Rain and Shine

Marbled White @ Brandon

I’m not sure about the current drought situation in certain parts of the UK but it would certainly seem that locally we’ve most definitely had our fair share. On the three occasions this week I’ve been out and about I’ve not managed to dodge the showers particularly well.

Despite the weather though it’s not been too bad a week and a search of Brandon’s meadow areas on Tuesday and Thursday produced plenty of insects and a decent haul of Butterflies; Marble White, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Comma, Brown Argus, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Green-vein White, Small Copper, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell and Ringlet, the latter of which are now out in good numbers.

Common Spotted Orchids are now out in excellent numbers throughout the reserve and finally the team managed the first Bee Orchid of the year, thanks to a tip off from one of the regulars.

Hoverfly Volucella bombylans

As you would imagine at this time of year the birding has not thrown up anything out of the ordinary, the exception being 2 or 3 Green Sandpipers, which have been regular at Brandon more recently. Although the birdsong is not as prolific there’s still plenty to tune into with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, and more reeling Grasshopper Warblers at Sheepfield, Newlands and Carlton Hide, second broods perhaps?

One of the local Brandon Marsh Cuckoo’s is still hanging around too and with Cuckoo’s in mind I thought I’d give a mention to a really fascinating site being run by the BTO. The site enables you to follow 5 electronically tagged Cuckoo’s as they begin their journeys back south. Each of the five has a name and each have their very own blog, people are always telling me that all us bloggers are Cuckoo, so here’s the evidence, enjoy! Tracking Cuckoo's



Glow Worm

Finally, last night 21 of the Brandon Team, which included friends and family, enjoyed an Italian evening at the Brandon Badgers Tearoom, which was organised by Sarah who runs it. After a really enjoyable meal a number of us braved the appalling conditions to venture out onto the reserve in search of Glow Worms. I’m delighted to say that 8 of these wonderful little beetles had themselves braved the weather and enchanted us despite the deluge!

Oh and yes I feel I must give a mention to our beloved chairman, Paul Norman, who put on the evenings 5* entertainment! Its always-advisable not to place your fleece next to burning candles!

Right Place - Right Time!

Nesting Fulmar @ RSPB Fowlsleugh

After a short summer break from blogging it’s time to get back down to it and although things locally are extremely quiet, the last few days in Aberdeen have proven to be anything but!

Dee and I travelled up on Thursday; the main reason for our trip was to visit Dee’s Grandmother, who’s been recuperating in hospital for the past few months. Dee had booked an excellent little B&B right on the harbour at Stonehaven that had a nice balcony that looked out across the harbour. Here with the use of my scope we had constant views of many Oystercatcher, Common Eider and passing Gannet, Fulmar and Kittiwake.

Very Content Looking Razorbill

On Friday we managed to grab some time away from hospital visits and paid a morning trip to RSPB Fowlsheugh, which lies just off the A92, around 3 miles south of Stonehaven.

Fowlsheugh is a spectacular seabird city with 130,000 birds nesting on the cliffs, including Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Razorbills, and smaller numbers of Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Shags and Puffins. Skylarks, Meadow and Rock Pipits, and Linnets also breed on the reserve. I’m delighted to say that we managed to connect with all the above species, plus a bonus in the shape of a lone Bonxie (Shetland name for Great Skua), which was hanging around the colony for a short while!

Grey and Common Seals, and Bottlenose and Common Dolphins can also be seen offshore. Harbour Porpoises, White-beaked Dolphins and Minke Whales are seen occasionally but sadly not during our visit! Thrift and red campion grow in abundance, it’s simply a wonderful all round location.

Although I’m not a twitcher, and hate it when someone refers to me as such, I do have a definite knack of being in the right place at the right time. A few years back I stumbled into Hollands biggest ever twitch on Texel Island, purely by chance, when a Caspian Plover and American Golden Plover were both on the Island during my visit. So when news reached me of two mega vagrants for the UK, North American White-winged Scoter and ♂King Eider only a few miles up the coast from my current location, well, what can I tell you!!

My Attemp @ Fulmar in Flight!

I must say that the weather was appalling on Saturday but thanks to local help (Cheers Gordon and Tay), and to be fair in the case of the White-winged Scoter, recognition in the gloom, I managed both. The Scoter was seen offshore at Blackdog, a short drive up the A90 north of Aberdeen. Also seen in the rain and gloom were good numbers of Common Scoter, a few Velvet, but unfortunately during my brief stay I failed on the reported ♂ Surf Scoters.

Desperatley running out of time but slightly further up the coast I arrived at Ythan Estuary and I can tell you that the weather had in fact deteriorated even further, but thanks to persistence and determination the King Eider was duly seen in all it's glory. I managed a quick look at the Ternary with Arctic, Little, Common and Sandwich Tern all in residence before darting back to Aberdeen to pick up Dee, two UK lifers in the bag!!

Summer Break

Hi guys, Thank you very much for the emails. No I haven't abandoned the blog, just having a summer break from blogging and tweeting for a short while. I'll be back in another week or so's time, in the mean time happy birding!!

Balmy Evenings

Daubenton's Bat

I absolutely love this type of weather, particularly with the warm balmy evenings, when I can lay in bed with the windows and hatches fully open just listening to the wildlife.

Last night for example Dee and I lay listening to a Tawny Owl calling, a distant Curlew and at one stage the high pitch screech of Barn Owl was heard passing overhead.

Unfortunately, due to other commitments I’ve been unable to enjoy the current warm spell during the day, missing out on an adult Osprey at Brandon Marsh this morning, but I have managed a couple of evening walks around the marina grounds.

About an hour after sunset yesterday evening the Pipistrelle Bats were once again doing their level best to convince me that they were about to collide with me head on. However, I was delighted to come across another member in the order of Chiroptera, in the form of two Daubenton’s Bats. Daubenton’s bat is a medium-sized species. It has a steady flight, often within a few centimeters off the waters surface and is reminiscent of a small hovercraft.

Daubenton’s usually feed within about 6km of the roost, but have been recorded following canals for up to 10km (at speeds of up to 25kph). They usually take insects from close to the water and have even been seen taking prey directly from the waters surface, using their large feet as a gaff or the tail membrane as a scoop. I actually witnessed this first hand last night, definitely a sight to behold!

The Frogs were once again on the move with several seen moving across the paths and our resident Sedge Warblers were still singing from deep within the reeds. My first Hedgehog of the year was also making its way along one of the paths. The shock of the night though was when one of the moorers black cats suddenly pounced, frightening the life out of me!

Yellowhammer

This evening no signs of the Daubenton’s Bats but I did enjoy the song of a late evening Yellowhammer. Also seen earlier when I arrived back at the marina at around 6pm was a family group of six Pied Wagtails, plus two juvenile Tree Sparrows, which were being fed by an attentive mother.

Nice Surprise

Pied Flycatcher (Library Image)

I have to say that more recently I’ve not had the time available to spend on birding that I would normally like but as they say, once a birder always a birder, and no matter where you are your instincts are always zoned in for something different.

This weekend for example we spent with friends in Suffolk who are not birders and on Sunday attended the Southend Air Show, aviation being a second passion of mine. I have to say that I was very disappointed with the line up now that the council have apparently withdrawn funding and so with binoculars in hand anyway, found myself straying away from the mechanical flyer's to the feathered kind once more. The highlight of which were two summer plumage Mediterranean Gulls, which were feeding out in the mud flats just out from the sea wall.

After my weekend break I returned to Brandon Marsh this morning and if I’m being completely honest didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary. Over the past few weeks the highlights have been Little Egret, a brief visit of juvenile Osprey and Greenshank. Mind you a survey of the Owl boxes throughout the reserve last Thursday yielded some excellent results, with both Tawny Owl and Barn Owl doing extremely well, in total 9 Owlets were ringed.

Alpine Swift (Library Image)

With the trees and bushes now in full bloom and spring migration now over it’s that time of year when you rely more on your instincts and in particular you’re hearing. It was very noticeable today that lots of species had quietened down and are now busy with the task of feeding youngsters. I lost count of the numbers of young Whitethroat that were constantly demanding food from parents. The Islands on East Marsh Pool have Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Redshank and now Little Ringed Plover chicks.

The surprise of the day came in New Hare Covert when searching for my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year with Derek Bennett. We in fact came across a very pristine looking Pied Flycatcher instead, which was a first for me at Brandon, having missed earlier spring visits due to my trip to Canada. Unfortunately, we were unable to re-locate the bird later in the day.

The ringing team were also active today on 'constant effort' and shortly after arriving at the main hide a phone call from Jim Rushforth had Derek, Mike, Adrian, John and myself scanning for an Alpine Swift that had been spotted by two members of the team over East Marsh Pool. Sadly, after around 45 minutes of non-stop scanning, we binned out!

Not many Butterflies or Odanata to report today (Common Blue, Small White & Speckled Wood Butterfly) but there are lots of Spotted Orchids to be found throughout the reserve, unfortunately only small in size, probably due to recent lack of rainfall!

A brief update for the Marina grounds consist of small numbers of Pied Wagtail young and fledged families of Greenfinch, Reed Bunting and Sedge Warbler. I was also delighted to see 3 young Skylark in the adjacent field. Yellowhammers are constantly singing from the nearby phone wires too!

Quiet week!

Greenshank

Lots of other commitments over the past week has meant that birding has been at a premium, but I have managed visits to Brandon Marsh and of course kept close contact around the marina and locally.

Fortunately it’s been a much quieter week and it would appear that the main thrust of the migration has come to an end. However talking to other birders and keeping a close eye on the forums it appears that good numbers of House Martins are still missing from breeding colonies. Hopefully these birds should arrive at any time, there was certainly a few more around at Brandon today. The odd rarities still continue to show up though nationwide, Gull-billed Tern in Norfolk and Black-winged Stilt, plus locally a Black Stork near Weedon, which I never got time to see!

Yesterday I took a late evening stroll around the marina grounds and was rewarded with a trio of Owls. Firstly, a Barn Owl was quartering the adjacent field and the large Oak Tree within is still playing host to a family of Little Owls, I managed two perched silhouettes. Finally, a Tawny Owl was calling from the general direction of Napton Reservoir but I never managed to make eye contact.

Common Toad

We seem to have a small population of Pipistrelle Bats here too, as at least 3 spent the evening doing their level best to convince me that they were about to collide with my head at any moment. I’ve also noticed a very healthy community of Common Toads and several had to be avoided as I walked the paths. At least one Lesser Whitethroat is still singing daily and finally the first fledgling Sedge Warblers are starting to appear.

Today an early morning visit to Brandon Marsh, which produced a couple of site year firsts for me. Teal Pool hide, which thanks to Jim Rushforth’s sluice management, is now once more carrying plenty of water, gave up a very pristine looking Greenshank and later in the main hide a juvenile Osprey came floating over East Marsh Pool, before heading off towards Coombe! Surprisingly this is only my second sighting of Osprey at Brandon since joining the team in December 2009. A brief glimpse of a solitary Hobby over Central Marsh Path and the usual selection of warblers and waders were also seen. I was amazed at how quickly the young Oystercatchers had grown, but sadly after starting with four chicks only three remain.

Anniversary Weekend

Rutland Water

Just arrived back aboard after our 2nd wedding anniversary celebrations, which included a day out on the Nene Valley Steam Railway yesterday and a visit to Rutland Water today.

The last time I was at Rutland was in February 2010 when Dee and I went in search of two reported Long-eared Owls on the southern part of the reserve. Our search was successful but at that time there was major construction work in progress. I’m glad to say that the work has now been almost completed and the site is looking in superb shape with new lagoons and hides.

Dee and I began our walk around midday from the Egleton Bird Watching Centre and although it would have been good to see the new lagoons and hide we decided to head to the north. This is one huge place and having visited the south last time this was all new and exciting ground for us. The first several hides and paths produced the usual selection of warblers and the sky was busy with Swifts and many Common Tern. The large Sand Martin structure, which can be viewed from the centre itself, was awash with activity and the Martins were constantly coming and going.

Probably the best viewing came at the Sandpiper Hide, which overlooks Lagoon 4. Here an Osprey was enjoying a well-earned bath before moving off and both Little Ringed and Ringed Plover were constantly on the go. A good number of waders were showing which included Oystercatcher, Little Stint, lots of Dunlin and I managed to pick out a summer plumage Turnstone that was almost buried within the shingle. Two Avocets dropped in for a short stay and Dee picked out several Egyptian Geese amongst the Greylag and Canada, a lone Barnacle was present and a first tick for the year in the form of a single Little Gull.

We moved further around the lagoon to the Dunlin Hide, which produced nothing further of note but a Lesser Whitethroat was singing close by within the Hawthorn, and a very pristine looking ♂Linnet was also singing well from a nearby tree. Amazing how fluent birding can be, by the time we reached Plover Hide, which also overlooks Lagoon 4 and only minutes after leaving Dunlin Hide, a Whimbrel had dropped in and was preening happily near the waters edge. Distant views of Osprey and Red Kite, plus a Grey Wagtail was also seen before moving back towards the centre.

On our return to the centre taking in visits to Shoveler, Buzzard and Crake Hides produced a Kingfisher flypast and ♂Cuckoo, plus a second Little Gull of the day was over the pool. Finally over a nice hot chocolate in the elevated lookout section of the centre, two Little Egret were our final additions and ended a good days birding with a gallant 65 species recorded, thanks to the wife's good book keeping!

Poor light and distance unfortunately ruled out any good photo's!

Local is Best

Common Restart (Library Image)

It seems that more recently the marina has provided the best birding locally for me, with other nearby areas such as Napton Hill and Napton Reservoir not throwing up anything out of the ordinary.

My latest good fortune at the marina came on Wednesday morning while having my usual early morning stroll around the grounds. When I got to the marina entrance a gorgeous looking ♂Common Redstart was perched on top of the canal junction bridge. I can tell you that there’s nothing 'common' about these stunning looking guys, especially with the rising sun shining directly onto him! I can tell you too that I was absolutely gutted that I'd stupidly left my camera back aboard the boat!

Shortly after being mesmerised by the visiting Redstart a very proud pair of Mute Swan’s came passing through the entrance with 5 Cygnets in tow, a very serene and relaxing sight and what has now become an annual event.

Four Spotted Chaser

I did have better luck with the camera later in the afternoon when I went on a Butterfly and Dragonfly hunt in the surrounding fields. My first Four-spotted Chaser of the year followed closely by my first local Small Heath and Small Copper Butterflies. Lesser Whitethroats seem to have taken a shine to the grounds too with the addition of another bird now singing constantly, this now makes three birds on site.

Two visits to Brandon Marsh this week with my usual Tuesday birding day and the Thursday work party. I’m happy to report that thus far the four Oystercatcher chicks are still doing well and there’s now a good collection of Lapwing, Mallard, and Coot chicks to be found, plus Greylag and Canada Goose goslings. On Thursday Swifts seemed prolific with many birds skimming just above the waterline taking on water, two Hobby and a Cuckoo were also seen.

The Mount cousin’s, or as I call them ‘The Boys From The Black Stuff’ discovered a brand new Butterfly for the reserve on Tuesday, when they came across a Green Hairstreak, a picture of which can be found on Brandon Birding. Also worth mentioning that as part of a reintroduction program to the reserve the Butterfly Conservation have released two species back on site, Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper, the latter of which has already been photographed by Jeff Rankin, one of the Brandon regulars.

Rain at Last!

Corn Bunting

The past few days have finally provided some much needed rain to the area, torrential at times with thunder and with the winds currently from the south you just never know what might drop in. With heavy showers now forecast I'll be keeping a close eye on Napton Hill for any downed migrants, although this spring seems to have produced more here at the marina than on the hill!

Speaking of which the last few days have seen a Common Sandpiper near the canal entrance on Friday, along with a Hobby hunting overhead later in the day. Yesterday while driving out of the marina around fifty or so Golden Plover were seen flying north. When I returned a short while later two noisy Arctic Terns flew through heading northwest. Several Skylarks have been singing constantly in the surrounding fields and at least two Lesser Whitethroats are still on site and in song. However, the best was my first recorded Corn Bunting on site, which I found this morning in full song atop one of the hawthorn bushes.

Last night I decided to pay a rare evening visit to Brandon Marsh, something I haven't done for a good while, normally preferring to arrive just prior to sunrise. I got to site around 5:30pm were I met George Wootton who informed me that 3 Little Egret were on site for a short while earlier. The first thing that hit me when I got out of the car was that gorgeous earthy fresh smell you get after a recent downpour. In fact the current water levels are quite low, particularly on River Pool and so the recent rainfall is a godsend. The River Avon, which runs around the southern perimeter of Brandon, is also desperately low.

East Marsh Pool was a cacophony of noise, particularly with a small group of Black-headed Gulls, which I seriously hope make a decision not to nest here, the noise would be unbearable! The usual melee of Little Ringed Plover were constantly on the go, I counted eight today, along with two Ringed Plover, which were moving constantly back and forth from River Pool. The long staying Ruff seems to have finally departed and at last 4 Oystercatcher chicks were seen on Tern Island. 3 Redshank were recorded plus: ♂♀Shoveler, 8-Gadwall, 6-Teal and 22 Tufted Duck, an unusually large number for the time of year!

Mayfly

Carlton Hide was where I spent the rest of the evening on the lookout for Hobby and Barn Owl, the Mayflies were out and a number of Swifts were passing through. 2 Grasshopper Warblers were heard reeling, one of which I got the briefest of glimpses and the second was heard in reeds over by the river Avon as I left a while later. A Cuckoo spent a lot of time in the big dead tree calling, apparently two were seen earlier in the day mating, so nice to know there is actually a female on site, although no reports of one bubbling thus far.

As darkness fell and the threat of rain a constant, a lone Hobby finally arrived hunting over the pool providing some spectacular views while feeding on the wing and a Barn Owl was also seen quartering to the back of Newlands reed bed. On the walk back to the car in the diminishing light a final look at East Marsh yielded a single Shelduck and two Pipistrelle Bats were seen on the Central Marsh Path. As I drove from the volunteers car park past Horsetail Glade a Badger ran across my path and just as I was driving out of the reserve the rain duly arrived!

Anne Norman

Sad news of the death of Anne Norman, the wife of the Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team Chairman Paul. Anne died peacefully on Friday morning after her battle with cancer.

My prayers are with Paul and his family. For me Anne was an inspiration, a remarkable lady and when I was around her enjoying nature, and in particular the birds, we always had a good laugh, she was a complete joy to be around. For those who met Anne in passing, they would never be aware of her battle such was her positive and friendly nature. I'm just happy to have known her and very glad I gave her a big kiss and cuddle only a few days ago at Brandon Marsh, a place where she will be greatly missed! From here on when I walk the paths of Brandon the birdsong will always be a constant reminder of her presence, I’ll miss her immensely, sleep well Anne xxx