I'd had a text message from fellow "Bingham Birder" James first thing to say he had a "Commic" Tern on one of the distant buoys viewed from the northern causeway, so I decided to pop up to the reservoir during my lunch break. No sign of the tern in question but I did see three Green Sandpipers on a pontoon near the Sailing Club, a nice year tick and the first I'd seen on the patch for a couple of years.
As I had a little time left before needing to get back to work I popped along to the Canoe Club to see if yesterday's Great White Egret might still be around, it wasn't! However, I did find two Little Terns, a Sutton Bingham tick for me and a real unexpected surprise! Unfortunately the birds flew to the southern end of the reservoir and were lost to view. A quick drive to the southern end failed to relocate them, I can only presume they carried on and were simply passing through. It would have been nice to have watched them for a little longer, but I was thrilled to get a patch tick, and I guess if yesterday's Great White Egret was "Patch Gold" today's Little Terns have got to be "Patch Platinum"!
Sutton Bingham year list for 2015 now at 81 species.
Thursday, 23 April 2015
Sutton Bingham - Wed 22 Apr
"Patch Gold" today when I found a Great White Egret during an afternoon visit to the reservoir! The bird was perched up in a tree opposite the Canoe Club for most of the afternoon. It appeared to be coloured ringed, with a red ring just viewable on one leg.
Nothing else of note except for three Little Egrets, so it was a real case of quality over quantity today!
Sutton Bingham year list for 2015 now at 79 species.
Sutton Bingham year list for 2015 now at 79 species.
Sutton Bingham - Sun 19 Apr
A mid-morning visit to the patch added House Martin to the year list, with two birds hanging out with a Swallow at the most southerly point of my Patchwork Challenge area. Also from here a Kestrel flew through. Back at the northern causeway a Common Sandpiper was seen, as was a Little Egret. A check of the gulls reaped rewards as I located a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull amongst the Herring Gulls, the second patch year tick of the day!
Greylake RSPB, Meare Heath and Ham Wall RSPB - Sat 18 Apr
Arriving at Greylake RSPB in the early afternoon we made for the hide and lucked in at last and were rewarded with good, if somewhat distant, views of the drake Green-winged Teal, I even managed a typically dodgy phone-scoped picture of it!
A couple of male Garganey were also present at Greylake amongst the few remaining wildfowl and I also heard my first Reed Warbler of the year and my first booming Bittern. A very successful stop so on towards Ham Wall and Meare Heath, where a Red Kite over the village of Ashcott was a welcome surprise.
We walked out to have a quick look at the drained lagoon at Meare Heath, another male Garganey was a nice find and a Great White Egret made a brief stop. A fair-sized flock of Black-tailed Godwits were also present and a male Marsh Harrier passed over the far reed bed. As we returned to the car park a Garden Warbler could be heard singing from the scrub but we could not nail it's exact location! A singing Sedge Warbler was another addition to the year list.
A quick walk over to Ham Wall RSPB and I saw my first Swifts of the year, a total of four were seen over the reserve. A couple more Great White Egrets were seen and as we returned to the car a Bittern flew over the reeds, frustratingly I was the only one to see the bird before it was obscured from sight by a stand of trees.
A brilliant day out with some great friends!
UK list for 2015 now at 150 species.
We walked out to have a quick look at the drained lagoon at Meare Heath, another male Garganey was a nice find and a Great White Egret made a brief stop. A fair-sized flock of Black-tailed Godwits were also present and a male Marsh Harrier passed over the far reed bed. As we returned to the car park a Garden Warbler could be heard singing from the scrub but we could not nail it's exact location! A singing Sedge Warbler was another addition to the year list.
A quick walk over to Ham Wall RSPB and I saw my first Swifts of the year, a total of four were seen over the reserve. A couple more Great White Egrets were seen and as we returned to the car a Bittern flew over the reeds, frustratingly I was the only one to see the bird before it was obscured from sight by a stand of trees.
A brilliant day out with some great friends!
UK list for 2015 now at 150 species.
Exmoor - Sat 18 Apr
An early start and a day out with some mates to explore Exmoor. Arriving at around 7.30am it was 2½°C, and with a fierce wind it felt well below zero! Needless to say there were no birds to be seen on the moors so after a quick trip to Porlock where there was no sign of the Hooded Crow reported a few days earlier we set off to Horner and a walk up the wooded valley in the hope of avoiding the weather until the day warmed up. Horner did produce a couple of male Pied Flycatchers and a pair of Marsh Tits amongst commoner fair, but still very few birds about so on to Pool Farm where a Wood Warbler put on a good show. We then headed back up on to the moor and had a wander around near Nutscale Reservoir, the highlight being a couple of Wheatears. After some discussion we decided to cut our losses and head back to the Somerset Levels for the afternoon.
Sutton Bingham - Fri 17 Apr
A quick visit to the reservoir today didn't add any new species for the year, but surprisingly a flock of thirteen Linnets were in the field between the car park and the Canoe Club. Other birds of note today were limited to four Little Egrets and six Common Sandpipers (the highest daily total of the Spring...so far!).
Thursday, 16 April 2015
Lidlington - Thu 16 Apr
For as long as I have been (semi-)seriously birding I have wanted to see a Lady Amherst's Pheasant, and I have made several attempts to find out where I could actually see one, including contacting those in the know...and every time I have failed in getting the necessary gen! However, this year news has been released as to the location of what is probably the last remaining wild Lady Amherst's Pheasant, so I decided that I would give it a go.
I was up at 3.30am and on the road half an hour later. A drive of a little over three hours, which included a Ring-necked Parakeet flying over the M25, and I arrived at the village of Lidlington in Bedfordshire (seeing my first House Martin of the year when I got out of the car). Following the directions on the pager I hiked up the hill to the suggested viewing point, and from more or less the minute I was on site I could hear the bird calling, a most distinct trisyllabic call. What followed though was a two and a half hour wait before the male Lady Amherst's Pheasant finally showed itself as it crossed the top of the ride. But it was well worth it, a beautiful looking bird with wonderful colourful plumage.
The following photo shows the area that seems to be the only reliable site for actually seeing the bird, and judging by how quickly it crossed the ride I'm amazed that some birders have managed to get photos.
An entertaining chorus of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps kept me occupied during the wait and the following sign at the base of the footpath was worthy of a smile!
With the mission accomplished I decided against hanging around and headed back home, taking a slightly different route to avoid the M25 and London bound traffic. This worked out well as when I passed Newbury I saw three Red Kites, a nice end to the excursion and I was home in time for lunch!
I was up at 3.30am and on the road half an hour later. A drive of a little over three hours, which included a Ring-necked Parakeet flying over the M25, and I arrived at the village of Lidlington in Bedfordshire (seeing my first House Martin of the year when I got out of the car). Following the directions on the pager I hiked up the hill to the suggested viewing point, and from more or less the minute I was on site I could hear the bird calling, a most distinct trisyllabic call. What followed though was a two and a half hour wait before the male Lady Amherst's Pheasant finally showed itself as it crossed the top of the ride. But it was well worth it, a beautiful looking bird with wonderful colourful plumage.
The following photo shows the area that seems to be the only reliable site for actually seeing the bird, and judging by how quickly it crossed the ride I'm amazed that some birders have managed to get photos.
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