The Safari had the third and final group from school out on site today. Not quite as over-exciting as yesterday but this interesting looking caterpillar with a rather natty caramel coloured head - once again we're open to sensible ID offers as we haven't got a clue. At first we thought it might have been another Ruby Tiger but we found several of those and all of them were mature with black haired with black heads and perhaps a little smaller than this one. Having said that it still could be a Ruby Tiger.

Also found were several tiny flies with the most beautiful gorgeous golden eyes. The usual handful of Frogs, mostly one year olds, and a big orange skirted Black Slug. It's weird how you can go to the same place with thirty pairs of eyes and find a totally different suite of creatures two or three days running.

Plenty of Froghoppers  today and two species of Mirid Plant Bug, species we didn't see on the two previous sessions.

After school we headed off round the corner to the reserve proper. A scan down to the far end showed a few birders looking at the geese in the fields to the east. we resolved to get round as quickly as possible to join them...they had scopes ;-)

On the way we had several Migrant Hawkers and a nice flock of (Goldcrest-free) Long Tailed Tits.

A Jay flew across the path as we chatted to a fiend we've not seen for a while (MMLNR #93). The other birders had a Barnacle Goose (271, 185, 94)in their scopes - plan worked then :-) amongst the 3000 or so Pink Feet. The Black Swan wasn't counted (good job we've got it on the year list for real already) but the eight Whooper Swans were (95).

Feral Black Swan with wild Pink Feet.

Proper real wild Black Swans - part of an enormous flock on Lake Muir whose trumpeting calls sounded very reminiscent of the Whoopers back in Lancashire.

A scan through the swans gave us our only photograph of Australian Shelducks - not sure how as they are very common.

We heard that a Kingfisher had not long passed through, that would have been a useful bird for the reserves list and one closer to the ton up. We think we'll be on the reserve a few more times before the end of the year and you never know...

Where to next? Probably a bit of vis migging tomoz.
In the meantime let us know what's where it shouldn't be in your outback.

Crikey - More new stuff!!!

The Safari was out near the nature reserve with another school gang studying the habitats again, It wasn't long before they started to bring home the bacon. Drinker moths seem to have had a good season judging by the number of caterpillars found so far this week although they do appear to be a little on the small size.

No idea what this one is, Holly Blue has been suggested but we think is was collected from the middle of the field so it might not be. Offers anyone? It's some kind of sawfly rather than a Lepidopteran.

 This one anyone?

Now the decent weather, at last, had brought out a myriad of spiders, many/most were the common Garden Cross Spider but this one looked just a bit too different, we were right to have suspicions. It's Araneus quadratus, not one we've heard of before but we must admit we're not that up on spiders.

 Also found was an interesting looking shieldbug, again one we've not come across before.

Hardly surprising - Spiked Shieldbug hasn't been recorded round here before, whether that's because it's new in or just not found might never be known. Look how far away the nearest green dots are on this screen snip from the NBN Gateway

Not a lot of bird life was seen by the group - well they were excitable and noisy! But earlier we'd had a very quick sprint round the nature reserve, pretty quiet but pretty damn good! At least a couple of Cetti's Warblers singing, Redwing, Meadow Pipits and Coal Tit (MMLNR #93) new for the year there which was nice. In the field to the east a Buzzard sat on a post surveying the 2500 or so Pink Footed Geese in the field on the opposite side of the dyke. There were more; before we got round to the embankment at least another 5000 left to the north. A scope might have been good as there have been a handful of Barnacle Geese mixed in with them and European White Fronted Geese have turned up on the South-side, somehow we've missed Whooper Swans there so far this year too.

Not much on the sea this morning flocks of four and eight Shelducks and a couple each of alba and Grey Wagtails going over.

What will they find tomorrow???
Where to next? More of the same with the final class.
In the meantime let us know what might be new in your outback.

A late opportunity flits buy

The Safari was hoping to have a good session seawatching yesterday. There was no chance at lunchtime as the very high tide and fierce wind meant the wall was no place to be! Well not for anyone with any sense or who wanted to stay dry as huge waves crashed over the top and great gobbets of sea-foam were been blown across the promenade.

We wanted to get out and watch the dropping tide a couple of hours after high tide. The gas boiler service man was due at Base Camp mid afternoon so that knocked any chance of a watch on the head – why do these things always seem to clash?

By the time he’d finished and given the boiler the AOK the wind had dropped to just about nothing and any storm blown birds would have drifted back out to sea. Later we read that the South-side had scored a direct hit  

This morning in the post-dawn drizzly gloom we heard calls of a Redpoll(s?) passing overhead.

Patch 2 wasn’t so good with only a single Meadow Pipit providing the ‘vis’. At sea the usual 200 or so Common Scoters tazzed this way and that...why are they continually on the move in all directions, where exactly is it the want to be and what’s there that’s so interesting/important to them? Minutes before we were about to give up we spotted the nose of a Grey Seal protruding from the waves in the near to middle distance.

Mid morning whilst waiting for the kettle to boil we had a quick spin round the grounds but failed to connect with any Yellow Browed Warblers or Pallas’s Warblers :-( we did find a Dunnock and a Blackbird’s nest from the summer.

The lunchtime Patch 2 session was a good bit more exciting (and a good bit warmer – almost t-shirt sleeves pleasant out there) as we watched the last few minutes of the rising tide.

Several small flocks of Pintail flew by totalling 80+ and we found a Red Throated Diver and a Great Crested Grebe both now in winter plumage. A single Shelduck came past us going south as did a single Oystercatcher. Half a dozen middle distance single Common Gulls all heading south could have been a little late passage.

We re-found the Grey Seal a few hundred yards to the north of our vantage point and decided to walk up that way to see if he was photographable being not too far offshore. As we walked passed the fishermen on the slade one of them hauled in a Small Spotted Catshark (aka Dogfish - bizarre change of names there).
Reaching a likely spot we searched for the seal for a good few minutes before relocating him by which time it had drifted further north still and further out so no chance of a pic this arvo and by now it was time to get back in to the office anyway.

A late afternoon/early evening Grey Wagtail while out with Frank was a vis mig bonus. 

Where to next? Out with the school group tomorrow afternoon - wonder what they'll find this time.

In the meantime let us know what snuck past your outback in the wind.

Hairy and hairier

The Safari was out this arvo with a great class load of children investigating the habitats very close to their school. Fortunately we missed the rain although it was a bit muddier than some children seem to have experienced before. Nature Deficiency Disorder is deffo a real phenomenon,

No dicifiency this afternoon as everyone found something from giant Frogs to much smaller one and two year olds.

October isn't the best time for bug hunting but most pf the kids filled their pots with unusual goodies. 

The most interesting were this Drinker moth caterpillar.

This one is a bit trickier - any ideas anyone?

Nothing other than Common Scoters over the sea this morning.
Where to next? More habitat investigations later in the week, tomorrow will be restricted to Patch 2.
In the meantime let us know if you're suffering NDD in your outback

Ooohh - what a jay day

The Safari wonders if anyone else will admit to remembering Larry Grayson...

Today's safari started before the sun came up as we picked up the Young Uns before it was properly light for a trip up the motorway.

The day had dawned cold but bright and mist held in the dips and valleys. An early rising Buzzard broke the birding duck, but better was a brilliant spot by AB as we neared our destination...from the road you can see the trees the Little Egret roosting tree and as we approached he called a bird flying away as the Great White Egret - we ground to a swift stop, condensation strewn windows were wound down and the ID confirmed with binoculars - nice one but we neglected to count the visible Little Egrets!

Our target was the grit trays on the Causeway although it was still a bit too early as the sun hadn't come up over the surrounding hills and it was flamin chilly. Artistically misty though...

A Cetti's Warbler sang loudly and kept the gathering crowd guessing as to it's whereabouts. Eventually it gave itself up with stonking views...well stonking for a Cetti's Warbler...a brief reed-top flypast! The friendly Robin here kept his distance today for some reason, no telescope perching for our amusement this morning.

While we waited a Jay or two or three passed over along with numerous Siskins and Lesser Redpolls and few Redwings. A flock of seven Black Tailed Godwits was amusingly misIDd by one of the Young Uns as Tufted Ducks - oops! A long wait ensued before we heard the ping ping of our intended - the Bearded Tits (183). A longer wait was necessary before we saw any and they weren't in the reeds or on the grit trays but overhead! JS nicely captured this behaviour which has been in short supply in recent years - so if there's any hint of reeds near you check em out for Bearded Tits - not sure if Holland's population is doing the same.

With the Beardies under the belt we headed off to another area of the reserve to see what else we could find. The Young Uns went to the hide while we checked out the feeding station for another year bird...again a wait but eventually it fell...

We've still not got a decent pic of a Bullfinch (184). This one is at ISO about a million and 30 seconds exposure time! Two Rats and a Rabbit had a tiff started the day's mammal list.

We ignored the 1st winter drake Scaup the lads had seen from the hide and went to the further hides in search of more and bigger mammals. Just one was seen hidden deep under the trees - a Red Deer hind. All today's mammals began with 'R'.

This stricking tree on its little island is a popular haunt for stags but not today :-(

Photography was tricky with the light in our faces but what made it worse was the gobbet of what looked like Kangaroo snot on the lens - yuk and no wonder we had focus difficulties and flares.

A Marsh Harrier flew around a few times which we managed to completely miss. Then it was back to the grit trays where we didn't have to wait too long before we had some success. Again apologies for the dismal quality.

All to soon it was time to head back to Base Camp after a grand day out in which 71 species were seen, most notably well into double figures of Jays.

Frank then 'forced' us around Patch 1, he must be feeling better as this was his furthest walk - and he demanded to do it - for three or more months. We were rewarded by excellent views of a Goldcrest but little else.

He's tired now though.

Where to next? More Patch 2 stuff tomorrow, will there be any vis to observe as overnight conditions don't look too bad? Then in the afternoon we have a class out on a site near their school - pots and nets will be wielded!

In the meantime let us know what your excuses are for poor photography in your outback.

Sea's up

The Safari struggled for news for you yesterday. A heavy sea looked far more interesting then it was. It hadn't blown long enough or hard enough to bring any errant seabirds close inshore. A second winter Gannet was the only thing of note other than a drake Eider hugging the waves as it flew towards the relative shelter of the estuary. The Common Scoters don't bother with wussy stuff like shelter they just tough it out amongst the white horses; the shellfish they eat must be loaded with calories as they are the only means by which the scoters have to keep warm (no heaters to sit besides out there in the churning turmoil) and they seem to use  lot of energy flying this way and that and diving under the waves before they break over them.  There were about 250 of them at a guesstimate but there could have been many many more.

This morning ticking Robin activity seemed to be up a bit and not long after dawn we had both Blue and Great Tits on the feeder, no sign of any of the erupting Coal Tits here at Base Camp yet.

A Blackbird was giving the Pyracantha berries a hard time, one of next door's Rowan trees has been stripped bare but the other, in the front very close to the house, still has plenty of berries left. Which brings us neatly on to one of our high horses...are there any berries for our winter thrushes and other overwintering wildlife. This year the weather seems to have taken it's toll on pollinating invertebrates, in Safari-land at least. Hundreds of yards of hawthorn hedge are berryless apart from odd freak bushes every few hundred yards - what made them so different? Did they flower at a slightly different time to the others and just caught a snippet of good weather? But worse is the amount of useful food and cover that has already been lost to the tidy brigade. We understand the need for sight-lines along roads particularly at junctions though there is some suggestion that not having good visibility forces drivers to slow down which is no bad thing if we're trying to avoid accidents, but mile after mile of necessary flailing has already taken place. 'They' even pruned the shrubs at work while we were away? WHY??? The winter winds prune them anyway all they need is a light trim in the spring and now those same winter winds can whistle through the open vegetation offering no shelter at all to our Robins, Dunnocks etc and come the spring there'll no doubt be a lot more die-back so less cover for the nesting season...nightnare! The trouble with the flail is that it is too easy to use, if the hedges still had to be trimmed by hand you can bet your bottom dollar there'd still be plenty of habitat left for our struggling winter wildlife. Hedgelaying should be complusory

OK you do lose a lot of material but it is a slow and steady process in keeping with the rhythms of the seasons rather than the annual total hedge butchery we see today. Trouble with slow and steady is that costs ££££££ more than a bloke in a tractor. Even the bloke in the tractor needn't butcher the hedges if he just changed the angle of his flail a little and didn't cut so deep - simple stuff so why isn't the message getting through...and we wonder why many of our farmland birds aren't doing so well. Surely a slight change in hedgerow 'management' would benefit Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings, Corn Buntings, Grey Partridge, Song Thrush, Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, Linnets, Bullfinches and good old Dunnocks from the Red and Amber lists - wouldn't solve all their problems but we sure it  would go a long way to alleviating some of the pressure on them and would help small mammals and overwintering invertebrates too.

Enough high horse...when we're Prime Minister eh...

Where to next? Bit of a mish-mash day today with Wifey being away on business we've got Frank to look after and some chores and errands to do but we'll be out n about if never too far from Base Camp.

In the meantime let us know what's getting you in to the saddle in your outback

More miserable than Misery Beach

The Safari didn’t think Misery Beach was actually that miserable, a rather pleasant spot if truth be told...unlike the beach here this lunchtime which was thoroughly miserable, wind and rain swept! And greyer than a grey thing from Greysville.

Hardly any news from yesterday other than a Merlin (P2 #84) almost took our head off as it came from behind the Mirror Ball saw us at the last minute and jinked away over the wall upsetting a couple of Redshank – the first of the season – as it did so.

This morning was even less exciting, a couple of Grey Wagtails went over southwards, the sum total of the day’s vis mig! Last night we had a little audible mig when out with Frank one or more Redwings were heard overhead in the darkness. Almost all the Robins seem to have shipped out now too as only one or two are heard in the mornings.

On the sea a Red Throated Diver was very close and we enjoyed excellent views in the poor conditions. It was so close that we contemplated going back to get the camera – wouldn’t have been a full framer and the light was horrid but it was probably worth a shout. Then it dived again so we waited to see if it came up in the same place, if it did we’d deffo go for the camera...we waited and waited and waited and waited and it didn’t come up in the same place; it didn’t come up at all! We scanned and scanned and scanned and found two Great Crested Grebes and a Cormorant. all a hundred yards or more further out but we never did see the diver again. Wouldn’t mind the sea wasn’t far off mirror calm and the bird was over the beach...where the blazes did it go; down that invisible plughole like so many other unfortunate avian and mammalian victims?

Lunchtime gave us very heavy drizzle and no visibility grey-out conditions over the sea; we were back inside after only two minutes, not wanting to give any further ammunition to the cold we seem to have starting to develop.

Where to next? More greyness tomorrow? But we are making plans for a weekend safari.

In the meantime let us know waht the clous were hiding in your outback