british cycling and hopefully we will have a repeat performance next year but that time for Froome who worked so hard for Bradley on this tour.
The following day besides myself mourning that the Tour was over for another year, we took a whirl wind tour of Paris clocking up all the sights (Monmartre, Sacre Couer, Notre Dame and the Louvre).
Sunday 15 July 2012
Forest of Rain (Dean)
Yesterday, myself and the Capt decided to pay our annual visit to the Forest of Dean to view Nightjar and Woodcock. The weather forecast seemed almost favourable, so we thought we would risk the journey and therefore made our way down there early afternoon.
After making good time, we arrived in the area at about 17:00pm and made some stops at Yew Tree Brake Cemetery, Woorgreen Lake and the Speech House Arboretum to see if we could find any of their specialist birds, which include Firecrest, Redstart, Hawfinch and Crossbill. Unfortunately, during the journey down, the heavens had opened and the forest seemed very quiet indeed except for commoner species, including Jay, Treecreeper, Nuthatch and a mother Wren scolding us and calling in her fledglings which were having fun in the bracken (despite it being sopping wet). We then made our way over to Cannop Ponds for the Capt to add Mandarin to her year list, at which point the heavens opened again and the rain continued solid for about an hour. The next visit was to Nagshead RSPB, which again was extremely quiet except for (presumably) the warden, playing music at top blast in his open jeep (thanks for music....not!).
By this time, we were both fairly damp and despondent and made our way dejectedly to our last point of call, Boys Grave. This year, we had come prepared and dowsed ourselves from head to foot in midge repellent, then walked the short distance to the usual viewing point. A short while later, we were joined by Mike-PCC and his wife, who are holidaying in the area. Seeing Mike-PCC lightened our moods and it was not long before we spotted our first of many Woodcock flypasts. At about 21:20pm, the Nightjar started churring and continued to do so for about 30 minutes. During this time we were fortunate enough to see scope views of the bird as it churred away on top of a dead tree. The journey home also provided roadside views of Tawny Owls on three occasions.
After making good time, we arrived in the area at about 17:00pm and made some stops at Yew Tree Brake Cemetery, Woorgreen Lake and the Speech House Arboretum to see if we could find any of their specialist birds, which include Firecrest, Redstart, Hawfinch and Crossbill. Unfortunately, during the journey down, the heavens had opened and the forest seemed very quiet indeed except for commoner species, including Jay, Treecreeper, Nuthatch and a mother Wren scolding us and calling in her fledglings which were having fun in the bracken (despite it being sopping wet). We then made our way over to Cannop Ponds for the Capt to add Mandarin to her year list, at which point the heavens opened again and the rain continued solid for about an hour. The next visit was to Nagshead RSPB, which again was extremely quiet except for (presumably) the warden, playing music at top blast in his open jeep (thanks for music....not!).
By this time, we were both fairly damp and despondent and made our way dejectedly to our last point of call, Boys Grave. This year, we had come prepared and dowsed ourselves from head to foot in midge repellent, then walked the short distance to the usual viewing point. A short while later, we were joined by Mike-PCC and his wife, who are holidaying in the area. Seeing Mike-PCC lightened our moods and it was not long before we spotted our first of many Woodcock flypasts. At about 21:20pm, the Nightjar started churring and continued to do so for about 30 minutes. During this time we were fortunate enough to see scope views of the bird as it churred away on top of a dead tree. The journey home also provided roadside views of Tawny Owls on three occasions.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Unseen BIrds at Brandon
For the first time this year my birding attempts live up to the title of this blog.
After having missed seeing target species Grasshopper Warbler and Green Sandpiper at Otmoor at the weekend, I decided to punish myself further with an evening visit to Brandon to see what I could miss again.
Not surprisingly, due to the weather I had the whole of Brandon to myself. In fact, there was little there besides some Lapwing and Rabbits and therefore unseen birds for 2012 still include Green Sandpiper, Greenshank and Grasshopper Warbler.
Hopefully, the weekend will bring a reversal of current birding fortunes with a visit to the Forest of Dean to see some of the specialities such as Nightjar and Woodcock - That is if it actually stops raining for a few minutes.
After speaking to the Capt briefly this evening, she directed me to the below link which explains why the weather is so appalling at the moment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18783422
After having missed seeing target species Grasshopper Warbler and Green Sandpiper at Otmoor at the weekend, I decided to punish myself further with an evening visit to Brandon to see what I could miss again.
Not surprisingly, due to the weather I had the whole of Brandon to myself. In fact, there was little there besides some Lapwing and Rabbits and therefore unseen birds for 2012 still include Green Sandpiper, Greenshank and Grasshopper Warbler.
Hopefully, the weekend will bring a reversal of current birding fortunes with a visit to the Forest of Dean to see some of the specialities such as Nightjar and Woodcock - That is if it actually stops raining for a few minutes.
After speaking to the Capt briefly this evening, she directed me to the below link which explains why the weather is so appalling at the moment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18783422
Sunday 8 July 2012
Brandon, London and Otmoor
Myself and the Capt decided to go up to Brandon for the evening on Friday night to see if the rain had downed anything that had been passing overhead. I took my wellies on the assumption that the place would be flooded and we would not be able to negotiate our way to the hides without wading through stretches of water and mud. Surpringly enough, it was mud and water free - but also pretty much bird free other than the usual species of duck and warbler. However, we had an enjoyable evening catching up with each other's birding exploits over the past few weeks.
The following day, Saturday, I and my birder's wife made our way down to the "big smoke" to meet up with her lovely Godmother. After taking a detour via Reading and arriving in London later than expected I managed to persuade my birder's wife to take a walk through Hyde Park so that I could clock up another wanted species for the year (as long as my estimates of the distance were accurate as her shoes weren't suitable for anything longer). Walking through the park is always a pleasure, although slightly marred this time by the persistant drone of helicopters, presumably monitoring a march happening not far away. We soon heard the familiar squawking of our target bird and then spotted the Ring Necked Parakeet as it flew into a nearby tree and disappeared into the foliage. Not long after, we saw another do the same, and then a small flock flew overhead. It is always rather surreal seeing these exotic birds in a London park. The rest of the day was spent wining and dining followed by a visit to the Cabinet War Rooms (now entitled "Churchill War Rooms") which I can recommend as an interesting and moving exhibition.
And so to today, Sunday. Despite the showers, myself and the Capt decided to venture down to Otmoor to see if I could score Grasshopper Warbler and Green Sandpiper (which continues to elude me). However, despite our efforts in trying to locate an obliging reeling Gropper, we just could not find him by sight. There were also no sign of any Green Sandpipers. Our visit was not totally wasted as we did have great views of Red Kite, Turtle Dove and Hobby.
The following day, Saturday, I and my birder's wife made our way down to the "big smoke" to meet up with her lovely Godmother. After taking a detour via Reading and arriving in London later than expected I managed to persuade my birder's wife to take a walk through Hyde Park so that I could clock up another wanted species for the year (as long as my estimates of the distance were accurate as her shoes weren't suitable for anything longer). Walking through the park is always a pleasure, although slightly marred this time by the persistant drone of helicopters, presumably monitoring a march happening not far away. We soon heard the familiar squawking of our target bird and then spotted the Ring Necked Parakeet as it flew into a nearby tree and disappeared into the foliage. Not long after, we saw another do the same, and then a small flock flew overhead. It is always rather surreal seeing these exotic birds in a London park. The rest of the day was spent wining and dining followed by a visit to the Cabinet War Rooms (now entitled "Churchill War Rooms") which I can recommend as an interesting and moving exhibition.
And so to today, Sunday. Despite the showers, myself and the Capt decided to venture down to Otmoor to see if I could score Grasshopper Warbler and Green Sandpiper (which continues to elude me). However, despite our efforts in trying to locate an obliging reeling Gropper, we just could not find him by sight. There were also no sign of any Green Sandpipers. Our visit was not totally wasted as we did have great views of Red Kite, Turtle Dove and Hobby.
Sunday 1 July 2012
No birds - Just Torch Bearers
The last week has not been that condusive for birding with just a few birds of interest in the UK, all of them miles away. So, I have concentrated on household chores and gardening over the past few days while keeping an eye on my garden feeders, which are attracting up to 10 House Sparrows at once, they are literally eating me out of house and home with the amount of seed they are getting through.
A highlight of the weekend was of course the arrival of the Olympic Flame in Warwick, with a good turnout of people to witness the event. After seeing the flame a couple of times, we had a couple of bevvies with friends and then a walk on the Racecourse where the Skylarks were uncharecterically very quiet.
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