Friday, 20 August 2010
Sutton Bingham - Fri 20 Aug
A brief late afternoon visit in miserable conditions produced single Common and Green Sandpipers on West Pool and nothing else of note.
Sutton Bingham - Thu 19 Aug
A Green Sandpiper was again present on West Pool with a second at the south end. There were also single Common Sandpipers at the southern end of the reservoir and on West Pool.
On the main reservoir a flock of some one hundred Canada Geese had appeared as if from nowhere.
On the main reservoir a flock of some one hundred Canada Geese had appeared as if from nowhere.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Sutton Bingham - Wed 18 Aug
An afternoon visit again produced a few waders with a Common Sandpiper and two Green Sandpipers on West Pool.
However, there was a bit more action at the southern end of the reservoir where another two Green Sandpipers were feeding and two more Common Sandpipers were on the water's edge just up from the hide.
A Kingfisher was seen catching fish, and a few more Sand Martins flew through.
A large feeding party, probably twenty or so birds, flitted between the willows near the hide and were prenominately Blue Tits and Great Tits, but a couple of Willow Warblers were also present.
An unexpected surprise in the skies over Sutton Bingham this afternoon, the Red Arrows flew over!
However, there was a bit more action at the southern end of the reservoir where another two Green Sandpipers were feeding and two more Common Sandpipers were on the water's edge just up from the hide.
A Kingfisher was seen catching fish, and a few more Sand Martins flew through.
A large feeding party, probably twenty or so birds, flitted between the willows near the hide and were prenominately Blue Tits and Great Tits, but a couple of Willow Warblers were also present.
An unexpected surprise in the skies over Sutton Bingham this afternoon, the Red Arrows flew over!
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Sutton Bingham - Tue 17 Aug
A mid-morning visit turned out to be pretty productive. The water levels are dropping which has exposed areas of mud around West Pool and at the southern end. On West Pool there were two Green Sandpipers and a further three were at the extreme south of the reservoir.
Four Teal were feeding at the south end, and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was again present. A single Common Tern was seen on a buoy off the dam then flew the length of the reservoir before returning to the dam.
Two Ravens flew over heading north, and a couple of Sand Martins flew through ahead of a steady fall of drizzle.
Four Teal were feeding at the south end, and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was again present. A single Common Tern was seen on a buoy off the dam then flew the length of the reservoir before returning to the dam.
Two Ravens flew over heading north, and a couple of Sand Martins flew through ahead of a steady fall of drizzle.
Sutton Bingham - Mon 16 Aug
A brief five minute visit on our way home produced a single Green Sandpiper on West Pool and two Greenshank.
Thurlbear Quarrylands - Sun 15 Aug
A let up in the drizzle so Ellie and I headed off to Thurlbear Quarrylands for a return visit in the hope of seeing soem hairstreaks. We arrived mid-afternoon and before long it had got rather warm. There were plenty of butterflies about and before long we had seen Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Large White and Gatekeeper:
We saw three Silver-washed Fritillarys, including this rather tatty individual:
As we continued our walk around we also saw a Red Admiral, a couple of Brown Argus and loads of Common Blues:
Monday, 9 August 2010
Corsica - Sun 1 Aug to Sun 8 Aug
Not a birding trip as we were on our honeymoon, but Ellie and I did spend a fair bit of time out and about and did manage to see a few birds, though not many due to the high temperatures and time of year.
Personally, I had five target species for Corsica, but only connected with two. The choice of the birds for me was Corsican Finch, and I was lucky enough to see a small number up in the mountains:
In some of the towns we saw Italian Sparrow, another new WP tick for me, though technically not split in to a seperate species yet.
We saw very few of the colourful Mediterranean species that one would expect to see, but we did stumble upon a flock of Bee-eaters which included several young birds:
A few Sardinian Warblers were about, and a single Western Bonelli's Warbler was in the grounds of our apartment, and a pair of Great Tits were regular visitors to our balcony:
The mountains were pretty quiet, though a few Crag Martins were about and a single Blue Rock Thrush was seen. In the harbour near our apartment we saw a few Shags of the Mediterranean race:
There were loads of butterflies, more than there were birds, highlights included Two-tailed Pasha, Southern White Admiral, and Scarce Swallowtail:
We also saw numerous Corsican Graylings, a few Clouded Yellows and various Whites, and the endemic Corsican Heath:
We managed to see a few Great Banded Graylings, single Hungarian Glider and Cardinal. Blues were represented by Green-underside Blue, Bellier's Blue and Common Blue, plus a Geranium Bronze:
There were also a few species of fritillary, including several Silver-washed Fritillarys, one or two Queen of Spain Fritillary and just one Corsican Fritillary:
Personally, I had five target species for Corsica, but only connected with two. The choice of the birds for me was Corsican Finch, and I was lucky enough to see a small number up in the mountains:
In some of the towns we saw Italian Sparrow, another new WP tick for me, though technically not split in to a seperate species yet.
We saw very few of the colourful Mediterranean species that one would expect to see, but we did stumble upon a flock of Bee-eaters which included several young birds:
A few Sardinian Warblers were about, and a single Western Bonelli's Warbler was in the grounds of our apartment, and a pair of Great Tits were regular visitors to our balcony:
The mountains were pretty quiet, though a few Crag Martins were about and a single Blue Rock Thrush was seen. In the harbour near our apartment we saw a few Shags of the Mediterranean race:
There were loads of butterflies, more than there were birds, highlights included Two-tailed Pasha, Southern White Admiral, and Scarce Swallowtail:
We also saw numerous Corsican Graylings, a few Clouded Yellows and various Whites, and the endemic Corsican Heath:
We managed to see a few Great Banded Graylings, single Hungarian Glider and Cardinal. Blues were represented by Green-underside Blue, Bellier's Blue and Common Blue, plus a Geranium Bronze:
There were also a few species of fritillary, including several Silver-washed Fritillarys, one or two Queen of Spain Fritillary and just one Corsican Fritillary:
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