On The Patch

♂Smew at Draycote Today!

After our away day in Norfolk it was back to Brandon Marsh on Thursday with the work party volunteers. The morning was spent dealing with probably the biggest tree I've ever dropped, when we dealt with a huge Willow in Horsetail Glade, which was leaning dangerously towards the footpath.

On the birding front I spent a short while in Big Hide before starting work, being entertained by a very energetic Peregrine which had the Gulls, circa500 Lapwing and Waterfowl darting around East Marsh Pool. At one time the birds were flying so close to the water to evade him that you could see the water literately shuddering due to the downward airflow! The bird left empty handed, perching high in a tree and offering some excellent views.

Also of note on East Marsh Pool were: 3 Shelduck, 1 Barnacle Goose, 5 Goldeneye 2♂ of which 1 was juvenile + 3♀, 11 Snipe and 22 Wigeon. During work around 90 Golden Plover were seen in flight over the 'Tip' area and when I returned after work at around 3pm to Big Hide, most likely the same Peregrine made another unsuccessful attempt, plus I had 1 Raven over and my first Kingfisher of the year.

When I woke this morning at around 6am I decided to have a trawl locally to see if any Owls were on the patch and then pay a visit to Draycote Water at first light. I love these crystal clear crispy mornings, something that we don't seem to have had a lot of this winter. I also wanted to see if I could spot Mercury, which is currently low in the east just before dawn. Did you know that statistics show that only 1% of the population of the UK have apparently ever seen Mercury?

No sign of any of the Marina's Tawny Owl population, which have been quite elusive of late, but I did manage one of the Little Owls which was perched in his usual spot atop one of the telephone poles. A search of the adjacent fields produced a quartering Barn Owl and by the time I reached Napton Reservoir the mist had descended, ruling out any chance of spotting a rarity!

Checking the live Draycote Weather Station Cam on my Ipad all seemed clear and yes you guessed it, by the time I reached Farborough Bank the mist had duly descended. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long before the sun burnt most of it off and I was off and running. For my second consecutive visit I managed to dip on the Red-breasted Merganser, but did however make contact with my first ♂Smew of the year, when I finally caught up with the recent arrival near the Valve Tower. Other birds of note for the day were a singing Skylark, a half dozen Goosander, Yellow-legged Gull and around 25 Yellowhammer, which were in trees across the field at the back of the 'Inlet'. (Draycote Water Map)

Oh and finally I never managed to make contact with Mercury, apparently January 16th is a more favourable date.

Norfolk Away Day!

Pale-Bellied Brent (top-left)

A change of scenery yesterday with Paul, Derek and Jim and a very enjoyable day trip to the Norfolk coast.

We decided to begin our day at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Cley Marshes and try for the long staying Western Sandpiper. Quite a rarity to the UK having been blown in all the way from America. We'd determined that the best viewing would be from the Teal Hide, a hide which overlooks Pat's Pool, an area apparently favoured by the bird.

On the walk down to the hide a single Snipe, plus a group of Brent Geese were in flight, showing a lighter Pale-bellied Brent, which I luckily managed to pick up on camera.

On arrival at the hide we were informed that the Sandpiper had just been seen among a small flock of Dunlin but unfortunately had moved in to an area just out of sight from the hide. Not only this but a few seconds later a Sparrowhawk caused complete havoc and the sky was filled with around C50 Black-tailed Godwit, at least 2000 Golden Plover, 18 Avocet, plus various numbers of Lapwing, Ruff, Wigeon, Pintail and Teal. Fortunately, around 45 minutes later order had been restored and we finally made contact with this 'miniature Dunlin like bird' which seems to scurry around in the traditional style of a Sanderling!

Turnstone

After this eventual success a short drive up the coast to Salthouse for a quick look out to sea and a scan of the surrounding shingle and pools. The sea-watch produced very little of note, the highlights here being Great Black-backed Gull and Guillemot, but the pools and shingle yielded 7 Snow Bunting, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, plus a dozen or so Turnstone and a lone Redshank. A little tip! If the coffee man is in the car park make sure you try one, best coffee I've tasted in years!!

1000's of Pinkies at Holkham

Next, a drive to Holkham and on arrival here the astonishing site of thousands and thousands of Pink-footed Geese, both the sky and fields awash with these astonishing birds. In the surrounding fields we also managed to pick up Common Buzzard and both Red-legged and Grey Partridge.

A walk through the pines and down to the beach and salt marsh gave up Coal Tit and Goldcrest, but unfortunately on arrival at the dunes we'd not been able to make contact with a reported 4 Shore Lark, Skylark, Linnet and Meadow Pipit the best we could muster. Running short on time a brief sea-watch had several Red-breasted Merganser and a group of possible Scoter, too distant to confirm, I'm certain I also had Gannet. The beach had of note, Oystercatcher and around 60 Sanderling.

Grey Partridge

Back near the car park better views of Grey Partridge, plus a lone Ross's Goose, easily identifiable among the Pinkies, being a white goose. A surprise wintering Chiffchaff flitting in and out of a hawthorn as we tried in vain to confirm a distant Buzzard, other surrounding birders adamant it was the local Rough-legged, but not for us!! Too distant for absolute confirmation.

With light fading our final destination of the day was RSPB Tichwell and with Jim desperate to clock the reported Arctic Redpoll we made straight for its last reported position. In conclusion we did manage a lighter bird among a flock of Lesser Redpoll, which a few other birders insisted was the bird, but we've personally recorded it as a probable but unsatisfactory view as they were spooked only minutes after making contact!!

With clear blue sky and a setting sun over Tichwell, the final stage of our Norfolk visit was just brilliant recording: 2 Little Grebe, C500 Golden Plover, Bittern, 3 Spoonbill, 3 Little Egret, 4 Marsh Harrier, Barn Owl, 7 Ruff, Spotted Redshank and my first Norfolk Chinese Water Deer.

Quick Update!

It's just nice to be able to comprise a blog entry without being hammered by force 10 gales, the last 24hrs have been bumpy to say the least, but thankfully it's now starting to abate.

When I arrived at Brandon Marsh this morning to join the works team I decided to go straight to Big Hide, with the wind gusting and the threat of more heavy rain forecast I was taking no chances.

When I arrived at the hide in near darkness Martin Durkin, another Brandon regular, informed me that only minutes before three Otters had passed right in front of him heading right to left. I couldn't believe my ears, you know how it goes, "you should have been here 5 minutes earlier"! Making a quick decision I decided that they were probably heading for the River Avon, which runs the perimeter of the reserve, and that to do this they must pass through Carlton Pool.

There is in fact an inlet between Big Hide and Carlton Hide and so at break neck speed I decided to check here first. Sure enough as Martin came scurrying behind me the three Otters appeared, the sun not yet up it was difficult to make out what the three comprised of before they moved off, but sure enough Otters!!

Settling in at Carlton Hide Martin and I were joined by Mike Lee, another team member who thankfully had his phone switched on, and to our delight the three appeared out of the reeds towards the back of the pool a short while later. A truly amazing 5 minutes watching these incredible mammals determined that this was likely to be a mother and two pups. My first Otters at Brandon, and indeed my first in England! Sadly, no chance of any photographs due to the light so I've posted a library image of some I took earlier this year in Canada!

Bike Birder!

Today's Route

In the spirit of adventure and my new healthy regime I decided to take the new bike for a spin this morning around the local patch before this afternoon's rain arrived.

I actually ended up at Draycote Water some 7 miles later! Although it was the long term plan to achieve this goal I can't believe I did it at the first attempt! I'm certainly suffering now I can tell you.

After setting off from the marina onto the Shuckburgh Road the usual House Sparrow population were in evidence as I turned onto Tomlow Road by Crossroads Garage. I decided to give Napton Reservoir a miss and as I passed the turn off a Kestrel was sitting on the telegraph pole and a Buzzard was enjoying hanging in the wind. The whole area is awash with Fieldfare and Redwing and almost every field has masses of these winter visitors, often accompanied by groups of Starling and the odd Skylark.

Crossing the Grand Union Canal at Callas Lane bridge I paused for a moment to check out some smaller birds in the hawthorn and perhaps get some photos. Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Goldfinch were all recorded, plus 2 Tree Sparrow, but the light was too poor for any decent shots. Just as I was about to move on a lone Raven flew overhead but my attempts of a decent image proved disastrous.

The worst part of the journey was joining the A426 at Millbank Spinney, where I stopped to seek out a Great Spotted Woodpecker who gave himself up by noisily hacking away high up at the branch of an Oak tree.

Arriving at Draycote, it was a hillier ride than I'd anticipated, the wind had picked up but it remained dry. I decided to head off anti-clockwise along Farborough Bank, picking up a good selection of waterfowl, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Teal, Great-crested and Little Grebe, several pairs of Goldeneye, plus a couple of Gadwall were in amongst the many Coot.

Farborough Spit produced very little apart from around 30+ Lapwing, in fact these were the only waders I saw all day. Sadly I've not yet devised a method of carrying my scope and scanning the islands and central waters proved difficult with just my binoculars. When I eventually arrived at the Valve Tower I met up with Keith Foster, another member of the Brandon team, but between us we couldn't manage anything decent. Plenty of male and female Goosander were sheltering here from the wind, but no sign of the recent Red-breasted Merganser, Iceland or Glaucous Gulls.

Yellow-legged Gull

The cycle home produced hundreds more winter Thrush's and stopping at several fields, where many Gulls were feeding, I did pick out a very attractive looking Yellow-legged Gull. My final bird of note was a stunning Sparrowhawk, which flew alongside me for a good while as I approached the canal bridge on Tomlow Road, before heading off towards a very flighty Finch flock.

I eventually arrived back at the marina a complete wreck, having completed 18 miles in total, but have to say that biking is a great way to bird and I think I may change my twitter account to bikebirder!

Happy New Year

The Humble House Sparrow

With family and friends taking precedence over birding during the festive period it was great to finally get back out into the field today! A great start too as sitting atop one of the marina telephone poles as I walked to the car, a Little Owl was clearly silhouetted against the brightening sky.

My first stop was Brandon Marsh and looking at the weather forecast for the week ahead I probably picked the best day, a chilly start with clear skies, something we don't seem to see much of these days.

A check from the road bridge looking across Sheepfield before entering the reserve produced an early Kestrel but sadly no Owls. Passing the Sheepfield gate a Song Thrush was happily singing and 5 Jackdaw passed overhead. New Hare Covert had 5 long-tailed Tit, Nuthatch, Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker, and by the time I reached the Newlands bench 2 Raven came cronking over and several Feildfare, Siskin, Goldfinch and Redwing had also been recorded.

As I approached the Wright Hide a Buzzard was seen taking flight from New Hare Covert, and a small wader was in flight along with the circa 500 Lapwing flock, which had been spooked by a Sparrowhawk seen heading east. A scan from within the hide confirmed 3 Dunlin and also recorded on East Marsh Pool were 14 Wigeon, 4 Pochard and a pair of Goldeneye. Shoveler, Tufted Duck and Teal were in good numbers plus a lone Great Crested Grebe, my first at Brandon for some time. Mixed in with around 150 Black-headed Gulls was a single Herring Gull, 3 Common Gull and 2 Lesser Black Backed.

At Big Hide I managed to pick up 8 Snipe, camouflaged nicely on Wigeon Bank in the short reed near the waters edge. On my return to the car 4 Lesser Redpoll were feeding on the Alder near the volunteers car park.

This afternoon Dee and I cycled around the local patch which was alive with literally hundred's of Fieldfare. A Kestrel was perched near the turn towards Napton Reservoir and Stockton Road held around 25 House Sparrows as we approached the Crossroads Garage. A brief view of 5 of the marina's Tree Sparrow population and a lone Yellowhammer as we cycled back down the path towards our mooring.

Some excellent views of the International Space Station as it headed east around 16:55 ended an excellent day.

Dream, Nightmare & Reality!

Things have remained particularly quiet over the past week both locally and at Brandon Marsh, as you would probably expect at this time of year, and so finding things to blog about without becoming repetitive becomes somewhat of a challenge. With this in mind I thought a a few paragraphs on what kind of a year it's been for me on the birding front was in order.

Firstly, I'm not actually that good at making lists and so I can't specifically tell you how many species I've recorded this year. What I can tell you is that like all birders my year has had it's highs and lows. For those who know me, they'll tell you of my passion for Canada, the country I was married in during 2009 and which I visit each year with my lovely wife Dee. It was therefore an absolute dream to get the opportunity to live in Vancouver once more in March and April of this year thanks to Dee's work. During this time I walked many miles a day, met some great new friends and visited some stunning birding locations with amazing results. I just can't wait to return in May 2012.

Closer to home and with Dee's parents living in France we always take up the opportunity to visit, who can refuse, with great food, great conversation and great birding. However, this year a trip to France proved to be my worst nightmare. Hours before we were due to fly I trapped my femoral nerve pretty badly and unfortunately not only did I spend almost the entire week in bed during our visit, it practically wiped out my entire summer! Thankfully, it's a situation I'm now able to manage, although it still has it's moments.

To Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve and in fact this week sees my third anniversary since joining the voluntary conservation team, some would say that they can't remember a time when I wasn't at Brandon! Do I take this as a compliment or otherwise? In reality Brandon is a place where I spend endless hours working and birding and I'm proud to be a part of a team of people who devote hours of their time and energy managing and creating an environment for the benefit of our amazing British wildlife. Inspirational, enthusiastic individuals, who work hard, take criticism on the chin (not everyone understands conservation) and who are passionate about the work they do, and long may it continue. Sadly, in the three short years that I've been involved at Brandon Marsh we've lost three amazing characters, and so at this time of year I think a brief pause to remember Ted Jury, Roger Porter and Bob Rothwell, who it was a privilege to know and who are sorely missed.

Finally, a big thank you for all the emails in relation to my previous post regarding the Boundary Bay Snowy Owls, it seems that most, although not all agree! Thank you too for the Christmas wishes Dee and I have received over recent weeks and we both wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Very frustrating!

Snowy Owl

For the past week or so I've been receiving emails and some fantastic images from my birding buddies over in Canada.

Most of the excitement has been regrading up to 70 Snowy Owls, which have drifted down from their regular hunting grounds in Northern Canada and the Arctic in search of food.

The majority of the fall has been at an area known as Boundary Bay, an area renown for holding some of the largest populations of wintering Raptors in Canada and one of my favourite birding locations when visiting. Sadly though it appears that the problems we have here in the UK with a minority of mindless photographers, striving for the ultimate shot with no regard for the animal, seems to be a major problem in Canada now too!

I've been horrified by some of the emails I've received over the weekend, summed up by the news item below.



What can you say about these mindless idiots who appear to have no regard for anything other than themselves. These birds are obviously at the point of exhaustion and the last thing they need is to be spooked from pillar to post while they attempt to recuperate! I know that personally I've been criticised in the past for suppressing various sightings, Long-eared Owls at Brandon for example, but is it any wonder with these idiots always a threat!

Anyway back to the UK and a chilly morning at Brandon Marsh produced three highlights for the day. Firstly, excellent views of a Peregrine attacking the Lapwing population. Secondly, good views from the Wright Hide of a Bittern on the front edge of the reeds in front of Big Hide. Finally, some very tasty and welcome mince pies with our morning coffee in Big Hide, supplied by our steely eyed Bittern spotter, Jeff Hood.

Oh yes, worth a mention to tune in to Countryfile tonight (BBC1 @ 7pm) where it's quite possible that some of the footage taken at Brandon Marsh a few weeks ago may be used!

A New addition!

A New Addition Overnight!

Enjoying a coffee this morning at around 6am, after a rather bumpy night, the rain still battering down and the wind still hammering the boat, I was somewhat surprised around 45 minutes later when I stepped onto the pontoon in crystal clear skies and a relatively calm water!

I was further surprised when I noticed that a lone ♂Mandarin Duck had joined with the local Mallard population during the night. In fact my birding day had gotten off to an excellent start by the time I reached the car, when silhouetted against the clear brightening Eastern sky a Woodcock overflew the marina.

Brandon Marsh this morning had received a very welcome overnight dumping of rain and as I drove past the top reed bed a very early Buzzard was making it's way across. I made my way around my usual route and it was soon apparent that a feeding frenzy was taking place. Excellent numbers of Lesser Redpoll and Siskin were feeding high amongst the Alder, and the few remaining Hawthorn berries were being greedily devoured by Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackbirds and Bullfinch. New Hare Covert produced 2 Goldcrest and a single Great-spotted Woodpecker.

Lots Of Fieldfare Locally!

Passing the golf course a ♀Muntjac Deer made a dart across for the relative cover of New Hare Covert and both Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler were heard calling. East Marsh Pool, which now has excellent water levels produced the usual suspects, the best of which were: Kingfisher, 2 pair of Goldeneye, 18 Golden Plover, 9 Snipe, 6 Wigeon and a very pristine looking Yellow-legged Gull amongst the Gull population. Also seen of note during my visit were: Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Willow Tit, Coal Tit and Nuthatch.

With time to spare before my car was due it's MOT I took the opportunity for a walk around a very blowy and somewhat biting Napton Reservoir. Here most of the waterfowl were sensibly taking cover at the top end of the water, with around 50 or so Tufted Duck, 75+ Wigeon, 8 Gadwall and probably the whole Counties allocation of Coot!

A walk to the top end of the reed bed produced at least 75 Fieldfare and the best of the visit, when I inadvertently flushed a Jack Snipe, which was also taking cover from the now buffeting winds. On my return to the marina our new resident Mandarin was still on site, offering good photographic opportunities and my final bird of a very enjoyable day out was a cronking Raven over!

Little About!

One Less Water Vole!

A week on from my last post and despite high hopes very little new on offer around the patch. My birding depression was not helped either by an email I received from my mate Derek Killby in Vancouver, Canada this morning. This read like a who's who of species, the best being 28 Snowy Owls he came across at Boundary Bay, Delta, a place I've visited several times over previous years.

Brandon Marsh over the past several days has been reasonably quiet too, the exception being Tuesday when I managed my best view thus far this winter of a Bittern, when one took flight from the reeds in front of big hide. Several arse end images the best I could muster as the bird flew across towards Newlands, catching me completely by surprise.

On the same morning I witnessed first hand the demise of one of the recently released Water Voles, when I was stunned to see a Heron pluck one from the grass at Carlton Hide. Still plenty of winter visitors on offer though, with several good flocks of Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Fieldfare and Redwing. The daily visit of Golden Plover, numbers usually ranging from 30 to a very healthy 175 continues, although today's visit only saw a count of 9.

Closer to home a tour of the marina and surrounding areas this morning didn't manage any surprises, although a count of 8 Skylark in the adjacent field was welcome. Also recorded were: 6 Red-legged Partridge, 4 Yellowhammer, 32 Goldfinch, 38 Linnet, 11 Tree Sparrow, 2 Bullfinch ♂♀, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Kestrel and a lone Buzzard.

Finally, I've now started to upload a few of my photographs onto Flickr and these can be accessed by clicking the link on the header bar above labelled 'My New Photostream'.

Two Winter Firsts

Click  On Image To Enlarge

An interesting end to the week, a week in which I've rubbed shoulders with a household name and recorded my first Bittern and Jack Snipe sightings of the winter.

On Thursday afternoon the BBC Countryfile team were recording at Brandon Marsh for the up coming Christmas episode. With a working knowledge of the reserve a few of the conservation team members were in attendance, which included yours truly. In the late afternoon I was lucky enough to accompany John Craven in a search for Holly and Ivy. Fortunately, with only two Holly Bushes on the whole reserve, my first hand knowledge came in very handy. I'm just glad that I took them to the female of the species, as I couldn't remember initially if it was laden with berries or not. Thankfully my embarrassment was spared, no need to panic either, as you will definitely not be seeing me on the big screen!

Today's visit to Brandon turned up a couple of winter firsts with amazingly only my first brief glimpse of Bittern this winter, when one bird took flight across the reeds as I passed the 'Olive Wood' bench at around 8am. East Marsh Pool still has the 2 long staying pairs of Goldeneye and an amazing count of at least 140 Golden Plover. Golden Plover have now been visiting regularly at Brandon for over a month, an unprecedented sequence as prior to this these birds were a very infrequent visitor. Snipe and Pochard numbers were down on previous counts with only 3 and 17 respectively.

Carlton Hide produced Kingfisher and Water Rail, with a Common Buzzard and Mistle Thrush sharing the big dead tree for a while. However, the best was my first Jack Snipe at Brandon this winter, when one was seen briefly to the rear of the island, before bobbing back into the undergrowth.

Also of note today: Willow Tit (1), Siskin (8), Lesser Redpoll (6), Fieldfare (11), Redwing (11), Sparrowhawk (1), Kestrel (2), Coal Tit (2), Nuthatch (1), Bullfinch (6 - 3♀ + 3♂), Goldcrest (2). A second glimpse at East Marsh Hide, of probably the same Bittern seen earlier, shortly before I headed off to the nature centre for breakfast at 11am.

Locally the Marina still has various numbers of Linnet, Goldfinch and at least 100 Fieldfare are still in the locality, this evenings Pied Wagtail roost had circa 150 birds, a slight reduction from previous nights. The Long-eared Owl mentioned in my previous post is still showing in its regular daytime roost. Finally, with no decent photographic opportunities today I've enclosed the above picture which I took yesterday at the marina, when I noticed our resident Mute Swans having a clean in the winter sun.