New Surroundings!

A chance over the last week to check out my new birding surroundings in Aberdeenshire Scotland. I've been up here with Dazza preparing our new home for our permanent move back on to terra firma in a few weeks time.

At Newburgh, there are plenty of areas to view birds at close range, like this Goosander.

While here we've spent time checking out the amazing coastline which from a birding perspective for me will begin on the coast at Newburgh & Collieston, around a 30-minute drive. Once here there is an extensive estuary with a variety of surrounding habitats including sand dunes, heathland, farmland, reedbeds and mudflats. Collieston has a sheltered harbour and beach and has over the years produced some good local and national rarities. Sands of Forvie close by is a National Nature Reserve and has extensive sand dunes and borders the Ythan Estuary.

From here I would head north taking in Cruden Bay, where there are rocky cliffs and a wooded gully with sycamores and willows for searching out passage migrants.

Great views can be obtained from the car at Gadle Brais 

Further north lies Peterhead and the Ugie Estuary, Peterhead being a working harbour is a good place to search for Gulls in winter, plus there are some excellent seawatch points, particularly around Gadle Braes. In fact, the past few days have been a wonderful experience with strong northerly winds allowing for a major Sooty Shearwater passage along the coast, both exciting and fascinating to watch!

Cairngorms National Park ~ Only a 40-minute drive.

Part of Aberdeenshire councils slogan contains the phrase 'From Mountains to Sea' and of course I haven't even mentioned yet that the Cairngorms National Park is just a 40-minute drive away. So you can understand why when we decided to make the move north, the birding was a big factor for me. It wasn't too difficult a decision for Dazza as she's an Aberdonian anyway, so a return home was simply a no-brainer! 

As a sub-note, after eleven years writing as Boatbirder, this is likely to be my final post under that particular pseudonym, although I suspect the new one won't be too much of a surprise! I've immensely enjoyed living on the water for the past 16yrs but a move to the coast was always my end game! I've enjoyed the company of some excellent and genuine birders over the years, particularly at Brandon Marsh, where I had many wonderful moments and indeed some good finds. Sadly some are no longer with us but the memories will remain. 

When the ultimate move takes place next month I'll be restructuring the blog to take in my new surrounds, nothing too drastic, perhaps a different theme and of course a different header? So watch this space. 

For now, this is Boatbirder signing off with a few images of our first week in our new surroundings........

Despite being a national rarity Curlews are widespread here.

Black-tailed Godwits over the Ythan + Knot

A Ruff stands out among the many Redshank.

Shags at rest at Peterhead ~ One sporting a ring from a local colony.

Still plenty of Sandwich Terns passing through.

Crossbills are a feature of the area. 

Pink-footed Geese in off the sea ~ Spot the Barnacle, these birds likely from the Svalbard population.

Guillemots are plentiful throughout the area.

Moulting Eiders ~ A regular breeder around the Ythan.

Rock Pipits are fairly common along the coastline.

Skylark, another regular of the area.

Grey Wagtail during a visit to Port Soy

Turnstones, a common feature around the harbours.

📖 Brandon Marsh Update 2

☀️ ☁️ 20C ~ Wind ↘NW@10mph Wednesday 9th September 2020 ~ A less humid day with a sunny start becoming overcast. The south-westerly wind from yesterday had backed to a north-westerly today.

A mixed bag at Brandon Marsh this morning, the highlight of which was a ringed Willow Tit feeding around the Carlton Ditch. Brandon has some great habitat, particularly around the Carlton hide, for these sadly declining species and it's great that were managing to cling on to a small population.

Willow Tit ~ Still holding on at Brandon

East Marsh Pool was a little quieter than yesterday with a Common Sandpiper, (2) Green Sandpiper, (3) Snipe, single Little Egret & (5) Wigeon. At least three Kingfishers were chasing around the pool for most of the early morning, fascinating to watch, plus a constant flow of Swallows with at least (6) Sand Martins passing low over the water. A Water Rail made its usual dash across the front of John Walton hide and similarly a Cetti's Warbler shortly followed.

Young Blackcaps among the double-figure birds today.

A walk around the rest of the reserve produced a small flock of (16) Siskin over the 'Tip' area and while at Carlton hide earlier a single Lesser Redpoll overhead, my first for this autumn. Double figure Blackcap, if you can find ripe Elder you'll find a Blackcap! Chiffchaffs are still in small numbers, two actually singing and a juvenile Goldcrest was also noted at one stage. 

Juvenile Green Woodpecker on the prowl.

The trust was grass cutting around farm field during my walk, with (3) Green Woodpeckers taking advantage, the tractor likely dislodging the odd Ants nest. 

📖 Brandon Marsh Update

☁️☀️23C ~ Wind ↗SW@8mph Tuesday 8th September 2020 ~ An early and very muggy start at Brandon Marsh this morning meeting up with several members of the conservation team before they headed off for more strimming. I must say the Islands and East Marsh Pool are looking in great shape after several weeks of hard work to restore them after 'lockdown'.

Common Sandpiper from the John Walton hide

There were a few waders to be found today which included (3) Snipe, juvenile Little-ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper. Also of note were (7) Wigeon, (5) Little Egret, Water Rail and later in the morning, a Hobby hunted over the pool for a short period. I'd left by the time a Greenshank & Ruff arrived shortly after lunch.

Migrant Hawker warming up along the Jury hide path

A walk to the Carlton & Jury hides produced (6) Siskin and (2) Meadow Pipits overhead and when the sun finally broke through a small but constant passage of Swallows, (5) House Martins were also noted. Warblers included at least (5) Chiffchaff, Blackcap & Whitethroat, plus a few Migrant Hawker dragonflies along the track.

Images of the Day...

Green Sandpiper from the John Walton hide 

A Water Rail pauses briefly at John Walton hide before making a dash for it!

Wigeon are now slowly starting to arrive for the winter

One of five Little Egrets today ~ This one on Teal Pool

**I should point out that unfortunately the reserve is still closed to members & the general public on Mondays & Tuesdays!

📖 North-West Weekend

To celebrate what would have been my mums 100th birthday (sadly she passed away just a few years ago) Dazza and I spent a long weekend around Liverpool and the north-west. Lots of walking, a little birding and some fine dining!

During our stay, we spent a morning at WWT Martin Mere situated in Burscough on the West Lancashire coastal plain. Currently, it's a bookings only system to visit but all hides are open and it seems well organised during the current pandemic restrictions.

Two of four Whooper Swan on-site ~ Still capable of flying but apparently choosing to remain all year-round. The local birders call them 'Lazy or Lame'.

As you'd expect at WWT there was a good selection of common wildfowl on the pools and during our visit, plenty of House Martin were busy feeding over the water, along with the occasional Swallow. An added bonus was three Swift, a nice September sighting for my records. Raptors included a Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and Sparrowhawk. Four Whooper Swans, two of which flew in during our stay were a bit of a surprise, which at this time of year could easily be confused as early arrivals but the locals told me that these particular birds choose to remain all year-round.

Tree Sparrow ~ A welcome year-tick

A selection of waders was also noted and included (2) Ruff, (4) Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe and Common Sandpiper. A nice find and in fact year-tick was a single Tree Sparrow, a small population do reside here apparently.

A short drive from Martin Mere is the relatively new RSPB reserve at Hesketh Out Marsh. First restored in 2007 as a saltmarsh the 2nd phase was completed in 2017. Dazza and I enjoyed a long walk from the car park along to the River Douglas (Google Map HERE).  The weather was for the most part overcast with a stiff north-westerly breeze but it remained dry during our visit.

The only half-decent photographic opportunity at Out Marsh was a Wheatear which suddenly appeared on a nearby post, most other sightings were mostly scoped views at distance. According to reports, the previous day to our visit had recorded over thirty Curlew Sandpiper but today we only managed to locate just two birds feeding in the margins. Other sightings included: Little Stint, Dunlin, Redshank, Greenshank, Curlew, Ringed Plover and many Snipe, including a flyby flock of over 30 birds. Double figure Little Egret and three Great Egret, plus what seemed a constant movement of Meadow Pipits.

A few more images taken during the weekend.

Oystercatchers pass by during a trip to Blackpool

Lots of Meadow Pipits on the move during our walks.

A group of Sandwich Terns pass during a walk along the beach at Fleetwood Ferry

Managed to capture this Curlew (one of many) at Fleetwood Ferry.

📖 Brandon Marsh

💨  🌧  ⛅️19C ~ Wind ↗SW@15mph Gusting 20mph  Saturday 22nd August 2020 ~ The past week has been spent birding locally and volunteering at Brandon Marsh. Since returning all of the work at Brandon has revolved around clearing the paths and the final big job was completed on Thursday when a small 'bubble' of the team broke through the central marsh. For those who are aware of the geography, this is the area between River Pool hide and the wooden bridge over on West Marsh.

Whats to come!

What's been done ~ Central Marsh

It's been hard work with over four months of growth to clear but very rewarding and we begin clearing the Islands and hides in the coming weeks.

Marsh Harrier takes a Teal from West Marsh!

Of course, while on-site and in between working birding takes front stage and I must say that recently it's been very rewarding. Non more so than the appearance of a Marsh Harrier, one of the less frequent visitors to the reserve. In fact, I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when something happened that in nearly fifty years of birding I'd never seen before!  Amazingly the Teal escaped but I never got to see what condition it was in after the attack. That one will live in the memory for a considerable time, another one to cherish when I leave Brandon in a few months time.

A young Whitethroat in front of John Walton hide

Another feature has been the sheer amount of warblers feeding on the ripening fruits around the reserve, it seemed that every elder, bramble and hawthorn contained either a Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat or Willow Warbler, the latter often singing.

A juvenile Reed Warbler

Other species of note have included: Raven, Hobby, Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank and Yellow Wagtail. Both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers have also been a feature, along with the occasional passage of Swallows with the odd House Martin but still a distinct lack of Sand Martins, although a late Swift was a bonus.

I've posted below a few more images of my time volunteering at Brandon over the past week.

Green Sandpiper ~ John Walton hide

Small Red-eyed Damselfly 

Greenshank on West Marsh

Great Spotted Woodpecker

📖 Local Sunday

⛈24C ~ Wind ↖SE@4mph Sunday 16th August 2020 ~ Some local birding today with an hour spent at Napton Reservoir and a pleasant afternoon stroll with Dazza around Sawbridge before the torrential rain.

One of four Redstart at the Reservoir

 Male Redstart at Napton Reservoir happily feeding along the hedgerow

Amazingly it was the first time I'd been back to the reservoir since lockdown when I had the place almost entirely to myself. The fishermen and dog walkers are back so it's lost its charm more recently but I did enjoy a pleasant hour studying the hedgerow which runs along the back of the sheep field. After an hour in the shade, it was quite humid by now, I'd managed (4) Redstart, (2) Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Common Whitethroat. My thanks to Dave Cox for the original 'heads up' on the Redstarts.

Northern Wheatear along the track leading down to the Grand Union canal from Sawbridge

After Napton a late afternoon walk with Dazza around the footpaths and tracks of Sawbridge, a small hamlet just a few miles from the marina. There's a small piece of information which can be found HERE in relation to the post-medieval settlement at Sawbridge which is quite fascinating.

Male Redstart 

A single Northern Wheatear and more Redstarts along the hedgerows with another four birds, including a nice looking male.

The original photo before enhancement! 

Two silhouetted birds on the phone wires caused a few issues with identity at the time of photographing and it wasn't until we arrived home that I was able to brighten up the images for ID. The bottom one is a Redstart and the top a Spotted Flycatcher. 

Enhanced photograph of Spotted Flycatcher 

I'd originally tweeted this as a Pied Flycatcher, the light on the wings and the strong black edge as you can see from the enhanced photo is a little confusing but from the characteristics of the pose, it's clearly a spotted.

Another angle of yesterdays Wheatear

 

📖 Brandon Marsh First!

☁️18C to start then ⛈19C ~ Wind ↖SE@4mph Thursday 13th August 2020 ~ Our second Thursday back at Brandon Marsh for the BMVCT since being allowed to return to volunteering by the Trust. Thankfully after the resent oppressive heat it was much cooler today and we managed to complete the priority clearance of all paths, finishing off with the centre track through the top reedbeds, just before the heavens opened. 

A Brandon Marsh 1st when this Cattle Egret was found in amongst six Little Egrets.

Before work, a pleasant surprise for us early arrivals when a Cattle Egret, a species long overdue at Brandon was discovered on Teal Pool. A first for the site but unfortunately not twitchable due to the reserve still being closed to the general public. In any case, the bird only hung around for a half-hour, heading off to the west.

Note to self: When checking Egrets don't assume they're all Little! ~ We may well have missed the Cattle Egret today if I hadn't noticed the size difference and checked the bill!

Due to the adverse weather an early finish which gave a few of us the opportunity for some extended birding. Heading off to the John Walton hide for lunch and to seek shelter from the torrential downpour and the odd flash of lightning.

One of six Little Egrets from today, another reserve record!

Also of note today: Snipe, (4) Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, (8) Common Tern, Hobby, Peregrine, Ad. Yellow-legged Gull and a small passage of Swallows during the downpour.

📖 Pied Flycatcher ~ Napton

🌞28C ~ Wind ↑S@4mph Wednesday 12th August 2020 ~ Journal Entry: A brief visit mid-morning to Napton Hill for a patch ✅ Pied Flycatcher. 

There was some debate on social media in relation to this particular bird over the course of the day. The apparent grey collar and extent of white at the base of the primaries and on the tertials led to thoughts of Collared Flycatcher. I'm sure the debate will continue for some but I've entered this into my bird journal as a Pied Flycatcher. Interesting bird though and worth some discussion.

📖 Brandon Marsh ~ Volunteering

☁️21C to start then 🌞33C ~ Wind ↑S@2mph Tuesday 11th August 2020 ~ Another morning of path clearing at Brandon Marsh with a small team of six finishing off Central Marsh and River Pool hide tracks. There have been two active wasp nests in the River Pool hide recently so we approached with caution however both nests have been abandoned. These were removed and handed on to the education team who may find them useful.

First Garganey of the year on East Marsh Pool

Prior to work an opportunity for some birding in the John Walton hide and this produced the first Garganey of the year, along with the first returning Snipe. Two Green Sandpipers and a single Common Sandpiper were other notables, no sign of the recent Little Stint!

Tweeted originally as a Chiffchaff ~ But now I'm leaning towards Willow Warbler?

A walk to the Carlton and Ted Jury Hides and at Carlton lots of activity with birds enjoying the ripening elder and blackberries. Included in the selection: Lesser Whitethroat, (2) Whitethroat, (3) Reed Warbler, (4) Chiffchaff and at least (8) Blackcap.

Cetti's Warbler ~ sporting a nice piece of bling on the right leg.

A pretty quiet Ted Jury hide were the only highlight was a fleeting glimpse of a Cetti's Warbler. Nice to see the ringing group have managed to add this particular individual to the list.

A brief visit from a Great Egret!

Back at the John Walton hide I was fortunate to see the above Great Egret, which dropped in just as the works team were heading off. It didn't stay long but I did manage a few images before the departure.

Normality Returns ( almost)

After a six week break from blogging and social media, mainly taken up by boat refurbishment it's back to a little normality for me. As the day draws ever closer towards our big move up to Scotland in October I'm confident I'm still on course to have the boat ready for the sales pontoon when that sad but exciting day finally arrives.

Talking of normality, yesterday the Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team were finally allowed back on-site at Brandon Marsh by the 'Trust' and I joined the team for some 'social distancing' well-needed path clearance. It was hard work but great fun and of course lovely to meet up once more with the guys. As you can imagine the paths and indeed reserve itself are not looking at their best!

It's been so frustrating for the BMVCT not to be allowed back earlier by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust who in my opinion have handled the whole situation in relation to the Brandon Marsh closure badly. But frankly, that doesn't surprise me! As a dedicated team who've been associated with the site for well over 50 years, I feel we've not for the first time been totally neglected and kept entirely out of the loop. In fact when the 'Trust' finally decided to allow a very limited number of members back on to the reserve two days a week the first we knew was through social media! Anyway, the politics and relations between the BMVCT and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust are not what this blog is about so let's get to the wildlife.

Record shot of Little Stint ~ First since 2009

Having arrived ahead of the team to visit the John Walton Hide the day started with a 'Brandon Lifer' for me in the form of a Little Stint, the first at Brandon since 2009, which of course I missed having been on my travels. Other highlights of the day included two Spotted Flycatchers and a terrific view of a Roe Deer, which ran out in front of us while walking the 'Tip' area. Hobby, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler and Blackcap were all noted and a single Grass Snake. Sadly it was raining when I went to search for Butterflies later in the afternoon but Small Heath and mating Common Blues were nice finds.

One of two Spotted Flycatchers at Brandon today

Over the closure period, it's been hard to keep track of how the summer has faired for the regular nesting species at Brandon but I've managed to ascertain that it's been a mixed bag. Common Terns, for example, have had an excellent year with 7 pairs fledging 16/17 youngsters, a good few of which were still on site yesterday.

Sadly, not so good for our Sand Martins with an inexplicable failure of both nesting structures, this compared to many previous successful years! One pair of Oystercatchers fledged a single youngster and both Little-ringed Plover and Redshank sadly failed to fledge any youngsters.